Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – Liberty High has faced plenty of early deficits throughout the prep baseball season.

So when the Class 4A sixth-ranked Lightning allowed a first-inning run in a do-or-die substate final against visiting Linn-Mar, there was no outward frustration.

They just went to work.

“Unfortunately, this is where we have been all year,” Liberty High coach Uby Martinez said after the Lightning held off Linn-Mar, 6-5, Wednesday night at Liberty High School. “We went two-and-a-half weeks where we did not score first. We played from behind for two-and-a-half weeks. They are resilient. They didn’t panic. Our biggest thing is we play for each other.”

The win was a program-best 32^nd this season for Liberty and delivered the Lightning to the state tournament for the third time in four years.

Liberty High (32-9) was awarded the fifth seed in the eight-team 4A bracket and will try to win a game at state for the first time when it plays a quarterfinal round game against No. 4 Waukee Northwest (27-10) Tuesday at 5 in Sioux City.

“We just have to come back tomorrow, keep working our best to get better as a team,” senior shortstop Cooper Hughes said. “We can do it this year. I have a strong feeling.”

Linn-Mar (20-21) took advantage of a Liberty High error in the first inning to scratch a run across, but the Lightning responded with some “small ball” to manufacture a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning.

After senior Dallas Miller opened the frame with a single, Jordan Schroeder reached base via a bunt single.

Evan Colsch used a sacrifice bunt to advance Miller and Schroeder, who each scored after singles by Reece Rettig and Evan Schmierer.

“The players said, ‘Shake it off, we have a bunch of game’,” Miller said. “I dropped one in the first inning and I thought it was done. Everybody was like, ‘Shake it off. We have got plenty of game left.’ And then we bounced back. It was good.”

Another Liberty High miscue in the fourth inning allowed two more runs to score which tied the game at 3-3, but Lightning left-handed pitcher Mason Waterbury managed to keep the Lions off the scoreboard for the next two innings.

“Just keep throwing,” Waterbury said. “Make sure your teammates know, ‘just flush it, next play.’ You always have to have confidence.”

Hughes broke the 3-3 tie with a single that scored teammate Pryor Reiners in the bottom of the fourth inning, then helped Liberty High post a pair of insurance runs in the sixth inning with a double that again scored Reiners.

“I was looking first pitch after my previous at-bats,” Hughes said. “I knew a fastball was coming, so just staying inside and poking it to center.”

Staked to a 6-3 advantage, Waterbury returned to the mound in the seventh inning hoping to finish off a complete game, but Linn-Mar rallied with three base hits to prompt a pitching change.

Waterbury (4-0) exited just two pitches shy of 100 for the game.

He allowed 10 hits and five runs with two walks and five strikeouts.

Relief pitcher Brady Zimmerman made sure the lead held up by recording the final three outs.

“It’s huge,” Waterbury said. “Got a lot of trust in our team. It always feels good to go as long as you can, but you have got to trust your teammates and that is exactly what we did. We did some small ball. A lot of excitement right now.”

Had it not been for a loss in 12 innings in last year’s substate final, Liberty would be making its fourth trip to state in a row.

Clearly, this is a bunch that will not be satisfied just getting there.

“Keep our bats rolling, keep small ball going,” Waterbury said. “Throw strikes and keep our team chemistry up.”

Linn-Mar        100  200  2  – 5

Liberty High   021  102  x –  6

WP – Mason Waterbury         LP – Brody Faulkner

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