Linn-Mar Softball

Maggie Rizor hits 2 homers as Lions split

Maggie Rizor socked two home runs Wednesday as the Linn-Mar Lions split a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader with Dubuque Hempstead at the Linn-Mar field.

Rizor hit a home run in the opener as the Lions trimmed Hempstead, 6-5. Rizor and Kortlan Ollinger drove in two runs apiece in the victory. Maddy Ryan was the winning pitcher.

Rizor and Alexis Kelsey hit home runs for Linn-Mar in the second game, but Hempstead collected 18 hits and beat the Lions 14-8. Rizor drove in four runs and Kelsey was 2-for-3 with three RBIs for Linn-Mar (3-1).

GAME 1

HEMPSTEAD (5)
Albrecht, rf, 4 0 0 0, Tauber, ss, 3 1 1 0, Koeperich, p, 3 3 3 1, Ryder, c, 2 0 0 1, Hanson, 3b, 4 1 2 2, Cummer, 1b, 4 0 1 1 , Bauer, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Rehfeldt, lf, 1 0 0 0, Kramer, cf, 3 0 1 0. Totals 27 5 8 5.

LINN-MAR (6)
E. Rizor, dp, 4 0 0 0, Duggan, 2b, 4 0 2 0, Kelsey, ss, 2 2 1 0, M. Rizor, 1b, 3 2 1 2, Ollinger, lf, 3 1 0 2, Ryan, p, 2 0 0 0, Hansen, rf, 2 1 1 1, Harms, cf, 2 0 0 1, Yearling, c, 2 0 0 0. Totals 24 6 5 6.

Ryan and Yearling. Koeperich and Ryder. W - Ryan. L - Koeperich. 2B - Duggan, Hansen. HR - M. Rizor.

GAME 2

HEMPSTEAD (14)
Albrecht, p, 4 2 1 1, Tauber, ss, 4 4 4 2, Koerperich, cf, 5 1 3 4, Ryder, c, 5 2 3 2, Hansen, 3b, 5 1 1 2, Cummer, 1b, 5 1 3 1, Bauer, 2b, 5 0 1 0, Vanderlee, rf, 4 1 0 1, Kramer, lf, 4 2 2 0. Totals 41 14 18 13.

LINN-MAR (8)
E. Rizor, dp, 4 0 2 0, Duggan, 2b, 4 2 2 0, Kelsey, ss, 3 2 2 3, M. Rizor, 1b, 3 1 1 4, Ollinger, c/lf, 3 1 2 0, Ryan, rf, 3 0 0 0, Hansen, 3b/p, 4 0 1 1, Swanson, 3b/p, 4 0 1 1, Yearling, lf/c, 4 1 1 0. Totals 31 8 12 8.

Albrecht and Ryer. Swanson, Hansen (2) and Ollinger, Yearling (3). W - Albrecht. L - Swanson. 2B - Ollinger. HR - Kelsey, M. Rizor.

Lions clobber Tigers in MVC opener

CEDAR FALLS - The Linn-Mar Lions rolled to a pair of impressive victories over Cedar Falls Tuesday in a Mississippi Valley Conference softball opener in Cedar Falls.

Ellie Rizor, Kelsey Duggan and Alexis Kelsey collected three hits apiece as the Lions captured the opener, 16-3.

Kelsey went 3-for-3, scored three times, hit a home run and drove in four runs. Rizor was 3-for-3, scored three runs and had two RBIs. Maddy Ryan also homered for the Lions.

Maggie Rizor was the hitting star in the nightcap for Linn-Mar in a 13-1 victory. She went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs.

GAME 1

LINN-MAR (16)
E. Rizor, dp, 3 3 3 2, Duggan, 2b, 4 2 3 1, Kelsey, ss, 3 3 3 4, M. Rizor, 1b, 1 1 0 0, Ollinger, c 3 1 0 1, Ryan, rf, 2 2 2 2, Kolf, ph, 1 0 0 0, Hansen, 3b, 2 2 1 0, Swanson, p, 2 1 1 2, Yearling, lf, 3 1 1 1, Harms, cf, 0 0 0 0. Totals 24 16 14 13.

