Mougin home run helps Prairie to Metro tourney finals

MARION - Ty Mougin went into last night's game without having hit a home run. He now has.“It felt great to finally get one,” the Cedar Rapids Prairie junior said.His two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning catapulted No. 9 Prairie past No. 8 Xavier, 10-5, in a Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball Tournament semifinal at Marion High School.The Hawks will play Cedar Rapids Kennedy in tonight's championship game in Veterans Memorial Stadium. That game will start after the conclusion of a third-place game that starts at 5 p.m.After two innings it seemed the Saints would be playing in the championship game. The No. 8 team in the state scored two runs in top of the first inning and added three more in the second on a three-run homer from Mack Mattke.But Prairie came back from that 5-0 deficit to score 10 straight and advance to the championship game. Hawks Coach Matt Thede said he was more than pleased with his team's effort.“After the top of the second, we had every reason in the world to put our heads down, sit on the bench and do nothing, but we came back and took the game by storm,” Thede said.Prairie starter Brennan Hammer rebounded from a rough first two innings. He recovered with three strong innings before being relieved in the sixth. He struck out seven.Mougin said to expect one thing from Prairie in tonight's title game.“A win,” he said.

MARION 15, MOUNT VERNON 0 (4) - Marion dominated Mount Vernon in a consolation bracket semifinal at Marion, scoring 14 first-inning runs. The Indians will play for fifth place at home tonight following the seventh-place game, which begins at 5.