Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – A potent Liberty High lineup struggled out of the gate scoring three or less runs three times during a 2-4 start.

Liberty High started to put things together last week beginning with a 15-run outburst in a win over Class 3A sixth-ranked Davenport Assumption on Friday.

The offensive breakthrough for the Lightning came on Tuesday and when the hits came they came in bunches.

Class 5A No. 13 Liberty High pounded 28 hits and scored 23 runs while sweeping Class 3A top-ranked Dubuque Wahlert (5-2) in a Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division doubleheader in North Liberty.

“Given kind of our slow start I really felt like we were on the cusp of something last week, we put up 15 against Assumption,” first-year Liberty High head coach Hannah Cole said. “That’s one thing our girls talked about in our pre-game is we are very capable of doing it lets just keep doing it.”

Liberty High won the opener 13-0 in four innings and took the nightcap 10-0 in six innings while improving to 6-5 on the season with its fourth win in the last five games.

After scoring 28 total runs during a 2-4 start to the season the Lightning have scored double figure runs in four of their last five games while producing a combined 50 runs during that stretch.

“You could tell last weekend everyone was starting to hit the ball and we were putting hits together,” Liberty High senior Mischa Reiners said. “We kept that going tonight and that definitely helped.”

Liberty High scored runs in eight of 10 innings, had eight extra-base hits and had 10 different players register a hit in the doubleheader.

“One through nine everyone is capable getting hits and even a few of our subs came in and got hits,” Cole said. “I feel like we are where we need to be now. It took us a little bit to settle in but I think we are right now there.”

Junior first baseman Lanie Meyer was at the center of the offensive explosion on Tuesday.

Meyer entered hitting .267 but like much of the Liberty High lineup got a boost late last week in the win over Assumption hitting her first home run of the season.

“We had a good game against Assumption last Friday and I think that carried over to tonight,” Meyer said. “We kept that going.”

Meyer went 6-for-6 with three doubles and a pair of home runs on Tuesday, driving in six runs and scoring six times.

“I knew I was going to start to hit I just had to make contact,” Meyer said. “Finally it all come through tonight.”

Meyer slugged a pair of home runs in the opener.

After doubling off the left center field fence in her first at bat Meyer launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning that gave the Lightning a 7-0 lead.

“I knew I was close on the one before and I just needed a little more,” Meyer said. “The energy from our team is really what helped me.”

A three-run homer by Meyer capped a six-run fourth inning that ended the opener via run rule.

“She struggled a bit at the beginning of the season but she really settled in,” Cole said. “I knew during the offseason she could swing it so I’ve always known she is capable but she just needed a little bit of a confidence booster.”

Reiners had two hits and drove in two runs in the opener, while Brynlee Slockett and Ava Tague each had two hits.

Ellie Tague tossed a four-inning one-hitter to earn the win in game one, walking one and striking out five.

Kaelyn Rickels and Addyson McKillip combined to allow just two hits and two walks in six innings in the night cap.

Kelsey Kaut, Reiners and Meyer all had three hits in the 10-0 win in game two while Kennedy Conner, Delaney Ball and Kinley Jones each had two hits.

“It was so fun,” Reiners said. “We knew Wahlert was going to be good, they are ranked first in 3A, we just came out and swung the bat really well.”

Game 1

Dubuque Wahlert     000  0  –   0    1   2       

Liberty High             034  6  –  13  11  1

W – Ellie Tague                                  L – Julia Roth

2B – ICL: Ava Tague, Lanie Meyer, Mischa Reiners

HR – ICL: Lanie Meyer (2)

Game 2

Dubuque Wahlert     000  000  –   0    2   1

Liberty High             232  201  –  10  17  0

W – Kaelyn Rickels                            L – Anna Roling

2B – ICL: Lanie Meyer (2), Delaney Ball

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