Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – Liberty High entered the season with lofty list of goals after narrowly missing a state tournament berth a year ago.

As the regular season winds down the Lightning have already checked a couple of goals off their preseason list.

Earlier this month Liberty High earned the top seed in Class 4A, Substate 7, accomplishing one preseason goal.

On Monday the Lightning added another, securing the Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division title with a doubleheader sweep of Waterloo West (5-32, 3-23) at Liberty Field in North Liberty.

Liberty High will take aim at a couple of more goals when postseason play opens on Friday.

“Winning the division was right up there with getting a one seed in the substate bracket and we were able to get both those goals done,” Liberty High senior Brayden Mayer said. “We have a couple of other goals in mind and we still have to get those starting on Friday.”

Liberty High scored nine unanswered runs to win the opener 12-3 on Monday and added an 11-1 win in five innings in the nightcap to secure the first MVC divisional title in program history.

Class 4A sixth-ranked Liberty High improved to 28-9 on the season and finished 20-8 in MVC play, the most conference wins in a season in school history.

“Winning the division, it was huge,” Liberty High senior Dallas Miller said. “We had four things and win state and win the division were right at the top. This is really big for us.”

Liberty High entered the night with a two-game lead over Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the Mississippi Division standings.

The Cougars were swept by 3A top-ranked Dubuque Wahlert on Monday but that outcome didn’t matter as Liberty High took care of business on its home field.

Liberty High hammered 20 hits in the doubleheader to overcome slow starts in both games to win the Mississippi Division title by four games.

“I think the guys were a little nervous tonight,” Liberty High coach Uby Martinez said. “I think there was a little pressure on them today, we knew we had help if we needed it but we wanted to do it on our own.”

Liberty High snapped a 3-3 tie in the opener with nine unanswered runs.

The Lightning took advantage of three walks, a Waterloo West error and a wild pitch to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Liberty High then broke the game opener with a six-run sixth inning that featured home runs by Mayer and Miller.

Mayer slammed a three-run homer to right field on a 3-2 pitch to give the Lightning an 11-3 lead.

“I was just looking for something to hit,” Mayer said. “The first couple of at bats I just got under it or just missed it and that last one I got all of it.”

Two batters later Miller laced a line drive into the left center field gap that turned into an inside-the-park homer.

“I saw it get past him and I knew I was going to have to run a lot,” Miller said. “It was tired but it felt good.”

Mason Waterbury earned the win for Liberty High in the opener allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out six and walking one.

Pryor Reiners and Jordan Schroeder each had two hits and drove in a run in game one as eight different Liberty High players had a hit in the opener.

“It was really big to just bounce back and get two,” Mayer said. “Last week showed that you have to bring it every single time out.”

It was more of the same in the nightcap as Liberty High exploded for seven runs in the fourth inning to break open a 3-1 game.

Evan Schmierer started the fourth-inning outburst with an RBI single and Miller provided the big blow with a bases loaded triple to right field.

Miller came around to score on a throwing error on the play to give the Lightning a 9-1 lead.

“Bases loaded I just wanted to get a good hit to the outfield and make them make a play,” Miller said. “It was good to get another big hit.”

Evan Colsch added an RBI double in the seven-run inning.

Andrew Olthoff earned the win in the second game allowing one run on four hits while striking out four and walking two.

Miller had two hits and drove in four runs and Schmierer had two hits and scored two runs.

Monday’s sweep came after Liberty High was swept by City High in a doubleheader last Thursday.

Liberty High plays single games at Solon on Tuesday and Marion on Wednesday before hosting Waterloo West in a Substate 7 quarterfinal on Friday.

“After last week where we lost to Jefferson and lost to City High twice it was good to get back on track,” Miller said. “We play these guys again on Friday so it was good to these two tonight.”

Game 1

Waterloo West                      000  210  0  –   3    6   2

Liberty High                          030  036  x  –  12  11  2

W – Mason Waterbury            L – Thomas Gettman

3B – ICL: Lewis Waterbury

HR – ICL: Brayden Mayer, Dallas Miller

Game 2

Waterloo West                      100  00  –   1   4  3

Liberty High                          201  71  –  11  9  0 

W – Andrew Olthoff             L – Eli Johnston

2B – WW: Thomas Gettman. ICL: Evan Colsch, Pryor Reiners

3B – ICL: Dallas Miller

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