IOWA CITY -- When Cedar Rapids Prairie baseball coach Matt Thede talks about his team, he often mentions the negative tradition they have. “Were battling more than an opposing team, we are battling some tradition that’s been with the program quite some time and that hurts us,” said Thede.

The Prairie Hawks were one out away from putting a dent in that tradition Friday night, but Iowa City West’s Connor Schreck had other plans.

With the score 10-8 in the bottom of the seventh inning and two outs, Schreck blasted a three-run walk off home run over the right field fence to give the Trojans an 11-10 win at the Iowa City West baseball field.

Prairie (10-12 6-8) was in the lead nearly the entire game, and saw its potential win get smacked away with one swing of the bat.  “It didn’t feel very good,” said Thede.

Schreck’s heroics came after Prairie had taken a two-run lead in the top of the seventh.

With the bases loaded and one out, Prairie’s Ty Mougin hit an easy double play ball to the shortstop, but the second baseman’s throw over to first was errant, and two Prairie runners crossed homeplate, pushing Prairie out in front 10-8.

“Baseball wise, I thought we played a great game,” said Thede. “We each made a couple errors and that is just the way it goes. Against a good team we know that game could have went either way and I thought it was in our hands most of the way.”

Despite taking the tough loss, Prairie found a way to get hits and score runs in key situations. Chaz Boots put Prairie up 8-6 with a go ahead two-run double in the sixth inning and designated hitter Darin Utley smacked two solo home runs for the Hawks.

“We had two games where we left guys on base and that was against Xavier, but ever since them we have been getting the job done getting key hits. We got out-hit by one but our guys did a pretty good job,” said Thede.

Iowa City West (16-9, 9-7) answered. Nate Ewing hit a two RBI triple in the bottom half of the sixth to tie the score at 8-8.

Thede and the Prairie Hawks will have to continue to work at breaking the tradition.  “It was our game to lose and we just lost it,” Thede said.

Prairie plays in the Terry Heald Classic on Saturday at Marion. The Hawks play Burlington at 12 and then either Marion or Charles City at 2 or 4 p.m.            

PRAIRIE (10)
Butz, 3b, 5 0 0 0, Utley, dh, 4 2 2 2, B.Carlson, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Hammer, 1b, 4 1 2 0, Gagliardi, p, 4 2 1 0, D.Carlson, c, 4 2 1 0, Pond, rf, 4 1 0 0, Boots, lf, 4 2 1 2, Mougin, ss, 4 0 2 3, Whitters, 1 0 0 1. Totals  37 10 10 8.

IOWA CITY WEST (11)
Ewing, dh, 4 0 1 2, Siems, rf, 4 2 0 0, Rumpf, 1b, 4 0 2 0, Cronk, c, 4 1 1 2, Reiners, lf, 4 2 1 0, Crimmins, ss, 4 2 2 0, Schreck, 3b, 4 2 2 3, Grimsman, cf, 3 0 1 0, Franz, 2b, 3 2 1 1.  Totals 34 11 11 8.

Prairie      120 014 2 -  10 10 1

IC West   103 103 3 -   11 11 2

Gagliardi, Hammer (7) and D. Carlson.  Ross, Schreck (6), Grimsman (6) and Cronk.   W - Grimsman. L – Hammer.  2B - Boots, Rumpf 2, Crimmins. 3B - Ewing.  HR - Utley 2, Cronk, Schreck.  SB - Hammer, Gagliardi, Mougin 3, Siems 2, Franz 4.