Prairie softball comes up short in regional semifinal

CEDAR RAPIDS - Too many times, Cedar Rapids Prairie kept coming up just one out short.

In the resumption of Saturday's suspended game, Class 5A No. 7 Pleasant Valley generated four-run innings with two outs in both the third and fourth frames, then broke an 8-8 tie with an RBI double from Erica Miller with two outs in the top of the seventh to oust the Hawks, 9-8, in a softball regional semifinal last night at Prairie.

'It's hard to come back when you have good momentum going on a game night,” Prairie assistant coach Lynnette Stecklein said. 'The game gets suspended, and you have to come back and be ready to bring that same kind of energy.”

Stecklein coached in place of Joe Yegge who, with his squad's blessing, was honored with the opportunity to help coach a team of junior college all-stars in the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship.

The game resumed with Prairie leading, 2-0, and two outs in the bottom of the second. Two batters in, junior Gabi Carter pushed the Prairie lead to 3-0 with an RBI single before Pleasant Valley responded with four runs in both the third and fourth innings. Aided by a stiff 25-mile-per-hour wind, returning all-staters Sydney Dwyer and Haley Duwa each homered for Pleasant Valley (29-8).

Trailing 8-3, Prairie notched a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to pull within 8-6. In the bottom of the sixth, the Hawks capped the comeback with the second RBI single of the game from freshman Lauren Kuch.

'I'm just really proud of my team,” said senior Natalie Rumer, who homered and scored two runs. 'Coming back and pushing so hard and being able to tell ourselves that we put our butts out there and did the job. I just can't be more proud of them.”

Prairie (25-14) pitcher Natalie Halvorson (14-7) appeared ready to preserve the tie by retiring the first two batters in the seventh, but Tristen Zaruba singled to center before Miller's game-winner. Prairie (25-14) went down in order in the ninth.

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