Linn-Mar Baseball Team Upsets Ranked Iowa City West High for Bid

Facing a 24-hour turnaround and the No. 3 team in Class 4A, the Linn-Mar baseball team had a daunting challenge in the Class 4A substate final last night.

The Lions (27-15) stared that challenge in the face, and behind the arm of senior Austin Stroschein, Linn-Mar held off Iowa City West, 4-3, for a state tournament berth.

“You can’t describe the feeling (of getting the win); it’s crazy,” Stroschein said. “In a playoff game, we knew we’d have to battle."

And battle they did, gritting out a 4-3 win after taking a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning. The Trojans had defeated the Lions both times when they previously met in the regular season, but the playoffs are often a whole different animal.

It was a tough loss for a senior laden West High squad that won most of their regular season games.

The vacant looks on the faces of the West High players standing around in front of the dugout told the story Wednesday. Second-ranked West High lost to Linn-Mar 4-3 in a Class 4A substate baseball final, a stunning end to what had been an outstanding season.

The Lions (27-15) return to the state tournament while the Trojans ended their season with a record of 33-8.

“We just didn’t play as well as we’d hoped,” West coach Charlie Stumpff said. “We misplayed a few balls. And that’s a pretty darn good team. The middle of their lineup is good, and you just can’t make mistakes. They kept putting a lot of pressure on us and finally cracked through on us in the sixth inning.”