CEDAR FALLS (3)
Miller, cf, 2 0 1 1, Beiner, rf, 2 0 0 0, Smith, 3b, 2 1 1 0, Sesterhenn, 1b, 2 1 1 2, Youngblut, 2b, 2 0 1 0, Hutchens, ss, 2 0 0 0, Wright, p, 1 0 0 0, Aikey, lf, 2 0 1 0, Kramer, c, 2 0 0 0. Totals 17 3 5 3.

Swanson and Ollinger. Wright and Kramer. W - Swanson. L - Wright. 2B - E. Rizor 2, Duggan 2, Kelsey 2, Smith, Aikey. HR - Kelsey, Ryan, Sesterhenn.

GAME 2

LINN-MAR (13)
E. Rizor, dp, 2 3 1 0, Duggan, 2b, 1 3 1 0, Kelsey, ss, 2 2 1 2, M. Rizor, 1b, 3 2 2 5, Ollinger, lf, 2 0 1 2, Clauson, ph, 1 0 0 0, Ryan, rf/p, 3 1 1 0, Hansen, 3b/p, 0 2 0 0, Kolf, rf, 0 1 0 0, Swanson, p/3b, 2 0 0 0, Harms, cf, 1 0 1 1, Yearling, c, 1 0 0 0. Totals 18 13 8 10.

CEDAR FALLS (1)
Miller, cf, 1 1 0 0, Kramer, c, 2 0 0 0, Smith 2 0 0 0, Sesterhenn, 1b, 1 0 1 1, Youngblut, 2b/1b, 2 0 1 0, Hutchens, ss, 2 0 0 0, A. Aikey, lf, 2 0 0 0, K. Aikey 0 0 0 0, Boyer 1 0 0 0, Kramer, 2b, 1 0 0 0. Totals 14 1 2 1.

Swanson, Ryan (2), Hansen (4) and Yearling. K. Aikey and Kramer. W - Ryan. L - Aikey. 2B - M. Rizor, Youngblut. HR - M. Rizor.

Rizor's injury looms large for Lions

Linn-Mar comes in to the 2012 season after finishing 17-25 in 2011 and ending its season with a one-sided loss in a regional semifinal to Muscatine. Like many Metro teams, the Lions will be moving up to newly formed Class 5A.

Linn-Mar returns a majority of its team from last year, including the entire pitching staff and its top three hitters.

Sophomore twins Maggie and Ellie Rizor led the team last year, but Ellie will miss all but the first couple of weeks due to an upcoming surgery for a torn labrum in her shoulder. With Ellie sidelined look for juniors Kelsey Duggan and Kortlan Ollinger to pick up the slack.

Key Losses:

The Linn-Mar losses are very few, but the most devastating is from Ellie Rizor’s injury and not from graduation.

“It is a huge loss,” Coach Jon Harms said. Rizor’s absence takes 8 home runs, 24 RBIs, 46 hits and 33 runs out of a lineup in need of all the production it can get.

Linn-Mar also lost experienced players Lindsey Harms and Leandra Martins. The pair combined for 55 hits, 33 runs, and 29 RBIs.

Key Returning Players:

Linn-Mar brings back the majority of its team. The pitching staff should benefit greatly from another year’s experience as Senior Dionna Jensen (4-12, 5.50 ERA) will look to lead a youthful group in the circle. The Lions had three eighth grade pitchers last season, headlined by Alexis Kelsey (5-3, 3.16). Kelsey missed the early part of the 2011 season and a full season from her should boost the Lion pitching.

Maggie Rizor (.357, 35 RBIs, 40 hits, 4 HR) leads a group of solid hitters returning to the Linn-Mar line up. Duggan (.357), Ollinger (.347), Kelsey (.339, 4 HR, 15 RBI) and Jensen (.342) bring back experience and hits to what should be an improving offensive attack.

Outlook:

Linn-Mar is young but experienced. “We have experience. The girls know what varsity is about,” Harms said.

