Jake Mitchell's two-RBI single lifts City High past Iowa City West in substate finals

The gray metal stands and pavement that surround the baseball field at Mercer Park were filled to the brim.

Spectators, many of whom were rocking the red of Iowa City High and green of Iowa City West, piled into the ballpark to watch the two rivals slug it out for a spot in the Class 4A state tournament.

The postseason atmosphere was in full effect and a two-RBI single by Jake Mitchell gave the Little Hawks the momentum needed to beat Iowa City West, 3-1, on Wednesday.

City High baseball is headed back to the state tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

"I'm just very grateful; the atmosphere we had tonight was unmatched," Mitchell said. "I mean, it was felt all the way throughout the outfield. It was very exciting to put on a show out there and perform at the best of my abilities."

The game of baseball has produced many great rivalries, and Wednesday’s substate final between City High and Iowa City West was as primetime as it gets.

The Little Hawks (33-7) entered the matchup with a two-game series sweep over the Trojans back on May 24.

But Iowa City West (20-21-1) had flipped the script as of late. The Trojans were riding a four-game unbeaten streak, including substate upsets over Prairie (23-12) and Davenport Central (24-14).

City High played spoiler to the Trojans’ attempt at a Cinderella story on Wednesday.

Mitchell gave a big boost to City High but wasn’t the only one to inject some life into the team.

After a single by starting pitcher Talon Young, City High senior Max Waldschmidt had an RBI double to deep center field that gave City High a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. The Little Hawks managed to get the bases loaded with back-to-back walks and Mitchell sliced a two-RBI single to extend the advantage to 3-0.

"I was looking for one spot, one pitch and I got that pitch right around the outer half and I just smoked it up the middle," Mitchell said. "The crowd was all fired up and it was awesome."

Young escaped a bases-loaded jam with help from Mitchell, who made a diving grab near right-center field to strand the runners in the third inning.

"That was a big moment, bases loaded and two outs," Mitchell said. "I didn't get the best jump, that's why it ended up being a diving catch, but just being able to make that catch was awesome."

Senior Zach Logsdon of Iowa City West helped the Trojans get on the board with an RBI single to left that made it 3-1 in the top of the fifth inning.

Left-handed pitcher Jaxton Schroeder took over the mound for Young and caught West High swinging to end the top of the fifth inning. With a 3-1 lead, the City High defense sealed the game with a popout and two strikeouts.

City High limited the Trojans to one run on five hits. Schroeder played a big role, finishing with five strikeouts across three innings.

"I think the change of pace was significant, but Jaxton is a competitor," City High coach Brian Mitchell said. "He's not fazed by the moment. In fact, he embraces the moment."

For Schroeder, it's all about being aggressive and taking care of business when his name is called.

"For me, I'm just going to attack; that's what I always do. I'm going to attack, I'm going to come right at you," Schroeder said. "I trust my stuff and I'm going to let my defense work."

The Trojans will lose seven seniors in the offseason, including Logsdon, Jacob Koch and Gerik Fish. They finished as the 15th-ranked team in Class 4A.

"It's all about the seniors ... Just proud of where they got to and the game we played tonight. We gave the third-ranked team everything they wanted tonight I'm sure," said Iowa City West coach Charles Stumpff. "They had some timely hits, and we didn't get the timely hits, so that's cliche baseball. Good job by us, we kept rocking it."

City High has never won a state baseball title, but the Little Hawks hope to change that when they make their ninth appearance in the state tournament. They begin their quest in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday in Cedar Rapids.

"We just got to keep winning one game at a time, but the ultimate goal is to win a state title," Jake Mitchell said. "We've been here before. It's exciting and stuff, but we got to make the next step, which is win a state title."

Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn .

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Jake Mitchell's two-RBI single lifts City High past Iowa City West in substate finals