Parker Sutherland on City High baseball’s win over Dubuque Senior
Iowa City High boys baseball earned a 4-2 win to sweep the doubleheader over Dubuque Senior at Mercer Park on June 11.
Just a few hours removed from a 5-4 win over Dubuque Senior in the opening game of a doubleheader, the Iowa City High baseball team completed the sweep with a game two victory at Mercer Park on June 11.
Backed by a strong performance by senior Parker Sutherland, coupled with a great defensive effort, the Little Hawks earned a 4-2 home win over the Rams and improved to 14-5 on the season.
“We’ve had a long week with baseball games,” said City High coach Brian Mitchell. “We’ve had some kids maybe not in the lineup just from a health perspective. We’ve asked a lot of our kids and there’s fatigue and all those things, but I thought we battled through it today and got the job done.”
Entering the second half of the double header on June 11, the Little Hawks had defeated the Rams in nine of the last 10 meetings. They relied on four runs to add another victory to the win column.
Down 1-0 in the first inning, Dominic Salibi brought in Drake Obermueller on a sacrifice hit before a bunt by Drew Nye plated Jaxton Schroeder to make it a 2-1 game in favor of the Little Hawks. Nye advanced to third on a pair of stolen bases before Sutherland hit an RBI single that extended City High’s lead, 3-1.
“We all trust each other to lay out some bunts, do some hit-and-runs,” Sutherland said.
The Rams closed the gap with a run in the fourth frame. The Little Hawks misfired on a throw to first base, which allowed a Rams runner to advance to second. Dubuque Senior junior Teddy Schlosser made City High pay with an RBI single to make it a 3-2 game.
“We jumped on some things early; I think we got complacent a little bit throughout there,” Mitchell said. “But obviously Parker and Blaine (Heick) came up with a big hit there (in the sixth) to put us up two runs. That helped a lot.”
Sutherland managed to hit a single that dropped into center field before Heick blasted an RBI double that narrowly missed the left-center wall. The hit extended City High’s advantage, 4-2, in the sixth inning.
All the while, Schroeder – a left-hander – tossed a complete game and gave up just four hits and two runs through seven innings of work on the hill. The Little Hawks recorded a double play to seal the win.
Sutherland’s performance provided a glimpse into his role on this season’s City High baseball team. The first baseman and outfielder has found his stride, and his joy for the game has been reflected in that in recent games.
“These last few days, something just switched for him more than any time ever this year,” Mitchell said. “He’s figured a few things out. He’s played football, he’s played basketball. I think he’s realized this can be a lot of fun, and he’s got no pressure on himself. He’s just letting it go.”
Sutherland, a UNI football commit, has embraced his final season as a Little Hawk and has an energy that has fueled the team on the diamond.
“We had nothing to lose,” Sutherland said. “We were coming out here ranked preseason No. 1 and we lost a couple we know we should’ve won, but we’re all out here having fun … just hitting away, pitching. We all love each other, and we know we can all make plays.”
Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.
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