Metro Sports Report

No. 3 Cougars thrive with young hurlers

The Kennedy Cougars and their "Kiddie Corps" struck again Tuesday night.

Coach Bret Hoyer used three more underclassmen on the mound as the third-ranked Cougars defeated Prairie, 6-2, at the Prairie diamond to sweep the two-game series.

Junior Sawyer Neuhaus gave Kennedy four strong innings, sophomore Tyler Dralle tossed two frames and junior Blake Hargens sealed the deal in the seventh inning.

Kennedy raised its records to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Mississippi Valley Conference with a rotation built entirely of kids.

Drahozal helps Saints sweep J-Hawks

In a doubleheader duel between ace pitchers, Xavier’s tough-as-nails Erin Drahozal came out on top twice Tuesday night on the Saints’ home diamond.

Drahozal picked up a pair of wins while Jefferson’s Alyssa Olson lost her first two of the year as Xavier came from behind to sweep the Class 5A third-ranked and previously unbeaten J-Hawks.

The Saints took the opener, 2-1, with both runs coming in the sixth inning.

And after spotting Jefferson a 4-0 lead in the nightcap, the Class 4A sixth-ranked Saints rallied back to win, 6-5, in eight innings.

Jefferson Coach Brian Erbe calls rise-ball specialist Olson “the best pitcher in the state.”

Prospect Meadows gets $1.3 million grant

PERRY - The commission for the Iowa Department of Transportation on Tuesday unanimously approved Linn County’s application for a Revitalizing Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE) grant, which will be given to Prospect Meadows.

The total RISE application was for just under $2.6 million, half of which is paid for by the state, the other half paid for by Prospect Meadows. This grant will fund the building of two entrances to Prospect Meadows Ball Fields on the north side of Marion as well as an interior road connecting the two entrances to each other as well as the parking lot of the facility.

The purpose of the RISE program is to promote economic development in Iowa through the establishment, construction, improvement and maintenance of roads and streets to sites that promote economic development in the state by improving or maintaining highway access to these sites.

Fast start sends Bandits past Kernels

The Cedar Rapids Kernels returned home Tuesday night hoping to change their fortunes after dropping five of six games on their road trip to Wisconsin and Kane County.

But once again faulty defense and a lack of timely hitting doomed the locals as they fell 6-2 to the Quad Cities River Bandits in front of 2,602 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The first two batters of the game for the Bandits came around to score, giving the visitors a quick lead that they never relinquished.

The Kernels scored single runs in the first and fourth innings, but left runners in scoring position in both frames.

Kernels starting pitcher Aaron Slegers (5-3) retired 11 of 12 Quad Cities hitters after giving up the Bandits’ first two runs, but with two out in the fourth, he gave up back to back singles to Tyler White and Jon Kenner. Both runners then scored when Brett Booth lined a ball over the head of Kernels center fielder Jason Kanzler.