We nailed 'em.

The pairings were released for the Class 4A baseball tournament Tuesday and they were just as we predicted.

Kennedy will host Jefferson, Xavier entertains Dubuque Senior, Waterloo West is at Prairie and Cedar Falls travels to Linn-Mar for Class 4A first round subtstate tournament games Friday, July 15.  Washington will play at Iowa City West, which returns most of its team from last year's state runner-up squad.

Kennedy is the defending state champion and is ranked seventh in the state by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association. The Cougars have beaten Jefferson twice, so far, with a third game on tap Tuesday night at Kennedy.

Xavier, ranked No. 9, split its two games with Senior last Friday at Dubuque.

Prairie split its doubleheader with Waterloo West in mid-June. Linn-Mar, meanwhile, lost twice last week at Cedar Falls. Washington also dropped both ends of its doubleheader at Iowa City West last month.

Kennedy is seeded No. 1 in Substate 3. If the Cougars beat the J-Hawks they will get a bye into the substate final, which they would host, on July 20. Xavier is seeded No. 2 in this substate, Dubuque Hempstead No. 3,, Western Dubuque No. 4, Dubuque Senior No. 5 and Jefferson No. 6.

Prairie is the No. 2 seed in Substate 2 and Linn-Mar is No. 3. Top-ranked Mason City is No. 1, Cedar Falls No. 4, Waterloo West No. 5 and Waterloo East No. 6.

Iowa City West is top-seeded in Substate 5 and Washington is No. 6. North Scott is No. 2, Iowa City High No. 3, Muscatine No. 4 and Burlington No. 5.

All first-round games in Class 4A are scheduled for July 15. The semifinals are July 18 and finals July 20.

The Class 4A state tournament is July 27, 29-30 at Principal Park in Des Moines.

CLASS 4A SUBSTATE PAIRINGS

SUBSTATE #2
#1 Mason City vs. #6 Waterloo, East at Mason City, 7 p.m.
#2 Prairie, Cedar Rapids vs. #5 Waterloo, West at Prairie, Cedar Rapids, 7 p.m.
#3 Linn-Mar vs. #4 Cedar Falls at Linn-Mar, 7 p.m.

SUBSTATE #3
#1 Cedar Rapids, Kennedy vs. #6 Cedar Rapids, Jefferson at Kennedy, 7 p.m.
#2 Xavier, Cedar Rapids vs. #5 Dubuque, Senior at Xavier, 7 p.m.
#3 Dubuque, Hempstead vs. #4 Epworth, Western Dubuque at Dubuque, Hempstead (Petrakis Park), 7 p.m.

SUBSTATE #5
#1 Iowa City, West vs. #6 Cedar Rapids, Washington at Iowa City, West, 7 p.m.
#2 North Scott, Eldridge vs. #5 Burlington at North Scott, Eldridge, 7 p.m.
#3 Iowa City, City vs. #4 Muscatine at Iowa City, City, 7 p.m.

SUBSTATE #1
#1 Sioux City, East vs. #6 Sioux City, West at Sioux City, East, 5 p.m.
#2 Fort Dodge vs. #5 Ames at Fort Dodge (Harlan Rogers Park), 7 p.m.
#3 Urbandale vs. #4 Sioux City, North at Urbandale, 7 p.m.

SUBSTATE #4
#1 Pleasant Valley vs. #6 Bettendorf at Pleasant Valley, 5 p.m.
#2 Davenport, Central vs. #5 Davenport, West at Davenport, Central, 7 p.m.
#3 Davenport, North vs. #4 Clinton at Davenport, North, 7 p.m.

SUBSTATE #6
#1 Southeast Polk vs. #6 Des Moines, Lincoln at Southeast Polk, 7 p.m.
#2 Ankeny vs. #5 Des Moines, Hoover at Ankeny, 7 p.m.
#3 Marshalltown vs. #4 Newton at Marshalltown, 7 p.m.

SUBSTATE #7
#1 Dowling Catholic, WDM vs. #6 Des Moines, North at Dowling Catholic, WDM, 7 p.m.
#2 Lewis Central vs. #5 Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson at Lewis Central, 7 p.m.
#3 Waukee vs. #4 Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln at Waukee, 7 p.m.

SUBSTATE #8
#1 Des Moines, Roosevelt vs. #6 Indianola at Des Moines, Hoover, 7 p.m.
#2 Valley, WDM vs. #5 Des Moines, East at Valley, WDM, 7 p.m.
#3 Ottumwa vs. #4 Johnston at Ottumwa, 7 p.m.