Sports

CEDAR RAPIDS– The Liberty High varsity baseball team overcame the first hurdle on the road to Des Moines, and the 2019 Class 4A State Baseball Tournament, on Friday, July 19, outlasting Cedar Rapids Washington, 8-7, in nine innings at home, Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, in a substate first round game.
The Bolts swept the Warriors, 15-10 and 5-2, both in eight-innings, a week before at Washington High and entered substate competition as the No.2 seeded team in Substate 7 behind top-seeded West Des Moines Dowling Catholic.

DYERSVILLE– Beckman Catholic was 7-2 in its last nine games.
Solon went 3-5-1 in its last nine.
The Spartans dipped to 17-12-2 on the season after dropping a doubleheader July 5 to the Blazers, who improved to 25-10.
Beckman took the opener 6-1, then broke open a tight game for a 7-4 win in the nightcap.
The Spartans had swept Williamsburg at home July 1, and a hitter’s game against Cedar Rapids Xavier was postponed with an 8-7 score after two-and-a-half innings July 2, but Solon Head Coach Keith McSweeney is concerned about his offense.

SOLON– Two Solon pitchers threw gems, and the Spartans made the most of a handful of hits to squeeze a doubleheader sweep out of visiting Williamsburg July 1.
Cam Miller struck out 13 and walked two in a 2-0 shutout, and Lucas Walker allowed a single earned run while striking out seven and walking four in a 4-1 win.
Solon manufactured both of its runs in the first inning of the opener. Chris McSweeney had two of the Spartans’ four hits, with the others belonging to Jax Flynn and Ryan Geistkemper (a double). Flynn had the lone RBI for Solon’s offense.

CEDAR RAPIDS– Liberty High dipped to 15-13 for the season in the wake of a varsity doubleheader sweep Monday, July 1, to the Dubuque Hempstead Mustangs, at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids.
The double dip was originally scheduled to be played in Dubuque, but field conditions prompted the move to the Lightning’s home away from home (the baseball diamond awaits completion on the Liberty High campus), with the Bolts in the role as the visiting team.

CEDAR RAPIDS– Liberty High’s varsity softball team split with Dubuque Wahlert Catholic in a doubleheader, which took four days to complete due to weather issues.
The squads met on Mount Mercy University’s (MMU) diamond in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, July 2, where the Lightning picked up a 5-2 win before real lightning and rain postponed the nightcap until Saturday, July 6 (also at MMU). The Bolts fell 6-0 in the second game.