Halvorson guides Prairie

Sophomore a steady presence on the mound for young Prairie squad

By Katherine Bauer, The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS - Pitcher Natalie Halvorson guided the Prairie Hawks to two wins last night in a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader against Xavier, 3-1 and 7-4.

Prairie backed her up with defense, as Halvorson struck out six players in the first game with only three hits by the Saints. She has proved to be a key component for a growing team.

'I kind of fell into a place where our program is young,” said Halvorson, a sophomore. 'I had to step up. I couldn't be just a freshman or just a sophomore. I had to be a pitcher.”

Halvorson was on varsity her eighth grade season but didn't see much playing time. Last year, she was the starting pitcher. This season, she's a young player with lots of experience on a team made up primarily of underclassmen.

'This is her life,” Prairie Coach Joe Yegge said. 'Pitching is what she does. It's like she's an upperclassmen when she's out there.”

According to Yegge, the girls are able to play off each other's energy. They have strong friendships off the field, allowing them to work even better together on the field.

'Natalie is awesome,” outfielder Kristin Wahlert said. 'She's what picks us up. Her strikeouts help us so much. She's one of the loudest in the dugout.”

Wahlert was 2-for-3 at the plate in the first game with one run scored.

Shelby Frederick took the mound for Prairie to pitch four innings in the nightcap. Xavier got four runs in, then Halvorson returned to pitch after Prairie scored six runs in the fourth inning. Taylor Moenk was 2-for-2 with three RBIs. Morgan Lewis was 2-of-3. Neila Bell was also 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.