The Linn-Mar Lions hit the baseball hard all night.

But the Lions couldn’t come up with that one big hit to push the go-ahead runs across the plate.

That changed in the bottom of the seventh inning when sophomore Austin Stroschein came through with a two-out, two-run single through the right side that gave the Lions a 4-3 walk-off win against Cedar Falls in a Class 4A substate first round game at Linn-Mar.

“It feels great, I’m speechless,” said Stroschein, who went 3-for-4. “We hit it hard all night, it was just my turn. I got my pitch and put the bat on the ball.”

Linn-Mar (22-17) advances to Monday's semifinals against either Prairie or Waterloo East. The latter's game Friday night at Mason City was rained out and will be played Saturday, weather permitting. If Mason City wins, Linn-Mar plays at Prairie on Monday. If East wins, the Lions host the Trojans on Monday.

Cedar Falls (15-21) scored a pair of runs in the first inning on Matt Klinehart's two-run home run. Linn-Mar scored runs in the first and second innings to tie the game. Both runs scored on sacrifice flies, the first by Jeremy Danover and the second by Aaron Hunter. However, the Lions left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first.

Cedar Falls reclaimed the lead, 3-2, with a run in the third. Again it was a sacrifice fly, this one by Shawn Hagarty, that scored the run.

Lions’ starter Jake Stolley settled in after the three early runs. He allowed just one hit after the third inning. Stolley was pulled in the seventh after a walk and received a no decision. He  finished the game with seven strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Linn-Mar offense was having trouble coming up with the big hit. The Lions threatened in every inning after scoring in the second. They left seven runners stranded in innings three through six.

The Lions got their last chance to get the tying or winning run in the seventh when, with one out, they put runners on second and third off Cedar Falls starter Andy Kloos. Tigers Coach Jack Sole elected to go to the bullpen and brought in junior Jake Gallu to try to get the save.

After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Gallu got a big strikeout for the second out. The strikeout brought Austin Stroschein to the plate as the Lions' last chance. Stroschein delivered on the first pitch, driving the ball into right field and bringing home the tying and winning runs.

“We hadn’t given up, but after a game played that well and having hard hit balls not fall, in the back of my mind I was thinking what I would have to say to the kids,” Linn-Mar Coach Chad Lechner said. “It was just going to be about not getting that one big two-out hit, but Austin got it.”

CEDAR FALLS (3)
Jake Gallu, CF, 3 1 1 0, J.T. Sole, C, 3 0 1 0, Michael Kuntz, cr, 0 0 0 0, Shawn Hagarty, SS, 2 0 1 1, Matt Klinehart, 1B, 3 1 1 2, Jordan Doyle, LF, 3 0 0 0, Jeff Daniels, 2B, 2 0 1 0, Forrest Benton, DH, 3 0 0 0, Brady Zwanziger, RF, 3 0 0 0, Colby Creger, 3B, 3 1 1 0, Andy Kloos, P, 0 0 0 0. Totals 25 3 6 3.

LINN-MAR (4)
Aaron Hunter, LF, 1 1 1 1, Ben Larison, SS, 4 0 1 0, Michael Redmond, CF, 4 0 2 0, Jordan Stroschein, RF, 4 0 2 0, Jeremy Danover, C, Travis Kvach, pr, 0 0 0 0, Kevin Bogert, cr, 0 1 0 0, Mitch Stickney, DH, 2 0 0 1, Eric Bohr, pr, 0 1 0 0, Keaton Blackford, 1B, 3 0 0 0, Corey Prokop, 2B, 4 0 1 0, Austin Stroschein, 3B, 4 0 3 2, Jake Stolley, P, 0 0 0 0, Nate Greve, P, 0 0 0 0. Totals 29 4 10 4.

Cedar Falls  201 000 0 -  3  6 3
Linn-Mar     110 000 2 -  4 10 0
(Two outs when winning run scored)

Kloos, Gallu (7) and Sole. Stolley, Greve (7) and Danover. W – Greve. L – Gallu. 2B – Gallu, Prokop. HR – Klinehart. SB – Hagarty, Creger, Kvach.