Nine seemed to the be magic number Wednesday night in Wellman. The No .8 Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks (11-7 overall) softball team of Class 3A welcomed the No. 14 Fairfield Trojans (13-5 overall) of Class 4A for a non-conference doubleheader. The two teams split the pair of games, Fairfield winning 9-3 in game one and Mid-Prairie responding with a 9-7 victory in game two.

The long ball loomed large in both games. The Trojans sent three home runs over the fence in game one, two solo and a two run blast. The Golden Hawks’ offense struggled in game one, with Mid-Prairie’s two through five hitters going a combined 1-14 at the plate in the setback.

The Golden Hawks’ offense broke out in game two, scoring two runs in the first and third innings. Trailing by one run heading into the fifth inning, Mid-Prairie took the lead for good thanks to two home runs. Junior Amber Kral had a three run blast while senior Chelsea Kral answered with a solo homerun two batters later, giving the Golden Hawks an 8-5 advantage. The Trojans rallied with two runs in the top of the sixth inning, and Mid-Prairie added one more in the bottom of the frame to give us a 9-7 final score.

After the split, Mid-Prairie’s overall record sits at 11-7. The Golden Hawks travel to Stanwood tonight for a River Valley Conference bout against the North Cedar Knights (2-10 overall).