Metro Sports Report

Kernels blow past Burlington Bees

BURLINGTON - The Cedar Rapids Kernels knocked off the Burlington Bees, 8-2, in their series opener before 690 fans at Community Field on Thursday night for their fourth straight win.

Ethan Mildren (2-0) collected the win for Cedar Rapids. The right-hander yielded one run on three hits and two walks while striking out three in seven innings.

No. 2 J-Hawks cruise to victories

The Jefferson J-Hawks collected a pair of easy victories Thursday night against Waterloo West, 11-0 and 11-1, in a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at the Jefferson field.

Both games ended early due to the 10-run mercy rule.

The second-ranked J-Hawks raised their records to 22-6 overall and 14-4 in the conference. They have a one-game lead over Iowa City West (13-5) in the Valley Division standings with eight games left in the MVC campaign.

Connor VanScoyoc tossed a one-hit shutout in the 11-0 victory in the opener. He struck out seven batters and walked one in the five-inning game.

Jared Eivins drove in three runs for Jefferson in the first game. Caleb Stekl had two hits. Brayden Frazier, Cam Frazier, Colon Knox and Jacob Beaton scored twice.

Jarred Wood pitched five strong innings for the J-Hawks in the second game. He allowed one run on four hits, with six strikeouts and two walks.

No. 5 Jefferson girls sweep Wash

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson softball team climbed back into a virtual tie for first place in the Valley Division on Thursday night by sweeping Washington, 6-3 and 10-0, in a Mississippi Valley Conference twinbill at Jefferson.

The fifth-ranked J-Hawks raised their conference record to 21-3. Iowa City West has a 20-2 mark, leaving them tied in the "games back" column for the Valley Division lead with only a few games left in the 26-game MVC season.

Prairie girls keep lead in MVC

DUBUQUE - The Cedar Rapids Prairie softball team split a doubleheader at Dubuque Senior on Thursday and stayed in first place in the Mississippi Division standings in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Prairie won the first game, 7-4. Dubuque Senior took the nightcap, 2-1.

Prairie has a 15-7 record in the Mississippi Division for a one-game lead over Waterloo West, which is 15-9 in the division. Prairie has four games left in the MVC and Waterloo West has two.