Saints sweep, repeat as divisional champs

CEDAR RAPIDS - Home Run Derby was a stalemate.

But the double-header belonged to Cedar Rapids Xavier. And so does the divisional championship.

Erin Drahozal homered twice and drove in five runs as the Class 4A fifth-ranked Saints swept Cedar Rapids Washington, 5-3 and 9-4, wrapping up the MVC Valley Division crown Monday night at Bob Erusha Field.

'This is huge,” said leadoff hitter and outfielder Courtney Colston. 'I think people looked down on us because we lost a couple good seniors.

'We proved everyone wrong tonight.”

Xavier (31-6 overall, 21-3 MVC) had never won a divisional title until last year. Now, Nikki Price is 2-for-2 as head coach.

'We knew we were in charge of our own destiny,” Price said. 'It was great sending off our three seniors (Colston, Allison Schwach and Hayley Deutmeyer) this way. We've got something special going on right now.”

The twinbill featured six home runs, three by each team. Washington's Bria Lenten matched Drahozal with a pair of long shots, and Washington eighth-grader Erica Oler and Xavier's Jamie Feltes both hit their first of the season.

Drahozal has 11 homers this summer.

'We were at Iowa City last weekend, and I was 2-for-12,” she said. 'I guess I picked a good time to unleash.”

Drahozal's two-run double highlighted a five-run sixth inning after the Warriors (21-16, 13-13) had knotted the second game, 4-4.

She was 4-for-7 Monday.

'I went up there with more confidence,” she said. 'See it, hit it.”

The Warriors led the opener 2-0 in the fourth inning and 3-2 in the fifth, then the Saints rallied each time. When the Warriors pulled even in the nightcap, Xavier answered again.

'We played like we had nothing to lose,” said Washington Coach Erin Jones, who has led the Warriors to their first winning season in 15 years. 'We played loose and had fun. Once we get rid of the mental mistakes, good things will happen.

'Xavier's a powerhouse. You know you have to play seven full innings to beat them. That's where we want to be.”

Both teams conclude their regular season Tuesday. Xavier is at Waterloo West; Washington is at Marion.

C.R. XAVIER 5, C.R. WASHINGTON 3 (Game 1)

C.R. Washington 000 210 0 - 3 10 3

C.R. Xavier 000 230 x - 5 10 0

Emily Oler and Anne Riley. Erin Drahozal and Steph Wehr. W - Drahozal (17-3). L - Oler (9-7). HR - CRW: Erica Oler (1), Bria Lenten (5), CRX - Drahozal (10).

C.R. XAVIER 9, C.R. WASHINGTON 4 (Game 2)

C.R. Washington 000 013 0 - 4 5 1

C.R. Xavier 030 015 x - 9 9 0

Payton Bruner, Erica Oler (6) and Jessi Puk. Kylie Oldridge, Maria Steffen (6) and Steph Wehr. W - Steffen (3-0). L - Bruner (8-8). HR - CRW: Bria Lenten (6), CRX: Jamie Feltes (1), Erin Drahozal (11).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@sourcemedia.net