116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Mason City ends Prairie's state dream, 6-0
Jul. 21, 2011 12:50 am
Here's the story from the Web site of the Mason City Globe-Gazette:
MASON CITY - It was the finest hour to date in a season filled with adversity, injury and expectations.
It was almost expected that the Mason City High baseball team was going to play in this year's Class 4A state tournament.
The players felt it. The coaches felt it.
Oh yeah, they delivered on it, too.
Second-ranked Mason City played one of its most complete games in the last month in a 6-0 win Wednesday over Cedar Rapids Prairie to secure a spot in the 4A state tournament.
“I don't think I can remember the last time we played this good as a team,” Mohawk senior Wes King said. “We were playing smooth; flawless, almost. Everybody was doing their part on the team and it came together at the end.”
The glue that kept this team together all season - Jake Peter - delivered yet again when the lights were shining ever so bright.
The senior right-hander pitched a complete-game shutout, hit his 13th homer of the season and never gave the Hawks a sniff late, striking out five of the final six batters he faced.
“I kind of like the spotlight on me when we are going in a game like that,” Peter said. “But again, the defense behind me was incredible. Play after play they made.”
It was far from a one-man show for a Mohawk team that will be the No. 3 seed in the state tournament and will play Des Moines Roosevelt at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Jacob Weiss, King and Robert Swenson each doubled in a key three-run fourth inning while centerfielder Ryan Voves and second baseman Brock Stoeffler each made sensational defensive plays.
It was just that kind of night for a Mohawk team that has played much of the season without all-stater Brandon Platts and third baseman Aaron Overbeck.
Overbeck, though, continues to get better by the day as he had a pair of hits from the clean-up spot in the Mason City order.
“That makes everyone around him better,” Mohawk coach Troy Rood said.
Rood didn't sugarcoat how nervous he was before this game.
Rood said he knew Prairie was capable of beating the Mohawks, but his nerves were settled a bit when Mason City scratched across a run in the second after a throwing error on the Prairie shortstop.
“I believed one run was going to win it with Jake on the hill,” Rood said.
He was right as Peter added another gem to a growing list of games in which he has been brilliant.
His 80-pitch outing featured 60 strikes and he yielded three hits as just one runner reached scoring position.
“We've wanted this,” Peter said. “We wanted to get back there. Last year we wanted to win it. This year we want it even more.”
Added Weiss, who drove in a pair of runs, “It's a weight off our shoulders. We've got experience down there. We'll have fun right now, take it all in and then prepare for the first game.”
Mason City owns a pair of wins over its first-round opponent, Des Moines Roosevelt.
The Mohawks swept a doubleheader from the Roughriders 4-2 and 10-0 on June 17.
Now, Rood said, the Mohawks can finally focus on playing in the state tournament and not just talk about it.
“They felt it throughout the year,” Rood said of the pressure. “Now there is a sense of relief getting down there. That's been lifted off them.”
King agreed.
“Going into this tournament we feel more confident than ever,” King said. “We are ready to go.”
MASON CITY 6, CR PRAIRIE 0
Mason City 011 310 0 - 6 9 1
CR Prairie 000 000 0 - 0 3 1
Jake Peter (7K, 1BB) and Robert Swenson. Anthony Gagliardi (5K, 2BB, 1HBP), Bryce Alberts (6) (3K, 0BB) and Dustin Carlson. HR - Peter. 2B - Jacob Weiss (MC), Wes King (MC), Swenson. Multiple hits - Aaron Overbeck (MC) 2, Weiss 2. Multiple RBI - Weiss 2.
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