Breitbach powers Xavier to sweep against Lions

CEDAR RAPIDS - A little fuel added to the fire helped create a pretty hot bat.

Cedar Rapids Xavier's Morgan Breitbach used it to burn Linn-Mar.

Breitbach drove in eight runs and belted her first grand slam, helping the Saints to back-to-back 8-1 victories over the Class 5A 10th-ranked Lions last night at Bob Erusha Field.

The Saints cleanup hitter cleaned up when Linn-Mar elected to pitch her instead of standout Erin Drahozal.

'Erin is a great hitter and teams are going to do it a lot,” Breitbach said. 'I just go up with the mind-set to make them pay. It worked out, I guess.”

Xavier Coach Nikki Gahring said Breitbach has faced similar situations and takes advantage, increasing her RBI total to 19 this season.

'Morgan has really stepped to the plate and stepped up to the challenge,” Gahring said. 'She makes it count when she is there and they don't throw to Erin.”

Breitbach loaded up with the bases loaded four times in the doubleheader sweep. In the first game, she delivered an RBI single that gave Xavier a 3-1 lead. The big blast came in the bottom of the sixth, securing the win with the drive over the center field fence.

'I was up in the count,” Breitbach said. 'I was looking for anything I could really do something with.”

Breitbach had an RBI double in the first inning of the nightcap. She came up two more times with the bases loaded and smacked run-scoring singles as the Saints pulled away.

'The confidence keeps building up for you,” Breitbach said. 'You get the couple hits in the first game then you can come back in the second and use that to your advantage.”

Hannah Helms sparked the Saints in the first game, leading off with a home run to left field. She added an RBI double in the opener and finished with three hits. She also scored five times. Charlotte Richards had two hits in each game and drove in two runs in the second game. Kailee Becker also had three hits for Xavier.

'I think everybody was making solid contact,” Breitbach said. 'It showed in the game. We hit them pretty hard.”

Linn-Mar (13-10) put the ball in play plenty in the twin bill. The Lions matched Xavier with nine hits in the second game and was just one shy overall. Ally Johnson and Maddy Ryan led the Lions with three hits apiece and Michaela Smith had an RBI.

Drahozal and Maria Steffen allowed just one run apiece, throwing complete games. They managed to get key outs, stranding 16 runners on base and holding Linn-Mar well below their six-run per game average.

Gahring was pleased with both performances and the defense behind them.

'We really stress let the defense help them,” Gahring said. 'Neither one of them are big strikeout pitchers. Our defense comes through. They work hard and make the plays to get out of the inning.”

The Saints (11-9) have faced some ups and downs this season. The quality sweep could be a springboard into the last part of the season.

'When the girls come with the right mind-set they can be very tough,” Gahring said. 'They are very competitive. It's just getting them consistently with that mind-set and attacking anybody we play.”

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