Mid-Prairie baseball on to substate final

WELLMAN — The Mid-Prairie baseball team left no doubt on Saturday night. The Golden Hawks showed out with a 15-3 win over Van Buren County in five innings, punching their ticket to the Class 2A Substate 5 6 final and ending the Warriors’ postseason run in the process.

Mid-Prairie scored in bunches. The Golden Hawks put up two runs in the first, six in the second, one in the third and six more in the fourth. They led 15-1 before a two-run Van Buren County fifth, but the Warriors could do no more to extend the game.

Sophomore Karson Grout had himself a game for the Golden Hawks. Grout went 3-for-3 with a second-inning grand slam, a double, six RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base in one of the more impressive postseason performances of the year.

Alex Bean was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Dylan Henry went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Both Brock Harland and Tyler Helmuth knocked in two runs. Collin Miller struck out seven batters over four innings to earn the win.

Van Buren County came into the game red-hot, scoring 24 runs over their last two games to knock off West Burlington and top-seeded Mediapolis. The Warriors end their season with a 12-16 record.

Mid-Prairie (17-10) will take on No. 6 West Marshall (28-8) in the substate championship on Tuesday. That game will be in Solon at 7 p.m.