Vote: Ames Tribune male Athlete of the Week for July 6-12

The week of July 6-12 saw substate baseball competition get into full swing across the state.

The Ames baseball team saw its season come to a close with an 8-3 loss to Ankeny in the Class 4A Substate 2 quarterfinals on July 12 at Ames. The Little Cyclones ended their regular season with a 15-2 loss to Urbandale on July 8.

Gilbert defeated Winterset by a 9-1 score in the 3A Substate 7 quarterfinals on July 12. The Tigers upset No. 4 Ballard by a 4-3 score in 12 innings on July 7 and they lost both games of a doubleheader to Carlisle on July 8 to close out the regular season.

Ballard bounced back from the Gilbert loss to crush Perry, 16-1, in its 3A Substate 7 quarterfinal game. Nevada gave No. 9 Carlisle a good fight in the 3A Substate 7 quarterfinals before falling, 2-0, and the Cubs defeated Marshalltown (8-4) and lost to Boone (16-2) in their final games of the regular season.

Roland-Story defeated Ventura by a 9-0 score in the 2A Substate 7 quarterfinals and then dropped a 6-5 heartbreaker to Van Meter in the semifinals to finish the season with an impressive 22-10 record.

Collins-Maxwell saw its season come to a close with a 4-1 loss to Baxter in the 1A Substate 6 quarterfinals on July 8.

There were several outstanding individual performances by high school baseball players from the Ames area during the week.

Here are the Ames Tribune male Athlete of the Week nominees for the week of July 6-12. AmesTrib.com readers vote to determine the winner, who will be announced at the end of the week.

Tommy McGuire, Gilbert

McGuire was outstanding during the Gilbert baseball team's 9-1 3A Substate 7 quarterfinal victory over Winterset on July 12.

McGuire went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs at the plate, and he also earned the win on the mound after giving up one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts and walks apiece in 5 2/3 innings. McGuire also scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning and finished 2-for-5 with a double, run and RBI during the Tigers' 4-3 upset of 3A No. 4 Ballard in 12 innings on July 7 at Gilbert. 

Jacob Luster, Ballard

Luster had a huge game for No. 4 Ballard during its 16-1 3A Substate 7 quarterfinal win over Perry in four innings on July 12 at Nite Hawk Field in Slater.

Luster went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, triple, sacrifice hit, steal, two runs and four RBIs. He also threw one perfect inning with a strikeout on the mound.

Cael Faber, Roland-Story

Faber tossed a three-hit masterpiece during the Roland-Story baseball team's 9-0 2A Substate 7 quarterfinal victory over Garner-Hayfield on July 8 at Story City.

Faber struck out nine batters and he did not issue a single walk over seven innings to get the win. He also walked twice and scored once on offense.

Logan Bjerke, Ames

Bjerke gave a gutsy effort for the Ames baseball team during its 8-3 loss to Des Moines Lincoln in the 4A Substate 2 quarterfinals on July 12 at Ames.

Bjerke made several strong defensive plays in center field for the Little Cyclones, finishing the night with three putouts and no errors. He also was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI at the plate.

Drake Hinson, Nevada

Hinson threw an outstanding game for the Nevada baseball team during its 2-0 3A Substate 7 quarterfinal loss at No. 9 Carlisle on July 11.

Hinson's only blemish the whole game was giving up a two-run homer to the Wildcats' Hayden Mohwinkle in the bottom of the fifth inning. Other than that, Hinson only allowed two hits, and he struck out 10 batters with no walks in six innings to keep Nevada in the game.

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 Ames Tribune: Vote: Des Moines Register male Athlete of the Week for July 6-12