Comets defeat Go-Hawks, 7-3, for district title

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
WAVERLY — Brand new baseballs are not created equal.

Just ask Cole Reams.

“I just liked the grip and feel of that one,” the Charles City senior said of the perfect dry sphere he got ahold of while protecting a 4-run lead in the bottom of the seventh of Monday’s Class 3A District 6 championship game against Waverly-Shell Rock.

“Sometimes you get a sweaty one, and it’s hard to grip it for your fastball or curve,” said Reams, who even demanded the favored ball back when it was fouled off into the Comets’ dugout.

Eventually, the ball was fouled out of play. Then with 2-outs and Charles City one out away from winning its first district title in 10 years, Reams was unable to secure another baseball when Go-Hawk designated hitter Korbyn Dewey hit a hot-hopper back to the mound that slipped out of his reaching glove.

But sophomore shortstop JJ Ritter was Johnny on the Spot and fielded the deflection for a 1-6 force-out at second to cap a 7-3 final and an elusive district title.

Charles City (18-16) will face Class 3A No. 1-ranked Xavier in the Substate 3 championship 7 p.m. Wednesday in Cedar Rapids for a chance to advance to the State Baseball Championships.

“They’re a baseball team and we’re a baseball team,” Reams said of the matchup against the Saints, who advanced in their district final with a 9-4 win over Decorah. “They’ve got pitchers who throw strikes. We’ve just got to hit them and play good errorless defense like we did tonight.”

Though Reams finished the game with three strong innings of relief, the pitching star for the Comets was starter Tait Arndt, who yielded four hits and one earned run in four innings for his fifth win of the season.

The Comets scored first in the top half of the first when Jace Cajthaml — who homered in Friday’s semifinal win over Clear Lake — nearly got another dinger as his deep double to left chased Ritter home.

After the Go-Hawks tied it in the fourth, the Comets rallied for 3 runs in the fifth with Ritter’s bases-loaded 2-run double being the big blow.

“JJ has been struggling a little lately,” Charles City head coach Tyler Downing said. “Hopefully, this will get him going again.”

Ritter had two hits on the night including the first hit of the game when he dove head-first into first base for an infield hit.

Atticus Parrott had two hits, including a double, and scored twice for Charles City. Leadoff hitter Colton Slinger was on base three times with a double, a hit-by-pitch (eventually scored), and with a sacrifice bunt attempt that provoked a 2-run throwing error during another 3-run rally by the Comets in the sixth inning.

Whatever happens in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, the Comets will finish with a winning record for the second season in a row. Many of the wins over the last two seasons were of the “grinder” variety, often having to come from behind and hold on in the latter innings.

“We try to put ourselves in the right situations,” Downing said. “We want to play aggressive but not give the other team outs.”

Carson Graven and Go-Hawk starting pitcher Kurby Vowels each had two hits for Waverly-Shell Rock (25-14).
* In the Class 1A District 5 final, Saint Ansgar defeated North Butler 13-5 — the game picked up in the second inning on Monday where it left off on Saturday before being stopped due to weather.

CHARLES CITY 7, WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK 3
CC AB R H BI WSR AB R H BI
Colton Slinger 3 1 1 2 Connor Havlovic 3 1 0 0
JJ Ritter 2 1 2 2 Payton Leonard 3 0 1 0
Cole Reams 3 0 0 0 Jeremy Chaplin 2 0 0 0
Jace Cajthaml 3 0 1 1 Carter Langreck 4 0 0 1
Tait Arndt 3 0 0 0 Brody Key 3 1 1 0
Elliott Sinwell 4 0 0 0 Korbyn Dewey 4 0 1 1
Wyatt Stevenson 2 0 0 0 Carson Graven 3 0 2 0
Kaden Barry 1 0 0 0 Pete McMillin 3 0 0 0
Atticus Parrott 3 2 2 0 Kurby Vowels 3 0 2 0
Ian Collins 2 2 1 1 *Tyler Heine 0 1 0 0
*Cael Bohlen 0 1 0 0
TOTALS 26 7 7 6 TOTALS 28 3 7 2
CHARLES CITY 100 033 0 — 7
WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK 000 111 0 — 3
LOB–CHARLES CITY 7, WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK 9. ERR–Jeremy Chaplin (2). 2B–Colton Slinger, JJ Ritter, Jace Cajthaml, Atticus Parrott, Brody Key. 3B–Korbyn Dewey. HBP–Kaden Barry, Colton Slinger, Jace Cajthaml, Tait Arndt. SACB–JJ Ritter, Atticus Parrott, Cole Reams. SB–Tyler Heine, Kurby Vowels, Brody Key.
CHARLES CITY IP H R ER BB SO HR
Tait Arndt 4.00 4 1 1 1 3 0
Cole Reams 3.00 3 2 1 4 0 0
WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK
Kurby Vowels 4.33 6 4 4 1 7 0
Chance Key 0.67 1 3 2 0 1 0
Carson Graven 2.00 0 0 0 1 2 0
PB–Kaden Barry, Cole Reams. WP–Kurby Vowels. SO–Kaden Barry, Elliott Sinwell (2), Jace Cajthaml, Ian Collins, Tait Arndt, Wyatt Stevenson, Atticus Parrott, Cole Reams (2), Connor Havlovic, Jeremy Chaplin (2). BB–JJ Ritter, Ian Collins, Connor Havlovic, Payton Leonard, Jeremy Chaplin (2), Brody Key.