Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – Kara Maiers was prepped for a pitchers’ duel in Saturday’s regional semifinal showdown with Cedar Prairie.

Her Liberty High teammates made sure that situation never materialized.

Liberty High erupted for 10 runs in the third inning on its way to a resounding 12-0 four-inning win over No. 15 Cedar Rapids Prairie (12-8) in a Class 5A, Region 7 semifinal in North Liberty.

“The first two innings I was prepared for a close game,” Maiers said. “After that third inning it was not so close any more.”

Liberty High (17-8) sent 14 batters to the plate and hammered nine hits in the 10-run third inning that broke open a scoreless tie.

The win sends Liberty High into the regional title game for the second straight season. The Lightning will be seeking their first ever state tournament appearance on Tuesday when they travel to second-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy (22-1) for a 7 p.m. regional final.

Kennedy swept Liberty High in a regular season doubleheader back on June 25 in Cedar Rapids.

“We know they are good, we know their potential but we also know our potential and when we played them in the season we weren’t at our full potential,” Liberty High senior Brylee Klosterman said. “I hope we are going in there knowing we can win because anything can happen in regionals.”

Liberty High made a statement on Saturday while setting up its rematch with Kennedy.

Six of the 13 Liberty High hits went for extra bases including a two-run home run by freshman Kylie Hamers that capped the 10-run Lightning third.

“It was unbelievable,” Hamers said. “To have our offense backing up our pitcher it felt so good.”

Maiers was locked in from the beginning, striking out the first seven batters she faced and allowing just a one-out single to Gabby Robinson in the third inning.

The junior right-hander was settling in for a low-scoring game when her offense took over.

“It was so awesome,” Maiers said. “It was a of fun to see everyone hit so well. It’s great to see your team have an inning like that and know that you have some cushion.”

Liberty High batted around in the third without making an out.

Raquel Trolliet opened the inning with a double and a walk to pinch hitter Addie Schmierer and a single by Klosterman loaded the bases.

Miranda Jones got the Lightning on the board with an RBI single. Eighth-grader Mischa Reiners followed with a line drive, two-run double to the gap in right center to make it 3-0.

“It was like we had prepared for,” Liberty High coach Jeff Kelley said. “We knew we were going to see a lot of slow stuff away and we had to be patient and let the ball get back to the plate and take the ball to the right side and as I had hoped we had several hits to that side of the field. The kids did an awesome job tonight. An awesome job.”

Kinsley Robertson ripped a two-run single up the middle to make the score 5-0 and Haley Napoli added a two-run single down the right field line to push the lead to 7-0.

It was 10-0 after Hamers’ line drive hit the top of the left field fence and caromed over for her first home run of the season.

Ten different Liberty high players had a hit on Saturday and six different Lightning had an extra-base hit.

“It wasn’t just a couple of kids everyone up and down the lineup hit very well tonight,” Klosterman said. “Kara was on and every one up and down the lineup was on.”
Leading 10-0 Liberty High put the game away early in the fourth.

Back-to-back doubles by Ashlyn Geasland and Kennedy Daugherty made it 11-0 and senior Ella Johnson ended the game with a pinch-hit RBI single.

“It’s crazy, my last game here and in regionals you never really get this drastic of a game,” Klosterman said.  “I’m just proud of our team.”

Maiers allowed just one hit and struck out nine in a four-inning shutout to improve her season record to 10-2.

She hasn’t lost a decision since a 5-2 setback to Kennedy last month.

“She got off to a great start again tonight,” Kelley said of Maiers. “She wasn’t quite as sharp tonight spotting her pitches but when she had to she was spot on which is the sign of a great pitcher.”

Kennedy defeated Dubuque Senior 7-0 in the other Region 7 semifinal and enters the regional final on a 15-game winning streak.

“They are a great team,” Kelley said. “That have been ranked in the top three or four all summer. “Like most games like that when you have two really good pitchers going against each other it will come down to who plays bunt defense and who bunts the ball and who gets the timely hit. If we come out and do that I think it’s going to be a great game.”

CR Prairie                  000  0  –  0  1  1

Liberty High             00(10)  2 –  12  13  0

W – Kara Maiers                    L – Megan Steffens

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

HR – ICL: Kylie Hamers

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