Cedar Rapids Prairie sweeps Cedar Falls in top-10 matchup

CEDAR RAPIDS - An ugly finish but a beautiful sweep.

They may have been a tale of two different ballgames but the results were the same for Cedar Rapids Prairie.

The Class 4A seventh-ranked Hawks dominated the opener and then persevered a rough beginning for another decisive victory, sweeping No. 5 Cedar Falls, 9-0 and 18-8 in five innings, in a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader Monday night at Prairie.

'That's a good team,” Prairie Coach Todd Rima said. 'To win two games the way we did, I think it was a good start. I just think we're continuing to gain confidence and I love seeing that out of these kids.”

The Hawks (13-4, 8-2 MVC Valley) received a strong pitching performance from Casey Day in the opener. He stifled the Cedar Falls batters, allowing just four hits in six innings pitched. He didn't face more than five batters per inning.

'I think Casey Day set the tone in game one with the way he threw,” Rima said. 'I bet that is one of the best performances we've had all year.”

The offense provided him plenty support against a solid Tigers staff. The Hawks had nine hits, scoring four runs in both the second and fifth innings. In his first start, Matt Walter hit a two-run double that fell between the left and center fielders in his first at-bat to put Prairie on the board.

Walter finished with four hits, two RBIs and scored twice.

'I think Matt Walter has given us a boost,” Rima said. 'We thought he deserved a start. He took advantage of it. I'm proud of him.”

Harrison Cook was impressive at the plate, finishing with five hits and seven RBIs in the twinbill. He belted a three-run home run in the fifth of the first game, helping the Hawks pull away.

'I was seeing the ball well,” Cook said. 'I was trying to hit the ball hard and found some holes.”

The Hawks put up 27 against a team that had allowed 53 total in 13 previous games, which is slightly above four a contest. Rima wouldn't have predicted the offensive outburst before the games.

'I believe in our kids (though),” Rima said. 'I just think they're putting the work in. We're starting to move the baseball around a little bit. You're starting to see them follow a plan at the plate and they are gaining confidence.”

The nightcap started with a painstakingly slow first two innings that saw 36 total batters step to the plate and 18 runs put up on the board.

Cedar Falls (10-5, 5-5) opened to take a four-run lead, allowing eight to Prairie in the first. The Tigers responded to tie it with four more in the second. The hawks pulled away with four runs each in the third and fourth, scoring the second and final run in the fifth on a wild pitch.

Levi Usher had four RBIs in the second game and Blake Wheeler went 3-for-3 with three runs. Wheeler also pitched a couple innings of relief.

'I think you saw a little bit of everything you can see in a baseball game put into one,” Rima said of the nightcap. 'I was really happy with the way we responded after the slow start.”

Prairie has a couple non-conference games and then have another top-10 foe. The Hawks host sixth-ranked Iowa City West on Friday in a rematch of last year's 4A state final. The sweep gives Prairie something to build on for a big week.

'It was huge,” Cook said. 'It gives us some momentum moving forward.”

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