Ollinger powers Lions in 4A opener
Chad Lechner has coached long enough to not take any prep baseball tournament game for granted.
The veteran Linn-Mar coach was especially concerned about his team opening 4A substate play against Waterloo West, which the Lions had just swept Wednesday on the last day of the regular-season.
Senior catcher Brandt Ollinger quickly calmed Lechner's nerves.
Ollinger got the Lions' offense going with a lead-off home run to open the second inning as Linn-Mar went on to down the Wahawks, 8-1, at Linn-Mar.
The victory moves the Lions to 24-11 and advances them to a Monday 7 p.m. substate semifinal at home against Cedar Falls. The Tigers (21-13) moved on with a 5-4 win Friday over Marshalltown.
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