Winn wallops West Burlington

WEST BURLINGTON - In a season shortened by the coronavirus, high school baseball teams will take any live action they can get on the diamond against competition.

South Division West Burlington hosted North Division Pekin Friday in a Southeast Iowa Super Conference game that had its start changed from after the junior varsity game to before the junior varsity game, and then changed from a 5:30 start to a 5 p.m. start.

it was a good plan but an injury to West Burlington catcher Brady diewold on a play at home plate brought play to a halt, then lightning was spotted and thunderstorms eventually officially suspended the game. The Panthers had a 5-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning with a runner on second. Diewold leapt to catch the throw home and Pekin's Brady Latcham tried to avoid the catcher, but contacted the catcher, who landed face first and lay in that position until paramedics arrived. He was eventually taken from the site by ambulance.

'I think we played really well for the time we had on the field,” Pekin coach Curtis Reighard said. 'We haven't had much time on the field for as late in June as it is, but we have been hitting well and our defense is coming around.”

The Panthers lost their starting catcher, shortstop and center fielder fromfrom last year's Panthers squad that qualified for the state tournament for the first time in school history. In total, five seniors are gone from that record-setting team in Alex Solomon, Tugg Hill, Tanner Bainbridge, Kyle Armour and Caleb Comstock.

The Panthers lost, 8-7, in the state quarterfinal to Class 1A champion Newman Catholic, which won for the third straight year. Newman's closest postseason game other than Pekin was a seven-run win. The state semifinal and state final both ended early by the mercy rule.

Pekin dominated West Burlington Friday behind Kennan Winn, who started the game on the mound. He gave up a walk to the first Falcon batter but a double play erased the runner. he set down the next six batters in order before surrendering another walk, but struck out the next batter to end the third inning. A Falcon runner reached second base on an error and another error on a throw to third allowed the runner to score. Winn got the last out of the fourth on his fifth strikeout of the game.

While Winn did not allow a hit, when he was on the mound, he lashed three of them in the batter's box.

pekin leadoff batter Brady Millikin started the game with a hit, stole second and scored on Winn's double. Winn scored on Brady Latcham's single.

Winn led off the third inning with a towering shot that cleared the 12-foot high fence in left field.

Colton Comstock scored in the fourth inning when Winn singled off a second West Burlington pitcher. Chandler Stull singled in Latcham, who had walked, in the fifth inning which resulted in the calamity of the injured catcher, which held up the game long enough for the weather to roll in.

'Kennan really did well,” Reighard said. 'He was really on it for us. What a performance!”

Pekin is 2-1 and plays at Columbus today.