The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk baseball and softball teams opened the week with a road trip to West Liberty. The Golden Hawk baseball team took the front end of the doubleheader 2-1 before dropping the nightcap 7-5. In game one, Mid-Prairie’s two runs came in the first when the top four batters reached. Bronx Miller scored on a Brooks Weber RBI hit and Cecil Kelley came home on a wild pitch. The two run cushion was enough for Brooks on the mound, who was brilliant. He went the distance, giving up just one run, six hits, and striking out 11. The Comets made a charge in the third to score their only run after loading the bases with nobody out, then after the first two reached in the seventh inning, Weber slammed the door on a win.
Game two followed a similar pattern early, with a Golden Hawk run in the first, Bronx Miller was hit by a pitch, stole his way to third and came home on a Weber ground ball. West Liberty touched up Golden Hawk starter Koy Grout before he got settled in with first inning run. The game stayed even at one to the fourth when Kale Miller came up and mashed a solo homer to the power alley to put the Hawks back up 2-1. The Comets came to life in the fifth with the biggest inning for either side on the night, a six run, three hit, nine batter fifth to go on top 7-2. Koy Grout made things interesting for Mid-Prairie late, scoring a run in the sixth and driving in a pair with a double in the seventh to get the Hawks within two. The Golden Hawks got the tying run to the plate but the rally fell short. Following the contest, Kale Miller talked about his first varsity homer. “Coaches said to keep my should in and put the ball on the other side of the field. Go right into my two-strike-approach. I had two strikes, I was just looking for a pitch in the zone and I kept fouling a bunch off. Looking for a pitch to hit, put in play. I wasn’t really looking for a home run, but it happened. After the first couple of steps, I kind of figured it was gone. This feels pretty good. I’ve struggled that past couple of games, so it’s a relief to make it all the way around the bases.”
West Liberty out hit Mid-Prairie 8-3, led by Pierre Shield with a hit and two RBI. Tully Griffith scored twice. Lleyton Simon was the winner in five and a third with two hits, three earned runs, five walks and strikeouts. Grout knocked in a pair for the Hawks with his two hits and scored one. Weber and Miller each had an RBI. Grout to the loss on the hill with four and a third, five hits, seven earned runs and five Ks. The split leaves Mid-Prairie at 5-7 and West Liberty 6-8.
The No. 14 in Class 3A Golden Hawk girls were on the wrong end of a 8-0 score on the opposite diamond against the No. 6 Comets. West Liberty led 2-0 after one and added on with three more in the third, another in the fifth and two more in the sixth to finish the scoring. The Comets won the hits column 8-3. Brynn Cassady and Kiley Collins each had two RBI, Sully Hall three hits. Kylee Daufeldt was the winning pitcher with three hits and 11 punchouts. For the Hawks, Sophie Miller had a two hit day, Claire Trimpe had the other knock. Alena Snider worked three and a third in the circle with four hits, four earned runs and two strikeouts. Mid-Prairie is 6-3 with the loss, their first in the River Valley Conference, West Liberty is 7-2 and remains unbeaten in league play.
These two teams will reconnect Thursday for the return trip portion of their River Valley Conference series. Golden Hawk baseball will host the Comets at Paul N. Bailey Field in Wellman and Mid-Prairie softball takes on the Comets at Carr, Vincent, Gould Field in Kalona in single contests. You can hear all of the softball action live tonight on AM 1380, FM 102.5, the KCII2 App and KCIIradio.com, beginning with the Golden Hawk Pregame Show at 6:30p.m. and first pitch at seven in Kalona.