Zach Daniels had already thrown 109 pitches when Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer visited the mound in the top of the seventh inning Tuesday in a tense game against Prairie.

Kennedy owned a 3-2 lead, but the Hawks had runners at first and second with only one out with the game hanging in the balance.

Most coaches would ask their pitcher how he felt after throwing 109 pitches, but Daniels was an elite all-state selection last year and will throw for the Iowa Hawkeyes when his prep career is over.

Hoyer never asked.

"It kind of surprised me," Daniels said with a grin.

Hoyer had confidence in Daniels and liked the way he was pitching. And as it turned out, all it took was one more pitch.

Daniels got Jared Street to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game, with Kennedy first baseman Tyler Jacobs making a nice pick of a one-hop throw to prevent the tying run from scoring.

That ended Kennedy's 3-2 victory in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Kennedy.

Hoyer reminded his infielders what to do if they ball was hit to them in the top of the seventh, but confirmed he had few words for his star hurler.

"I reassured him that he still had real good stuff, real good life," Hoyer said. "Trust yourself and hit the mitt, and he did."

Daniels collected 12 strikeouts. Prairie got a single in the second inning and another single in the fifth, but that was it. He walked three batters, including two in the seventh inning when he pitched himself into a jam.

"I actually felt pretty good tonight," said Daniels. "My change-up was working pretty good. I thought I pitched pretty good."

Daniels said he threw 109 pitches when he beat Mitch Keller and the Xavier Saints in the Metro Tournament last year in a memorable game, so he's been in this territory before.

Prairie nipped Kennedy, 6-5, in their first meeting Monday night at Prairie with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Hawks nearly pulled one out again, but Daniels made a big pitch and the Kennedy defense turned the double play.

"Daniels was good," said Prairie Coach Todd Rima. "He was better than us tonight. Bounce back, move on and play again tomorrow."

Prairie has gotten off to a good start this season under Rima, the Kirkwood head coach who added Prairie to his duties this year. The Hawks are 9-2 overall and 5-1 in the MVC.

"I think we've taken the step that we needed to take to this point," he said. "Physically and mentally, we've improved.

"There's one more jump for us to make and that's going to be the challenge. If we can get to that next level, then I think we can be a very good team."

Tyler Dralle had a big two-run, two-out single in the fourth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and give Kennedy a 3-1 lead. Prairie scored in the fifth on a wild pitch to make it 3-2, but Daniels stranded the tying run at third base in the inning with two strikeouts.

Kennedy raised its records to 7-4 overall and 2-4 in the conference. The Cougars won the Metro Tournament with three straight victories to start the season, but they have a 4-4 record since then and have fallen from No. 1 to No. 4 in the Class 4A rankings.

"We're still not playing the caliber of baseball we'd like to be playing at this point, but I'd like to think we'll get there eventually," said Hoyer, whose club survived four errors Tuesday. "Not very clean."

Kennedy all-stater Sammy Lizarraga did not play Tuesday due to a sore back and is listed day-to-day. Lizarraga battled tendinitis in his right elbow earlier this season, but he looked good pitching against Cedar Falls last Friday.

Corbin Day, who went 3-for-3 and had the game-winning single against Kennedy Monday night, did not play Tuesday due to a stiff neck.

Prairie        001 010 0 - 2 2 2
Kennedy     010 200 x - 3 4 4

W - Daniels. L - Nunemaker.