The Cedar Rapids Xavier baseball team got blanked in the first game of a doubleheader against Cedar Rapids Prairie on Friday night. That didn’t sit well with them. There was a 20-minute break between games, and then the Saints did something about it.

Xavier 10-runned Prairie, 12-2, after five innings in the nightcap at Prairie High School, riding a huge fourth inning and a strong pitching performance by Zach Brown.

Prairie won the opener 3-0 on the strength of an impressive outing by Mitchell Adams. The junior tossed a complete game, shutting out the Saints and allowing only one hit.

“We were hesitant in the first game, and the pitcher was very solid and quick,” said Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel. “But in the second game, we had a lot of good hits.”

After the sluggish outing, Xavier rebounded with a vengeance, collecting 11 hits in the nightcap.

Three of those hits came from Brown, who was also on the mound for game two. He proved to be a good multi-tasker. He collected two doubles and a triple at the plate and got the win on the mound while allowing only two Prairie runs.

“At the plate, I was just thinking fastball the whole time, and adjusting to change,” said Brown. “And my whole approach on the mound was just pitch to contact and let them hit it, then let my defense do the work.”

Xavier got on the board in the first inning of the nightcap when Mack Mattke hit an RBI single down the third base line, scoring leadoff hitter Bryce Grimm. Two batters later, Brown sailed a shot into left center, which scored Mattke and landed Brown with a triple.

The Saints scored two more in the second and one in the third. And in the fourth, the floodgates opened. Grimm led off the inning, and by the time it got back around to him the Saints had posted six runs to open an 11-1 lead. Jordan Ratz, Luke Hammerberg and Grimm all had RBI hits for the Saints in the fourth.

“Even though we scored 12 runs, Brown’s pitching performance was the highlight of the game,” said Schemmel.

Brown kept Prairie hitters off-balance with a steady mix of fastball and knuckle-curves. He collected only three strikeouts, but the balls that Prairie put into play were fielded well by the Xavier defense. Brown allowed five hits.

Both Ryan Velvick and Brennan Hammer went 4-for-6 in the twinbill for the Prairie Hawks.

Game 1

XAVIER (0)

Grimm, cf, 3 0 0 0, Woods, p, 3 0 0 0, Mattke 1b, 2 0 0 0, Dlouhy, cr, 0 0 0 0, Pick, dh, 3 0 0 0, Helms c, 0 0 0 0, Brown, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Ratz, rf, 3 0 1 0, Meaney, lf, 3 0 0 0, Keller, ss, 2 0 0 0, St. Andrews, 2b, 1 0 0 0,

Hammerberg, c, 0 0 0 0. Totals 23 0 1 0.

PRAIRIE (3)

Velvick, cf, 3 1 3 1, Hammer, 1b, 3 0 1 0, Butz, 3b, 3 0 0 1, Carlson, 2b, 2 0 1 0, Alberts, lf, 3 1 0 0, Votroubek, dh, 3 0 0 0, Adams, p, 0 0 0 0, Schulte, rf, 3 0 0 0, Pond, c, 3 1 2 1, Davidson,cr, 0 0 0 0, Mougin, ss, 2 0 0 0. Totals 25 3 7 3.

Xavier    000 000 0 - 0 1 2

Prairie   011 100 x - 3 7 2

Woods, Pick (5) and Helms, Hammerberg(5). Adams and Pond. W - Adams. L - Woods. 2B - Velvick. SB - Alberts, Davidson.

Game 2

XAVIER (12)

Grimm, cf, 4 1 2 2, Woods, ss, 3 1 1 1, Mattke, 1b, 2 3 2 1, Pick, dh, 4 1 0 0, Scallon, 3b, 0 0 0 0, Brown, p, 4 1 3 2, Ratz, rf, 3 1 1 1, Harriot, lf, 2 2 1 0, Hammerberg, c, 4 2 1 2, Tipton, 2b, 3 0 0 1. Totals 29 12 11 9.

PRAIRIE (2)

Velvick, cf, 3 2 1 0, Hammer, rf, 3 0 3 0, Butz, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Carlson, 2b, 2 0 1 1, Alberts, lf, 2 0 0 1, Pond, c, 2 0 0 0, Davidson, dh, 2 0 0 0, Steffens, p, 0 0 0 0, Votroubek, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Mougin, ss, 2 0 0 0, Wagner  0 0 0 0. Totals 22 2 5 1.

Xavier    221 61 - 12 11 1

Prairie   100 01 - 2 5 4

Brown and Hammerberg. Steffens, Mougin (3), Wagner (5), Alberts (5) and Pond. W - Brown. L - Steffens. 2B - Hammer, Carlson, Mattke, Brown (2). 3B - Brown.