Wahlert rallies by Prairie twice

CEDAR RAPIDS – Cedar Rapids Prairie entered Friday looking at a possible one-seed in the upcoming Class 4A substate baseball tournament, but a stinging doubleheader sweep by Dubuque Wahlert has the Prairie Hawks thinking big picture.No. 8 Prairie (17-9, 11-5 MVC) lost leads of four runs in the opener and five in the nightcap to drop the Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader to Wahlert, 5-4 and 11-9, Friday at Prairie.“It's tough to lose a one-seed and a conference lead in one night,” Prairie coach Matt Thede said.“I think this will allow us to focus on playing our baseball and let the chips fall where they may.”Lefty Brennan Hammer started the first game and was cruising with a 4-0 lead, retiring 13 of 14 Golden Eagles during one stretch, five by strikeout. Hammer scuffled in the sixth and seventh as Wahlert tied the game at 4-4 with two runs in each frame to send the game to extra innings. In the top of the eighth, a bunt off Prairie Hawks reliever Tyler Mougin by Wahlert's Kyle Leubka scored Ben Oglesby with the eventual game winner.“We've got to put some stuff behind us and we've got some holes to fill, and our guys will step up," Thede said.  "They're a good group. (We) ran across a pretty tough group that got hot in the last week. (Give) credit to them for hitting the ball really hard all day.”Prairie jumped to an early 2-0 advantage in the second game when senior third baseman Tyler Butz crushed a two-run home run off the batter's eye in center field for his team-high third home run of the season. Butz had four hits in the second game and leads the team with 29 RBIs.“I'm just seeing the ball really well, just putting good swings on it,” Butz said.Up 6-1 in the top of the fourth, Prairie appeared on the verge of getting out of the inning without allowing a run when Hammer nearly doubled up a Wahlert baserunner at first after snaring a line drive in right field. Prairie first baseman Tyler Votroubek was unable to one-hop the throw, and Wahlert cashed in when the next six batters all reached base, capped by a two-run home run by Nick Hoffman for a 7-6 Golden Eagles' lead. Prairie briefly re-took the lead with three in the bottom of the fourth, but Wahlert (14-10, 10-7 MVC) sealed the sweep with four more runs over the final three frames.“Unfortunately for us we're not playing good baseball right now when it matters the second half,” Thede said. “But like all good teams you have your ebbs and flows of the season, and I guarantee you this group's going to be ready come postseason.”Prairie travels to Dubuque Hempstead on Tuesday, while Wahlert hosts City High.