Kennedy junior Nick Appleget wears a brace on his left knee and there's a certain amount of pain when he pitches, but he figures he can live with all that.

Appleget's had three knee operations in three years - two major, one minor - and he's just happy to be able to pitch for the top-ranked Cougars again.

Appleget tossed one scoreless inning in relief Monday night to help Kennedy top Prairie, 7-3, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Prairie.

"It feels good," he said. "Sitting on the bench is not my favorite thing."

Appleget allowed a leadoff single in the fifth inning, but retired the next three batters with a strikeout, fly ball and another strikeout.

Appleget tore his ACL in the fall of 2008 while playing for Kennedy's freshman football team and needed major surgery. He tore the ACL again, less than a year later, while playing in a fall baseball league and needed another major operation.

"The second time I did it, I just couldn't believe it," he said. "They told me if you do it a second time, it's a freak thing. It sucked. It was no fun. You never know if you're going to come back from that.

"My therapists ... I made friends with them in three years," he said, smiling. "They know me by heart now."

Appleget had arthroscopic surgery this spring to remove a small piece of cartilage, but was sidelined only a few weeks and returned to active duty last Friday when he pitched two scoreless innings (with four strikeouts) against Cedar Falls.

"I don't know if I've come across a kid that could come through everything the way he has," Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer said. "I've been doing this for awhile, and I've never seen a kid come through what he has."

Appleget is a talented right-handed pitcher who made the varsity (briefly) as a freshman. He played for Kennedy's sophomore team last year and could be an important ingredient for the Cougars this season as they seek back-to-back state titles.

"I have a little pain in the top of my kneecap where I had my surgery, but I can deal with it," he said. "I feel I can get past it and just do my job on the mound."

Kennedy and Prairie staged a good battle Monday night. The score was tied, 3-3, after four innings, but the Cougars (9-2, 4-1) got the big hits when it counted.

Cody Bell smashed a two-run double to give Kennedy a 5-3 lead in the top of the fifth, and Austin Christensen lined a two-run double to give the Cougars a 7-3 margin in the sixth.

Prairie (5-6, 2-3) loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh and brought the tying run to the plate, but Kennedy ended the game with a 6-4-3 double play behind closer David Yancey.

Adam Lloyd pitched a scoreless fourth inning for Kennedy to get the victory in relief. Dustin Carlson pitched 5 1/3 innings for Prairie and got tagged with the loss.

Devon Jacobus went 3-for-4 and scored two runs for the Cougars. Matt Maiers went 2-for-4 with a double and triple. Jacobus, Maiers and Logan Ambrosy all had RBIs.

Brennan Hammer went 3-for-4 for Prairie. Tyler Butz and Ty Mougin had two hits apiece. Chaz Boots and Mougin collected RBIs.

Prairie and Kennedy play again Tuesday night at Kennedy.

KENNEDY (7)
Sykes, 2b, 4 0 0 0, Jacobus, 3b, 4 2 3 1, Christensen, rf, 3 0 1 2, Michael, ss, 4 0 1 0, Yancey, lf/p, 3 1 0 0, Bell, p/1b, 3 0 1 2, Hayden, cr, 0 2 0 0, Maiers, c, 4 0 2 1, Rhoades, cr, 0 0 0 0, Ambrosy, 1b/cf/lf, 2 1 0 1, Benson, dh, 1 1 0 0, Jahlas, cf, 0 0 0 0, Lloyd, p, 0 0 0 0, Appleget, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 28 7 8 7.

PRAIRIE (3)
Velvick, cf, 3 0 0 0, Hammer, dh/p, 4 0 3 0, Meyer, c, 0 0 0 0, Gagliardi, rf, 4 0 0 0, Utley, 1b, 3 1 1 0, B.Carlson, 2b, 3 1 0 0, D.Carlson, p/c, 4 0 1 0, Allard, cr, 0 0 0 0, Butz, 3b, 2 0 2 0, Boots, lf, 3 1 1 1, Mougin, ss, 3 0 2 1. Totals 29 3 10 2.

Kennedy   011 122 0 - 7  8 2
Prairie       021 000 0 - 3 10 1

Bell, Lloyd (4), Appleget (5), Yancey (6) and Maiers. D.Carlson, Hammer (6) and Myer, D.Carlson (6). W - Lloyd. L - D. Carlson.
2B - Christensen, Michael, Bell, Maiers, Hammer, Utley. 3B - Maiers, Mougin. SB - Benson.