The Cedar Rapids Prairie baseball team put up a good fight against top-ranked Dubuque Hempstead Wednesday night but dropped both ends of a Mississippi Valley Conference twinbill at Prairie, 8-7 and 5-2.

The Hawks (6-14, 5-9) trailed 8-3 in the opener, but they scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull within 8-7. The rally ended there, however.

Trey Beckman drove in three runs for Prairie in the first game. Cal Clark, Casey Hook and Ben Boldt had two hits. Boldt socked a solo home run.

Prairie scored first in the nightcap, but Hempstead scored four times in the middle innings to take a 4-1 lead. The Hawks made it 4-2, but Hempstead scored again in the top of the seventh.

Nic Mougin and JP Havel-Pisarik had two hits for Prairie in the second game.

Game 1

Hempstead    040 130 0 - 8 11 0
Prairie      020 140 0 - 7 10 3

W - Greenwald. L - Rima.

Game 2

Hempstead    000 220 1 - 5 7 2
Prairie      001 001 0 - 2 8 3

W - Duax. L - Beckman. S - Bortscheller.