The Mid-Prairie baseball team stayed alive in the playoffs Tuesday night shocking top seeded Wapello in district play 4-3. The Golden Hawks gained the advantage in the first with a single run when Jonas Coblentz singled and scored from third on a wild pitch. The Indians answered that with consecutive two out doubles from Gage Carpenter and Blake Odle to tie the game at 1.

Mid-Prairie would answer with a single run in the third inning when Nick Stimson walked and came in on a Seth Eash sac fly. The Hawks went up 3-1 in the fifth when Carson Christiansen reached on a fielding error and scored on a throwing error two batters later. Mid-Prairie would need the cushion as the Indians scored twice in the fifth chasing Golden Hawk starter Jonas Coblentz. Spencer Shalla entered the game with the bases loaded and held the Indians keeping the game tied at three. Mid-Prairie would bounce back one more time offensively, with Wapello ace Gage Carpenter out of the game the Golden Hawks scored the game winner on Indian reliever Blake Odle. Jackson Yoder walked in the sixth and was driven in by Wyatt Cady on an RBI double to right. Cady talked after the game about the at bat.

“I thought I got the bunt sign, and then [Koller] wiped it off, so I had a 2-1 count and he just threw me a ball, and it was right where I like it, and I just swung and I saw contact and I just took off, and I didn’t even see where it went,” Cady said.

Things got dicey for Mid-Prairie in the seventh, Wapello put the tying run on third base when Brandon Lincoln smacked a one out triple to right. Shalla struck out Will Rios for the second out before walking the bases loaded. Shalla came back to strike out pinch hitter Keegan Lanz, stranding the bases loaded and preserving the one run win. After the game Shalla talked about the final batters.

“I got up on Carpenter, coach just said be smart, and I knew that I had to be smart and pitch to him outside, he couldn’t hit the outside fastball, and I just couldn’t get it to him, and the next batter that same thing I just didn’t want to give up that hit, and I have to give credit to Seth [Eash], Seth is so smart behind the plate the best catcher I’ve ever had catch for me, he just spotted it up right that guy couldn’t hit it, and luckily I hit it three times and sat him down,” Shalla said.

Shalla recorded the win in relief going three innings allowing two hits, no runs and walking two. At the plate Mid-Prairie was led by Nick Stimson’s two hits and a run scored while Wyatt Cady had a hit and an RBI. Head Coach Ryan Koller spoke after the game about the tense moments down the stretch and getting ready for Saturday night.

“I don’t even know how poised I was, and I don’t know what I can say on the radio, but it was tough in the dugout I can tell you that, we loaded the bases, and you just hope that the guys aren’t afraid if the ball comes to them and they can make the play, and Spencer threw three strikes, got the guy, didn’t touch the ball and it’s the biggest win since I’ve been here,” Koller said. “Well we have pitching, and we have four days, so I have Jonas, Spencer and Fisher and maybe Stimson, so I have four pitchers that I could put in, and like I told the guys congratulations you just got four days of practice, we’re going to hit and field and keep doing the same things we’ve been doing the last couple weeks to prepare for districts.”

Mid-Prairie is now 14-25 on the year and will play for the district 11 championship Saturday night in Wapello against the Mediapolis Bulldogs who knocked off West Burlington 6-5 in the second round. Tune in for pregame at 6:30 and first pitch at 7PM live from Wapello Saturday night on KCII.