116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cedar Rapids Prairie moves past Waterloo East in substate opener 11-1
The game, postponed from Friday night because of rain, ended after four and a half innings via mercy rule
Jul. 12, 2025 3:35 pm
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IOWA CITY - You go from winning your first 17 games and being ranked number one in the state to not being ranked at all by regular season’s end. That could wear on a baseball team mentally.
Or not.
“We know no matter how many games we win or lose that we’re a good team,” Cedar Rapids Prairie pitcher Jordan Woodhouse said, after his Hawks beat Waterloo East, 11-1, in a Class 4A substate opener Saturday afternoon at Duane Banks Field.
The game, postponed from Friday night because of rain, ended after four and a half innings via mercy rule.
“Obviously we know that because we started out 17-0, but we knew going into the season that we were going to be good,” Woodhouse said. “So when we lose a game, it’s not going to tank us. We know who we are, we know how we play. And we know if we do our jobs, we’re going to win games.”
Prairie (28-9) went just 10-9 down the stretch, but it won its final two regular-season games and rolled here. The Hawks scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, four in the second and six in the fourth.
David Fason had the hit that broke things open: a bases-loaded triple down the right-field line that made it a 4-0 game. He then scored on a groundout.
“Before that AB, they were talking on the mound, and I was talking to Coach, and he was like ‘Don’t try to do too much,’” Fason said. “We’ve been talking lately about staying within yourself, don’t try to do too much, and the game comes naturally to you.”
Prairie got something from about everyone in this game. Woodhouse allowed just one hit (a fifth-inning single) and had a low pitch count, which means he’ll be more than ready to throw in the Hawks’ substate final Wednesday night at Prairie.
The opponent will be Cedar Falls (21-15), Davenport North (21-11) or North Scott (17-21). CF plays the winner of Saturday’s substate opener between the latter two in a substate semifinal Monday night.
“That’s baseball. Nobody panicked,” said Prairie Coach James Nelson. “It feels like such a short season, and you tell your guys not to pay attention to the rankings. But obviously getting a ‘1’ seed was a huge thing. I didn’t feel bad about it. I’ve been in that situation before, where you’re thinking ‘Oh, my God, we’re scrambling.’ But this team never really felt that way.”
Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
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