North Polk scrapes by Marion to reach 3A Iowa state baseball tournament title game

CEDAR RAPIDS — With postseason tension mounting and scoring chances hard to uncover, No. 3 seed North Polk looked as comfortable as ever. They'll play for another state title as a result.

The Comets continued this thrilling run with a 2-1 victory over No. 2 seed Marion in Wednesday's Class 3A semifinal at Veteran Memorial Stadium. With the win, North Polk advances to Friday's 5 p.m. title game against No. 4 seed Bishop Heelan. Back again are the Comets after falling in last season's championship bout, ready to write a different ending.

Wednesday's triumph marked North Polk's fourth consecutive one-run victory after previously toppling ADM (6-5), Algona (4-3) and Harlan (5-4) to remain alive. It's clear this veteran Comets club doesn't mind the extensive spotlight.

That started and ended with Minnesota signee Hunter Cook, who tossed six brilliant innings with just four hits and one run surrendered while striking out six. He emptied the tank on 110 pitches and gave way to southpaw Drew Owen, who punched out the side in the seventh to ignite the celebration.

"They're a great hitting team, and we knew we'd be in for a fight," Cook said. "I trusted my stuff, mixing up the pitches. Keeping them off balance and throwing strikes and let my defense do the work."

With Cook dealing, North Polk needed nothing but a small offensive spark to make this a winning effort. The Comets dented the scoreboard with single runs in the fourth and fifth while executing in pivotal spots. Reece Wrage's RBI groundout got North Polk on the board after a hit by pitch, infield single and sacrifice bunt put Owen at third.

Pinch-hitter Ethan Sanger then whacked a run-scoring single to left in the fifth for a 2-0 North Polk lead, only to see Marion finally break through in the bottom half. Isaiah Scott's sacrifice fly that followed Austin Goodrich's leadoff double had the Wolves in position for a larger inning. But Cook shut down any further damage.

"Just got beat," said Marion right-hander Payton Hodges, Wednesday's tough-luck loser despite allowing just two runs over seven strong innings.

On march the Comets, now seven innings away from a coveted trophy celebration. Last season's title-game loss to Western Dubuque still lingers. Friday offers a chance for redemption.

"We've got one more," Cook said.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: North Polk scrapes by Marion to reach 3A Iowa state baseball tournament title game