The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk baseball team got 2026 underway Monday night, falling in both ends of a River Valley Conference doubleheader to Alburnett at Paul N. Bailey Field in Wellman. The visitors won the twin-bill by 10-2 and 4-1 scores.
The Golden Hawks are a young bunch this season, and that was on display opening night, with as many as nine players making their varsity debuts between the two contests. Game one was scoreless through the first two frames before the Pirates broke through for one in the third, then added three in the fourth for a 4-0 lead. Mid-Prairie cut the deficit in half in the bottom half, with a pair of runs with Koy Grout and Cecil Kelley drawing walks, then coming home on an RBI knock from Lenox Miller. The Hawks had a chance to tie the game, but stranded a pair with Brody Kaestner wriggling off the hook for Alburnett. From there, the Pirates scored six unanswered, two in the fifth and fourth in the sixth to take the win. The guests out hit the Hawks 6-3, led by a two hit, two RBI and two run game from Brody Jergenson. Kaestner got the win for Alburnett despite eight walks, working six plus innings, giving up one earned run and striking out four. On the Mid-Prairie ledger Koy Grout got the loss in his varsity debut, throwing four innings with five hits, three earned, six walks and a pair of punchouts. Brooks Weber, Bronx and Lenox Miller had the hits, Lenox Miller the RBI and Grout and Kelley a run each.
The nightcap featured pitching and defense with the Pirates completing the sweep 4-1. The Golden Hawks grabbed early momentum with a first inning run when Brooks Weber doubled and moved around the bases on an error and it was 1-0 Hawks. Weber, who was handling the pitching duties in the second game, held that lead until the third when Alburnett got even. The score stayed 1-1 to the sixth where the game turned over to the two bullpens. The Pirates broke through in the road half with three tallies on two hits, a pair of walks and a hit batter. The Golden Hawks were unable to answer with their final six outs. Following the night, Mid-Prairie head coach Kyle Mullet talked with KCII Sports about the team’s youth and the building blocks he saw on the field. “In the first game I like the way that we came out and competed. I feel like we mellowed out mid-game and then we had a lot of energy at the end. They had an eight-run lead there so I understand it’s hard to find momentum. We want these guys to compete like the score is 0-0 at all times. Keep momentum in our dugout by celebrating the little things. That second game, really proud of the guys, they never gave up! We found some things that we need to work on. A lot of stolen bases tonight. Speed is going to be a strength with this team. We just weren’t able to capitalize and knock in some of those runs. I think we handed out three first pitch varsity career strike balls tonight. Just amazing! I think at one point you look out at our infield and it’s two freshmen and two eighth-graders. Really proud of the way the young guys stepped out there and played tonight. Great example is Asher Jepson. Had a rocky sixth inning, but came back in the seventh with a couple of strikeouts, settled in and really showed something there.”
The Hawks were out hit 4-1 in game two. The Pirates committed three errors but came away with the victory thanks to a RBI each for Austin Lynn, Rogan Eighme and Logan Ossman. Mid-Prairie’s lone hit was Weber’s first inning double and he scored the single run. Carson Gerlach was the winning pitcher for the Pirates recording four outs from the ‘pen, all on strikeouts. Asher Jepson took the loss for the Hawks with his two innings of relief. Alburnett is 2-0 after the sweep, the Hawks 0-2. The two teams meet up tonight in Alburnett for their third game of this week’s series.