Jimmy Cunningham is the quiet man on the Cedar Rapids Kennedy baseball team.

He's quiet and quietly effective.

Cunningham made a rare appearance on the mound in the nightcap Friday night and got six straight outs as the third-ranked Cougars bopped Linn-Mar, 13-5, on Hall of Fame Night at Herkelman Field.

Kennedy claimed the first game, 5-3, after both clubs waited through a rain delay that last an hour and 45 minutes. The twinbill, scheduled for 5 p.m., began at 6:45 and ended after 11 p.m.

Cunningham had made only two brief appearances on the mound for the Cougars this season, throwing a total of 1.2 innings. But he looked like a seasoned veteran Friday as he tossed two scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh innings.

"I just threw like I always do," he said simply.

Cunningham is Kennedy's starting first baseman and has done a nice job with his glove. He's also hitting around .350 as the No.9 man in the batting order.

He likes hitting in that No.9 spot.

"I do," he said. "I see myself as a second leadoff man."

There's more to it than that, however. "Less pressure," he said. "The other teams don't pitch to me as hard." Cunningham went 2-for-3 in the nightcap with a sacrifice bunt as the Cougars (20-3, 16-2) unleashed a 17-hit attack.

Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer likes the contributions he's getting from the lanky senior.

"Pretty steady," said Hoyer. "What you see is what you get. We knew he was capable of putting the ball in play consistently.

"He can get the barrel of the bat to the ball. It doesn't really surprise us."

Kennedy scored two runs in the sixth inning of the opener to snap a 3-3 tie. Blake Hargens pitched a complete game for the victory. Zach Daniels and Kyle Brewer had three hits for the Cougars in the second game.

Linn-Mar fell to 11-18 overall and 6-12 in the MVC.

Game 1

Linn-Mar    000 012 0 - 3 6 5
Kennedy    001 202 x - 5 6 1

W - Hargens. L - Homewood.

Game 2

Linn-Mar    030 020 0 - 5 4 2
Kennedy    332 230 x - 13 17 2

W - Neuhaus. L - Jeffery.