The seniors on the Cedar Rapids Washington baseball team have played for four different head coaches during their careers, but nobody was complaining Wednesday night after the Warriors swept Prairie to reach the .500 mark in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Washington performed the twin-killing, 4-3 and 6-2, with strong pitching from Jared Thorson and Isaiah Nimmers and timely hitting.

Byron Schlotterback, Brent Henry, Tony Lombardi and Scott Brune have served as Washington's head coach while the seniors have been in school and the Warriors have not had a winning season under any of them since 2009.

This team has a chance, though.

Washington raised its records to 12-14 overall and 11-11 in the Mississippi Valley Conference by sweeping Prairie at the Washington field.

"It's different. Every coach is different," said senior Matt Troendle, who went 4-for-6 in the doubleheader with a double and triple. "It seems like we play hard for every coach we get."

Schlotterback took a leave of absence as Washington's head coach on the eve of the 2011 season and never returned. Henry served as interim head coach that season and led the Warriors to a 16-22 record in his only year at the helm.

Lombardi led the squad in 2012 and 2013, compiling records of 13-26 and 14-20, but he resigned as Washington's football and baseball coach during an investigation that led to him being stripped of his coaching license.

Brune took over this year and the Warriors appear to be improving after a relatively slow start with a relatively young team.

"I think the kids have progressed well throughout the season," said Brune. "We've gotten better every day and that's what you want, especially with a young team."

The Warriors list 21 players on their roster, but there are only 12 players on the team now due to attrition and other factors. That's cutting it thin, but the Warriors did just fine Wednesday with the same 10 guys playing every inning of both games.

"I like the small team, because it's easier to talk to each other," said Thorson, who pitched a complete game in the 4-3 victory in the opener.

Troendle, the designated hitter, went 3-for-3 in the first game with a double, RBI and two runs. Chris Harrington contributed a clutch two-run single in the third inning when Washington grabbed a 4-0 advantage.

Nimmers, a sophomore, tossed a four-hitter in the 6-2 victory in the nightcap. Johnny Dobbs went 3-for-3 with a triple and Landen Akers had a two-run single.

Cal Clark had two hits for Prairie in the first game. Jalen Rima went 2-for-3 with a two-run triple in the nightcap.

Prairie saw its records fall to 10-20 overall and 8-14 in the conference.

Prairie Coach Matt Thede will be leaving after this season to become the athletic director and assistant principal at Mount Vernon High School.

Game 1

Prairie       012 000 0 - 3 5 1
Washington    013 000 x - 4 7 5

W - Thorson. L - Beckman.

Game 2

Prairie       000 020 0 - 2 4 2
Washington    033 000 x - 6 6 2

W - Nimmers. L - Kilpatrick.