Iowa High School State Baseball Tournament

Solon starting pitcher Brandon Shulista hurled a complete-game shutout en route to a 4-0 win over Interstate 35 in a Class 2A first-round game Monday afternoon at Principal Park. Shulista gave up only two hits, no walks, hit a batter and struck out nine batters.

The top-ranked Spartans got on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Marshall Koehn drew a lead off walk and subsequently stole second base. Two batters later, he was singled in by Derrick Loveless to make it a 1-0 game in favor of Solon.

Solon struck again in the bottom of the second. Ryan Butler singled with one out and advanced to second on an error. Three batters later, Butler scored on a single by Koehn, giving the Spartans a 2-0 lead.

The Spartans put up a run in the bottom of the third, their third run in as many frames. Loveless led off the inning with a triple and scored as Tyler Smith reached base on an error, increasing Solon’s lead to 3-0.

As Shulista was coasting on the mound for the Spartans, his counterpart, Blake Brommel pitched a good ball game for the I-35 Roadrunners. Brommel also tossed a complete game, surrendering six hits, four runs (three earned), two walks, while striking out eight.

In the end, Shulista was just too much for the Roadrunners to handle, as they could only muster six baserunners all afternoon. Shulista did not yield his first hit until there was one out in the top of the fourth inning. His record on the season now stands at a perfect 11-0.

Koehn reached base four times for Solon, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBI’s, a run scored and three stolen bases.

With the win, Solon pushed their record to 39-2. The Spartans will now play Waterloo Columbus Thursday evening at 6 p.m. for a berth in the 2A state championship. Solon defeated fellow WaMaC Conference member Waterloo Columbus twice in the regular season.

Des Moines Register: Solon stops I-35

Iowa City Press-Citizen: Solon wins pitchers' duel