The Lions' bats should continue to improve, but the loss of Ellie Rizor will hurt this group. Rizor leaves a gap in the offense that will need to be filled. There is enough talent. The question is if everyone can step up and do it.

The Lions' pitching had its struggles last year but should be the best it has been since DI pitcher Jaye Hutchinson graduated in 2008. With all four pitchers returning plus a pair of eighth graders, Maddy Rine and Hanson, joining them there are arms aplenty for Coach Harms. “We have to be consistent,” Harms said on his pitching staff.

“At this point we are way ahead of where we had been last year,” Harms said.

Linn-Mar should be at least a. 500 team, but a trip to Fort Dodge doesn't seem likely. Harms said we should find out about his team early in the season.

“The girls are very excited,” Harms said. “We have been good in the second half of the last few seasons. We need to get off to a better start. It is our every intention to be better.”

Lions thumped by Muscatine

MUSCATINE - The only trouble Muscatine High School's softball team had Monday night was closing out Linn-Mar by the mercy rule.

After a six-day layoff, the Muskies showed no signs of rust with their offense.

Coach Dennis Schuur's team compiled 22 hits and all nine starters had at least one hit in a 16-2 thumping of Linn-Mar at Kent-Stein Park in a Class 4A regional semifinal.

"It was a bit surprising because we struggled with the pitching machine before the game," junior Meghan Harris said, "but we came out and hit the ball. Everyone was positive."

Muscatine (34-7) gets Pleasant Valley at home Wednesday in a regional final at 7 p.m. Pleasant Valley, which lost a pair of one-run games to Muscatine during the regular season, upended Davenport West on Monday, 8-1.

The third-ranked Muskies wasted little time in scoring against the Lions.

Kayla Gaunt and Megan Butler strung together back-to-back, two-out doubles in the opening inning off Alexis Kelsey for the opening run.

Muscatine tallied six runs in the second frame after sending 10 hitters to the plate.

"The ball looked like a pumpkin coming in there tonight," Schuur said. "I want them to play with a chip on their shoulder, and they did that tonight.

"We really talked about not waiting until the third or fourth inning to score runs. By getting those runs early, it allowed them to relax a little bit."

Butler anchored the attack, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs. Taylor Berry and Erika Wagner belted home runs as the Muskies finished with eight extra-base hits.

"It was a struggle pitching at times, and you can't do that against good teams," Linn-Mar Coach Jon Harms said. "They hit it hard. They've got great hitters up and down the lineup.

"We knew it'd be tough coming in here, but I thought the girls were on their heels a little bit. We looked like a deer in the headlights, so hopefully we'll learn from this experience and improve going forward."

Muscatine, meanwhile, gathered for shaved ice before the game. And when his team came to the ballpark, Schuur noticed a focused and energetic group.

"You could see it in their eyes," he said. "There was a sparkle and a bounce in their step.

"The season is so long and so many games are played in a short period of time, and I think they get bored with it. Tonight was a new season; they were rejuvenated and ready to go."

That said, Muscatine couldn't close out Linn-Mar without playing a full seven innings.

After taking a 10-0 lead in the top of the sixth, the Lions (17-25) scratched across their two runs in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run single from Maggie Rizor.

Muscatine rebounded with six runs and seven hits in the top of the seventh as the visiting team.

"We were just pumped up and ready," Butler said. "We really want to get to the state tournament. There was no bickering tonight. We all got along and stayed positive."

Now, Muscatine is seven innings away from its second trip to the state tournament in as many years.

"If we can carry our bats through like tonight," Harris said, "we should be fine."

Muscatine 161 011 6 - 16 22 2
Linn-Mar   000 002 0 -  2   5  2

Kayla Gaunt and Erika Wagner. Alexis Kelsey, Lauren Swanson (2), Dionna Jensen (5) and Ellie Rizor, Hannah Yearling (2). W - Gaunt. L - Kelsey. 2B - Butler 2, Gaunt 2, Berry. HR - Wagner, Berry.