Nate Greve has been a starting pitcher during his baseball career and he's been a relief pitcher during his career, but he'd never done both in the same game.

Until Saturday.

Greve helped the Linn-Mar Lions split with No.5 Kennedy on a rainy, sloppy day at the Linn-Mar field by doing double-duty on the mound in the nightcap.

The Cougars battered the Lions, 13-2, with a 15-hit attack in the first game, and Greve had the assignment of trying to quiet the Kennedy bats in Game 2.

He succeeded, he failed and he ultimately succeeded again as Linn-Mar captured the wild nightcap, 15-13.

Greve, a lefthanded sophomore, started the second game and had a no-hitter after three innings, but he walked three batters in the fourth inning and the Cougars plated five runs, ending his day on the mound. Or so it appeared.

"I told him at that time, I might bring you back to close the game," Linn-Mar Coach Chad Lechner related. "I need you to be mentally tough and ready to go. Stay loose."

Linn-Mar scored nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 9-5 lead, thanks to seven hits and five Kennedy errors, making Greve the pitcher of record on the winning side.

Greve sat and watched for two innings, and it didn't look like he'd be needed again when the Lions took a 15-8 lead into the top of the seventh. But Kennedy began the top of the seventh with four straight hits, making it 15-10 with nobody out, and Lechner signalled for his young southpaw again.

Greve went back to the mound, working as a relief pitcher in the game he started. "First time in my career," he said.

He surrendered a two-run double to Austin Christensen, the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year, making it 15-12 with one out. Then he surrendered an RBI single to David Yancey, making it 15-13 with two outs and bringing the tying run to the plate.

Cody Bell could have tied the game for Kennedy with a two-run homer, but Greve got Bell on a grounder to second base to end the battle in a steady rain.

Greve did not qualify for a save, since he re-entered the game with a five-run lead and two runners on base, but he came close. If he had re-entered with a five-run lead and three runners on base, he could have gotten the win and the save in the same game, since the tying run would have been in the on-deck circle when he re-entered.

Pitchers cannot create their own save situations, so he didn't get a save even though he got the final out in a two-run game.

Greve pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief Friday night in the second game of a doubleheader at Dubuque Wahlert, so he pitched three times in less than 24 hours for the Lions - once against Wahlert and twice against Kennedy in the same game.

"My arm is feeling great so far," he said. "I've been in no pain this year."

The Lions played four games in less than 24 hours, counting the twinbill at Wahlert that started at 4 p.m. Friday and the makeup doubleheader against Kennedy that began at 11 a.m. Saturday.

It was a busy 24 hours, but a profitable one for the Lions as they finished the stretch at 13-10 overall and 8-8 in the Mississippi Valley Conference. They split with Wahlert, which is ranked No.3 in Class 3A, and split with Kennedy, which is ranked No.5 in Class 4A.

"Really good wins," said Lechner. "I probably couldn't ask for a whole lot more than splitting with those two teams. Two quality teams. We feel good about it."

Kennedy cruised in the first game Saturday behind Alex Hayden, who pitched five innings and allowed two runs (one earned). He struck out six batters and allowed four hits.

Griffin Michael and David Yancey hit back-to-back homers for the Cougars (21-5, 14-2) in the first inning of the opener.

Austin Christensen went 4-for-8 in the twinbill for Kennedy with a single, two doubles, a home run and four RBIs. He's hitting .600 this season (45 for 75) with 13 homers and 37 RBIs in 26 games.

Devon Jacobus went 4-for-6 for Kennedy with a double, home run, four runs, three RBIs and two walks. Yancey was 4-for-8 with two doubles, a homer, three RBIs and three runs.

Ben Larison went 4-for-6 for Linn-Mar with two doubles.

Linn-Mar batted around in the fourth and fifth innings in the second game, scoring 14 runs in those two frames on 11 hits, six Kennedy errors, three walks and a hit batter.

Game 1

KENNEDY (13)
Sykes, 2b, 3 2 1 0, Taylor, ph, 1 0 1 0, Christensen, rf, 3 1 1 0, Jahlas, ph, 1 0 1 2, Michael, ss, 4 3 2 2, Rhoades, ph, 1 0 0 0, Yancey, lf, 4 2 2 2, Unash, ph, 1 0 0 0, Bell, 1b, 4 0 1 0, Lloyd, pr, 0 1 0 0, Maiers, c, 2 1 1 1, Rhoades, cr, 0 1 0 0, Lizarraga, c, 0 0 0 0, Jacobus, 3b, 4 1 2 2, Ambrosy, cf, 4 0 1 1, Benson, dh, 4 1 2 1, Hayden, p, 0 0 0 0, Z. Johnson, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 36 13 15 11.

LINN-MAR (2)
Hunter, lf, 2 1 0 0, Bohr, ph, 1 0 0 0, Larison, ss, 3 1 2 0, Sturenfeldt, ph, 1 0 0 0, Redmond, cf, 3 0 0 1, Stickney, dh, 1 0 0 0, Bogert, rf, 0 0 0 0, Danover, c, 2 0 1 1, Kvach, cr, 0 0 0 0, A.Stroschein, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Blackford, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Prokop, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Stolley, p, 2 0 0 0, N.Johnson, p, 1 0 0 0. Totals 25 2 4 2.

Kennedy   520 022 2 - 13 15 1
Linn-Mar    101 000 0 - 2 4 4

Hayden, Z. Johnson (6) and Maiers, Lizarraga (6). Stolley, N. Johnson (6) and Danover. W - Hayden. L - Stolley. 2B - Christensen, Jahlas, Michael, Yancey, Jacobus, Larison 2. HR - Michael, Yancey. SB - Christensen, Michael, Maiers.

Game 2

KENNEDY (13)
Sykes, 2b, 5 1 1 2, Christensen, rf/1b, 5 2 3 4, Michael, ss, 4 0 0 0, Yancey, lf, 4 1 2 1, Bell, 1b/p, 4 1 0 0, Maiers, c, 3 1 1 0, Rhoades, cr, 0 1 0 0, Jacobus, 3b, 2 3 2 3, Jahlas, cf, 2 1 2 1, Benson, dh/p/rf, 1 1 0 0, Lloyd, p, 0 0 0 0, Ambrosy, p, 1 1 1 1. Totals 31 13 12 12.

LINN-MAR (15)
Hunter, lf, 2 3 1 1, Larison, ss/p, 3 1 2 1, Redmond, cf, 4 1 2 3, Bogert, rf, 4 1 1 1, Danover, c, 4 0 2 1, Sturenfeldt, cf, 0 1 0 0, Kvach, 2b, 4 2 1 1, Blackford, 1b, 4 2 2 0, Stickney, dh, 1 2 0 0, A.Stroschein, 3b, 0 0 0 0, Greve, p, 2 1 1 1, Prokop, 3b, 2 1 1 2. Totals 30 15 13 11.

Kennedy    000 521 5 - 13 12 6
Linn-Mar     000 951 x - 15 13 1

Lloyd, Taylor (4), Benson (4), Bell (5), Ambrosy (6) and Maiers. Greve, Larison (6), Greve (7) and Danover. W - Greve. L - Lloyd. 2B - Christensen, Yancey, Maiers, Ambrosy, Hunter. HR - Christensen, Jacobus. SB - Michael, Yancey, Maiers, Hunter, Kvach, Prokop.