Sean Pitman, Sports Editor

Williston Daily Herald

August 6, 1999

Iowa

Iowa City Falcons 7-0

Coach: Bob Bruns

Bruns works in the financial office at the University of Iowa and has coached Babe Ruth since 1993.

Assistant coaches: Gene Wandling and Jeff Ruppert

Wandling has been coaching his son's teams since little league. Bruns said Ruppert has become the team's surrogate mother as the players depend on him for a lot of things.

Game notes: The Falcons finally got revenge on Albia beating them 17-0 after losing to them in the 13 and 14-year-old state tournaments the previous two seasons. Jacob Smith pitched a no-hitter for the win to put them in the championship where Dan Dombroski pitched another shutout.

Quotes: "All of our kids bring something to the table and we try to use them," said Bruns. "We tell them we have a wonderful opportunity to represent Iowa. We expect them to do it with class and try to beat everbody we face.

"We're not cocky, but my experience with this team tells me they stay focused and that gives us chance to win."

Game day: Bruns said they haven't decided on a starter but they have been getting some outstanding performances lately, especially from Dombroski and Smith, both lefties. They can also go with Brian Griffith, Connor Jostes or Chris Larson.

Players to watch: The offense has been consistent up and down the line up for Bruns. "It would be hard to pick someone out."

Jostes led the way in tourney action with a .560 batting average, while Scott Willman hit .527 and Smith hit .498. Four other players are hitting at, or above, the .400 mark. Bruns indicated they didn't have a lot of power but can put a lot of hits on the board.

Notes: Coach Wadling is returning to Williston where he played in the 1966 regional for Iowa City.

This will be Iowa City's third trip to a regional tournament.

Last year's 15-year-old team went to the World Series in 1997.

Dombroski's shutout in the state championship came just days after the death of his grandfather.