Iowa City West’s Izaya Ono-Fullard homers twice in doubleheader sweep of Cedar Rapids Prairie

CEDAR RAPIDS — Sometimes it is about how you start.

Senior slugger Izaya Ono-Fullard jump-started Class 4A No. 6 Iowa City West with first-inning home runs in both games of a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball doubleheader Friday night at Cedar Rapids Prairie.

The Trojans (15-5, 8-4 MVC) swept seventh-ranked Prairie (14-7, 8-4 MVC) by scores of 6-5 and 8-1.

'I'm trying to swing a lot harder my first two pitches,' Ono-Fullard said. 'Trust myself, trust my strength, try to get more extra-base hits and put myself in a good spot. ... Got off to a good lead at the start of the game. After that, I just try to put the ball in play.'

Ono-Fullard is now tied for fifth in the state with five home runs. In the opener, he reached base four times, scored twice and drove in two runs. He added two more hits and scored twice in the nightcap and ranks among the 4A leaders in runs scored (26), hits (31) and RBIs (27).

With a combined five hits in seven at-bats, Ono-Fullard upped his batting average to .442 this season.

'This year he's taking it to another level,' West Coach Charlie Stumpff said. 'We've told him to be more assertive with his swing. … He's just an incredible hitter and he's real hot right now. Hopefully we'll just ride his back for a long time.'

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound third baseman announced May 21 that he will play baseball at Kirkwood next season.

The sweep of the Hawks provided a token of additional satisfaction for a West team that was routed by Prairie, 12-3, in the Class 4A state championship game last July.

'We just knew that we had to get on them early,' Ono-Fullard said. 'We learned that they do all those little things that can really bite us in the butt, but if we can jump on them early that really sets us up good.'

Junior Lucas Karwal delivered a go-ahead, two-run single as West rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the first game as relief pitchers Ty Bopp (1-0) and Connor Greer allowed just one run over the final five innings.

Junior Braden Houston (3-1) pitched six scoreless innings in game two, while Iowa recruit Connor McCaffery delivered two hits and drove in three runs.

West hosts 3A No. 7 Solon on Saturday, while Prairie visits Cedar Rapids Washington on Monday in the first game of a two-day, home-and-home series.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com