Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – What do you do for an encore after throwing a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts the last time out.

For Kara Maiers the answer was simple – perfection.

Maiers threw the first perfect game in Liberty High history on Friday striking out 17 in a 7-0 win over Waterloo West (1-9) in the opener of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader in North Liberty.

The perfect game capped an impressive three-day span for Maiers that started Wednesday when she fanned 13 in a no-hitter at Linn-Mar.

“I’d never had a no-hitter or a perfect game before this week so these are all firsts for me,” Maiers said. “It’s exciting for sure.”

The perfect game by Maiers set the tone for a dominant night for Lightning pitchers as Class 5A No. 14 Liberty High completed the sweep with a 9-0 win in the nightcap behind a four-hit shutout by sophomore Kinsley Robertson.

Robertson fanned seven in the complete game shutout in game two as Liberty High improved to 11-7 on the season and 7-3 in MVC Valley Division play.

“Kara has been pitching really well and so that just gives me confidence going into the next game,” Robertson said. “During the first game I see what the batters like and don’t like and how she pitches and then I take that into the next game.”

Maiers walked four in her 13-strikeout no-hitter against Linn-Mar on Wednesday.

On Friday, it was 21 up and 21 down for Maiers who needed just 77 pitches to complete the perfect game.

“She’s been lights out her last four outings, of course she backs up a no-hitter with a perfect game,” Liberty High Jeff Kelley said. “That’s pretty unbelievable.”

Maiers almost gave her defense the night off on Friday.

Only four balls were put into play with flyouts to left field in the fourth and center field in the sixth the only balls to leave the infield.

First baseman Miranda Jones snagged a pop up in foul territory in the first and third baseman Haley Napoli made a play on a bunt in the fourth.

Maiers took care of the rest.

“She is just getting unbelievable movement on the rise ball, it’s not a low to high fastball which is what a lot of pitchers throw, her ball jumps,” Kelley said. “It’s a legit rise and she’s done a great job of adding that to her fastball and changeup.”

Maiers fanned eight of the first nine batters she faced, striking out the side in the second and third innings.

She fanned the side again in the fifth and put an exclamation point on the best performance of her career by striking out the final four batters she faced.

“I was kind of nervous that last batter,” Maiers said. “I just hoped to get that out and after that strikeout I got so excited. I was just happy to be able to do it on our home field and have the first ever perfect game be at home.”

Maiers got an early lead courtesy of a two-run triple by eighth-grader Mischa Reiners in the first inning.

The Lightning scored in its final three trips to the plate but Maiers already had all the support she needed.

Maiers realized the Wahawks were hitless in the fifth inning but didn’t know she hadn’t allowed a baserunner until after the game.

“At Linn-Mar I had no clue until coach told me after the game,” Maiers said. “Tonight, I knew in the fifth inning that they didn’t have a hit but I thought I had a walk in there. It turns out I didn’t.”

Not to be outdone Robertson spun her own gem in the nightcap.

The sophomore retired 15 straight at one point in the four-hit shutout.

“She had a tough outing up at Linn-Mar the other night but she really bounced back tonight,” Kelley said. “I was really proud of her because her two outings before Linn-Mar had been really, really good so it was good to see her get back in that groove.”

After a steady dose of Maiers’ high velocity and rise balls in the opener Robertson kept Waterloo West off balance with an assortment of offspeed offerings in the nightcap.

“My changeup was really working and so were my drops,” Robertson said. “That’s important for me to keep them off balance.”

Liberty High sent 11 batters to the plate in a six-run first inning in game two that provided Robertson all the offense she would need.

Reiners and Kennedy Daugherty had back-to-back RBI doubles in the six-run first while Ashlyn Geasland and Miranda Jones each drove in runs.

“It was really helpful getting that early lead and then having everyone making plays,” Robertson said. “My teammates were backing me up.”

Game 1

Waterloo West          000  000  0  –  0   0   0

Liberty High              200  122  x  –  7  11  0

W – Kara Maiers                    L – Bre’Ann Olsson

2B – ICL: Miranda Jones

3B – ICL: Mischa Reiners

Game 2

Waterloo West          000  000  0  –  0  4  1  

Liberty High               610  000  x  –  9  10  0

W – Kinsley Robertson          L – Nia Christoffer

2B – ICL: Brylee Klosterman, Mischa Reiners, Kennedy Daugherty, Raquel Trolliet

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