That's the way the Cedar Valley Conference set things up this season, a three-game series, one on Monday and two on Thursday.
Mid-Prairie 13, Regina 6
On June 29, the Golden Hawks scored 13 runs on 15 hits, getting the long ball from Drew Yoder, Josh Boone, and Keaton Redlinger in the win.
Boone was an offensive juggernaut for the Golden Hawks in the win. He went 3-3 with a walk, two doubles and one homer, accumulating five RBI and scoring two runs.
"Josh got out to a bit of a slow start, maybe because he wasn't out last year," said Coach Brian Miller of his senior outfielder. "After 50, 60 at bats he's ready. He's doing a good job staying on it and driving the ball up the middle. He's doing what a senior is supposed to do getting the hits when we need them and getting us runs."
Yoder went 3-5 with a double and a homer, one RBI and one run scored. Redlinger was 1-1 with a homer and three RBI. Trent Tappan was 2-4 with three runs scored, a double and two RBI.
Pitcher Aaron Smit earned the win, pitching four innings, striking out nine and allowing two runs on five hits. Trent Tappan pitched two innings, allowing four runs on three hits, and Cody Bontrager came into the game striking out two in one inning of work.
Mid-Prairie 10,
Pleasant Valley 0
The Golden Hawks 10-runned 4A Pleasant Valley in an away non-conference game on Tuesday, June 30.
The Hawks got five innings of work from pitcher Dylan Wertz who struck out four and allowed just two hits in the win.
Abe Kos and Quinn Hollan each scored a pair of runs in the win. Drew Yoder and Colin Brenneman each had a double for their team.
Regina 9, Mid-Prairie 7
In the first of two games on Thursday, July 2, the Golden Hawks fell 9-7 as Cody Bontrager took the loss, pitching two innings, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out three.
Josh Boone pitched four innings, giving up four runs on six hits, while striking out two.
Trent Tappan led the team offensively with a pair of doubles. Tappan was 2-2 with one RBI and two runs scored. Keaton Redlinger was 3-4 with one run scored. Quinn Hollan went 3-4 with two RBI and one run scored and Bontrager was 2-4 with a triple, one RBI and one run scored.
"We had 15 hits and only scored seven runs - they had eight hits and scored nine runs," noted Coach Miller of the nature of the game. "We hit the ball and played well, it's just Regina found a way to win that game. If we have 15 hits in a game we expect to win those."
Regina 8, Mid-Prairie 7
The Golden Hawks fell in their second of two games at Iowa City Regina on July 2, 8-7.
Aaron Smit worked the whole game on the mound for M-P, pitching seven innings, striking out 10 and allowing seven runs on nine hits.
The Golden Hawks got another big game from Drew Yoder who was 2-3 with a walk, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Senior leadoff hitter Abe Kos hit a home run in the loss, going 2-4 with one run and one RBI. Smit helped his cause with a home run as well, he was 1-3 with one run and one RBI.
We jumped out to an early lead with early home runs and knocked their starting pitcher out," said Coach Miller of the M-P effort in the second game on Thursday. "Then they got a couple here and a couple there."
Miller said in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, a single to the outfield bounced strangely and made OF Cody Bontrager react. Bontrager's knee gave out under him and the ball bounced the whole way to the fence, resulting in an in-the-park home run which put the Regals up 7-6.
Abe Kos tied the game with a two-strike home run later, but the Regals owned the seventh, putting base runners on first and second after a pair of M-P infield miscues and scoring a run on a base hit to win the game 7-6.
Coach Miller said he's hoping Bontrager bounces back from his knee injury quickly, as scans showed no structural damage.
"If we can get him back Saturday when playoff start and then the next week we'll be ok," said Miller. "It's probably just something where the pain has to go away and he'll have to get his flexibility back."
Mid-Prairie 8, Washington 7
The Golden Hawks nipped the Demons by one run, getting just enough on Friday evening on July 3.
Mid-Prairie got five good innings of work from Drew Yoder who went five innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out one. He handed off to teammate Dylan Wertz who let things slip away in the sixth inning before coming back to earn the win with a K to end the game. Wertz allowed three runs on five hits and striking out two in his two innings of work.
After the Demons took the lead in their half of the sixth, Josh Boone brought his team back with a leadoff line drive hit and was followed with a double. The Golden Hawks hit the ball well and scored both runners that inning.
The Demons came back in the seventh with bases loaded and one out. 1B Colin Brenneman caught a soft line drive and almost doubled the base runner off first before Wertz earned his win with a K to end the game.
"Drew Yoder threw the first five, he didn't get the win, but he was the meat and potatoes of that game," noted coach Miller. "Washington really battled tough at the plate. It came down to two teams battling it out. It was good to see after a devastating Thursday night to see the kids bounce back there."
The Golden Hawks got a great offensive effort from Colin Brenneman who was 3-4 with a homer, a double, four RBI and one run scored. Josh Boone was 2-4 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. Abe Kos was 2-3 with a walk, a double and one run scored.
M-P district
playoff preview:
The Golden Hawks will host their first round playoff game against Louisa-Muscatine on Saturday, July 11. The Falcons are 8-16, playing out of the SEISC conference.
With a win on Saturday, the Hawks earn a chance to host the winner of West Liberty (7-14) and Columbus Junction (4-10). The Hawks won all three games against West Liberty this season during their CVC schedule.
If the Hawks make it through their half of the District playoff bracket, they're likely to meet Solon (28-5) at Solon in the District finals on July 18. That would pit the sixth-ranked Golden Hawks against the Seventh Ranked Solon Spartans for a chance to advance to the Class 2A Substate round.
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