No. 5 Prairie, No. 6 Jefferson split one-run games in ‘substate-style atmosphere’

CEDAR RAPIDS – Cedar Rapids Prairie tested its mettle this week.

Six total games, including five against ranked teams, and finished it with a doubleheader against Westside rival Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Even though it was bracketed with losses, the aggregate result was good.

Class 4A fifth-ranked Prairie split with No. 6 Jefferson Friday night at Prairie. The Hawks scored four runs in their final two at-bats to edge the J-Hawks, 6-5, in the opener. Jefferson responded with a 3-2 extra-inning victory in the nightcap.

'I'm excited with how we played,' said Prairie Coach Todd Rima, noting they went 4-2 against three ranked teams this week. 'As a coaching staff, I don't think we can walk out of here with anything but positives. It shows our guys that we are that close to being a team that can make a run at state.'

The night was a tale of two contests for Jefferson Coach Kyle Rodenkirk.

'I think it had a substate-style atmosphere,' Rodenkirk said. 'The first game we shot ourselves in the foot and had more negative than positives. The second game we had a lot more positives. We're not there yet as a ballclub, but it shows me there are good things to come. Hopefully, it is toward the end of the season.'

Prairie (16-4) battled back from a three-run deficit, beginning its comeback in the fifth. Mitch Nierling and Blake Viall, batting eighth and ninth in the Hawks order, opened with singles and both scored on Cal Clark's base hit, pulling within a run.

'I thought our guys stuck with it,' Rima said. 'They just don't quit and think we're going to win in any scenario.'

Momentum leaned toward Prairie's side and then swung to the Hawks side after a couple of key plays by sophomore Levi Usher.

Jefferson (13-5) had runners on second and third with one out, looking for insurance. Usher caught a flyball and delivered a strike to retire the advancing runner to end the inning. Usher followed that with a lead-off triple and scored the tying run on a single from Matt Lorenz, who added the go-ahead run on Ethan Copeland's groundout.

'For a sophomore to make that throw, it was a big-time play,' Rima said. 'He hammered that ball. It was a no-doubt triple. He got us going and got us energized. I couldn't be happier for him because he works at it.'

In the nightcap, the teams matched each other through the first seven innings until the J-Hawks were able to manufacture a run in the top of the eighth.

Connor Van Scoyoc stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and lofted a fly ball to center, driving in Brayden Frazier with the decisive run.

'I wasn't really thinking that much,' Van Scoyoc said. 'I was just praying not to ground out in a double play.'

Van Scoyoc saw a regular dose of breaking pitches throughout the night, but took advantage of a fastball with a full count.

'They started me off with a curveball but once it got 3-2 they had to go with a fastball,' Connor Van Scoyoc said. 'I elevated it a little bit.'

The night nearly ended in controversy. Rodenkirk admittedly made a mistake, sending relief pitcher Zachariah Szabo to the mound in the eighth after pinch-hitting for him in the top of the inning. After two outs, Rima brought it to the attention of the umpires and Szabo left the game for Brock Hunt, who closed the game with a strikeout.

Rodenkirk said he apologized. Rima said he would not protest.

'It was too good of a baseball game,' Rima said. 'That is not what we're about here.'

Frazier started the rally with a one-out single that was followed by Zeb Render's double to left field, leading to Rima's decision to load the bases with an intentional walk to Jarred Wood.

Frazier scored two of the J-Hawks runs in the second game. He scored on a Wood single in the second. Frazier reached base all four times in the nightcap, getting two hits. He also scored a run in the opener.

'He's a real streaky hitter,' Rodenkirk said of Frazier. 'Right now, things are working well for him. He's going to be a real good player the next few years.'

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