South Winneshiek’s Parker Timp bats during a Class 1A state tournament last July at Merchants Park in Carroll. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
South Winneshiek is the defending Upper Iowa Conference baseball champion.
The Warriors are fighting for another league title.
They helped their cause with a sweep of Class 1A No. 10 Lansing Kee on Tuesday night at Calmar. South Winn won the first match 5-2 and followed up with a 3-1 victory for their third win this season over the Kee Hawks. The Warriors lead MFL MarMac by one game, despite losing to the Bulldogs earlier this season.
“We’re starting to click,” South Winn coach Alex Smith said. “We have some guys back. We also have some injured. “We are trying to mix up our lineup as best we can to form the team that is most competitive on any given day.”
South Winn and Kee have fostered a strong rivalry in northeast Iowa, but the Warriors have now won the last 10 of the series, according to Bound. Braiden Todd had two hits, including a home run and two RBIs, and pitched 2/3 of an inning in relief to save the opener. Todd had four hits and pitched three innings to save the cup. Parker Timp allowed just one run in four innings and had two RBIs at the plate for South Winn. Carson Streeter, the Game 1 starter, had two hits, including a solo home run.
“It’s a conference rival, a team we see in the playoffs all the time,” Smith said, noting that South Winn won the first meeting on May 30 at Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins. “They have very good pitchers and a lot of guys in their offensive lineup.
“Braden Todd made two saves. He was very good in the bullpen in both games. Carson Streeter and Parker Timp pitched outstandingly in the starting role. … It was a game well played by us in all aspects.”
The Warriors have posted an 11-1 conference record, but are 14-7 overall. A challenging non-conference schedule is by design. South Winn played eight games in six days last week.
Smith made scheduling easier as many players participated in track and field and golf. The Warriors have a busy stretch designed to prepare them for the most important time of the year.
“This is a big part of our schedule,” Smith said. “I tell the guys it’s not to schedule an undefeated season, but to be challenged out of conference. It makes us better when it comes to watching conference and playoff teams. We survived a great week last week.”
South Winn played defending 2A state champion and No. 4-ranked Dyersville Beckman. The Warriors faced 4A Ottumwa and standout pitcher Tucker Long, who was on the USA 15U Baseball National Team last year, Iowa City Regina and rival Decorah. Smith said he could have been exhausting, but it showed his passion.
“They loved to play,” Smith said. “They played hard. “They had great energy.”
Todd is hitting .537 with 29 hits, while Timp (25), Streeter (23) and Brody Tieskoetter (22) are right behind him. Timp and Kole Hageman, who also serves as the starting catcher, lead the way with three wins each.
“The tradition and the success we’ve had is still our pitching and our defense,” said Smith, who praised Hageman for being the leader on the field. “We have several guys who can throw strikes.
“The top half of our lineup has a lot of college experience. I think they’re all hitting over .300 with some pop. They are doing some good things. The bottom half is starting to catch on, seeing more at-bats now that we’re halfway through the season.”
Another difficult stretch awaits us. The Warriors closed out the week with games against Turkey Valley, 2A No. 6 New Hampton, perennial power Don Bosco and Sumner-Fredericksburg. Next Thursday’s doubleheader against MFL MarMac will likely determine the conference title.
“It’s a group of guys that love to play,” Smith said. “They take advantage of every opportunity to go out and try to improve every time we go out on the field. Hopefully get ready to race again in July.”
North Linn’s Travis Griffth earns 500th win
North Linn coach Travis Griffith earned his 500th career victory Monday as the Lynx swept Maquoketa Valley, 13-3 and 10-0, in a Tri-Rivers Conference doubleheader in Troy Mills. North Linn improved to 16-3 overall and 9-1 in conference play.
Griffith is in his 18th season as Lynx head coach, following two years as head coach at Highland. He owns an overall career record of 500-217.
“I have been very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such wonderful children and parents here at North Linn,” Griffith responded to The Gazette staff on social media. “I wake up every day and love what I do.”
Griffith has led the Lynx to six state tournament appearances, including four in a row from 2017 to 2020. North Linn was the Class 2A state runner-up in 2019.
Brent Yonkovic drives Western Delaware
West Delaware junior Brent Yonkovic showed off his power Monday in a doubleheader against South Tama at Stryten Energy Field at the Beckman Sports Complex in Manchester. He hit four home runs and drove in seven runs in the Trojans’ 12-2, 10-0 sweep.
Yonkovic went 2 for 3 with a walk in the opener and hit a solo home run. The outburst reached its peak during the cup. Yonkovic hit three home runs, going 3-for-3 with a walk and six RBIs. He reached base in 7 of 8 plate appearances.
Yonkovic has a team-best 29 hits, including nine doubles and five home runs. He has 16 RBIs with a .414 batting average, getting on base at a .506 clip.
Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com
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