Pleasantville tops Durant to repeat as Iowa baseball state champions
· Yahoo Sports
CARROLL — Brayden Kennedy was not going to let his team be denied another Class 2A Iowa high school state baseball championship.
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Kennedy threw a masterful game and also drove in three runs to lead Pleasantville to an 8-1 rout of Durant in the state title game on Friday, July 24, at Merchants Park.
The Pleasantville ace went the full seven innings and only allowed one run on six hits. He struck out eight batters and walked only two to help the Trojans cruise to the title.
"I had my stuff working pretty well tonight," Kennedy said. "Throwing the sliders and then working in some fastballs. Catcher (Logan Roff) called a great game. I just had to fill the zone up for my guys and they're going to have the bats behind me."
The only time Kennedy got into trouble was in the top of the third inning.
Durant loaded the bases with no outs, but Kennedy forced three consecutive pop outs to get out of the jam. Roff made a sliding catch in foul territory for the first out and then first baseman Luke Vestal and center fielder JJ Phillips caught the next two.
Kennedy also did a lot to help his own cause at the plate. He drove in the first three runs of the game with a two-run single to left field in the bottom of the first and added an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third.
"I started with a slow bat these last few games," Kennedy said. "It feels good getting some hits going into it."
Durant did not go away quietly. Ben Feuerbach hit a solo home run to left field with one out in the top of the fourth to make it 3-1. But Pleasantville showed why it has only one loss this season, responding with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Will Mesecher had the key hit for Pleasantville in the fifth with a two-run single up the middle.
"I got down to two strikes, and I knew the next thing I (saw), I was going to swing at it no matter what," Mesecher said. "I saw a pitch I liked, and I hit it right up the middle."
Owen Rule, who pinch-ran for Mescher, later scored on a Durant error after a single from Brody Adreon to put Pleasantville up 6-1 after five innings. The Trojans tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run double by Braylon Bingham.
Pleasantville finished the season at 34-1. The Trojans followed up last year's 33-1 effort with an even more impressive performance as they were ranked No. 1 and had a big target on their backs all year.
The Trojans took care of business at the state tournament, crushing Ridgeview, 10-0, in five innings during the quarterfinals and handling Cascade by an 8-5 score in the semifinals before downing Durant to complete the repeat.
"It starts with the offseason," Mesecher said. "We're always hitting in the offseason every day and just keeping the momentum from last year and pushing forward through this year. Our motto is 'Together, Today'. Every day is a new day, and you've got to win every day to win it all."
Durant finished 24-9. The Wildcats started the season 9-9, but then reeled off 15-straight wins, including a 2-1 upset over No. 2 Roland-Story in the state quarterfinals and a 9-4 victory over No. 7 Unity Christian in the semifinals to reach the title game.
"We expected to be here from January," said Durant coach Colin Meyer. "Obviously, things didn't go the way we wanted them to at the beginning of the year, but these boys — especially the seniors — could have folded, and instead they turned the page and we went on that run."
In the end, Pleasantville was just too talented for the Wildcats to overcome.
"Everybody knew who the No. 1 team was all season," Meyer said. "Defensively, they're sound and offensively, they battle every pitch. There are no holes in their lineup."
Feuerbach took the loss on the mound after giving up three runs on six hits and one walk in 3 1/3 innings. Owen DeLong was 2-for-3, Reid Hollenback hit a double, while Kaden Sickels and Colby Gast each singled once for the Wildcats.
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Pleasantville tops Durant to repeat as Iowa baseball state champions