Elison Ollinger helps Linn-Mar preserve split with Prairie

MARION — Elison Ollinger inherited a tough situation, made it a little tougher, then worked her way out of it.

Ollinger retired the final three batters with the tying run in scoring position to preserve Linn-Mar's 3-2 win — and a Mississippi Valley Conference double-header split with Class 5A No. 14 Cedar Rapids Prairie — Thursday night at Oak Ridge Middle School.

'I was a little surprised to be in there,' Ollinger said. 'I had warmed up a couple innings earlier. I was surprised that (Lions Coach John Begley) made the change then and there.'

After Prairie's Lauren Kuch led off the top of the seventh with a single, Begley summoned Ollinger. Morgan Lewis reached on an error to put runners at first and second with no outs.

They advanced no further.

Ollinger fell behind Payton Akers 3-0, then came back with three straight strikes for the first out. She got Neila Bell swinging, then induced a flyout from Haley McFarlane to end it.

'They're some really good hitters. I didn't want to give them anything to hit,' Ollinger said. 'I just kept chucking fastballs.'

Nothing tricky. Just heat.

'She just threw strikes,' Prairie Coach Joe Yegge said.

Prairie (14-11 overall, 10-6 MVC) cruised in the opener, 8-2. Kuch led off the game with a home run, and Makenna Moenk drove in two runs.

The Hawks remain a half-game behind Dubuque Hempstead in the MVC Mississippi Division, and face the Mustangs on June 28 in Dubuque. Most of the Hawks' biggest MVC challenges are behind them.

'From here on out, we should get them all,' Yegge said. 'We're talking about winning out.'

Prairie scored at least once in six innings in the opener, and Natalie Halvorson struck out six in a five-hitter.

Linn-Mar (12-9, 8-7) took the lead for good in Game 2 with three runs in the bottom of the second, with eighth-grader Rae Van Milligan knocking in two with a single to conclude a nine-pitch plate appearance.

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE 8-2, LINN-MAR 2-3

At Oak Ridge Middle School

Game 1

C.R. Prairie 210 111 2 — 8 9 1

Linn-Mar 000 010 1 — 2 5 2

Natalie Halvorson and Neila Bell. Morgan Braughton, Katie Andersen (5) and Christina Lincoln. W — Halvorson (10-7). L — Braughton (5-6). HR — CRP: Lauren Kuch (7).

Game 2

C.R. Prairie 001 100 0 — 2 9 0

Linn-Mar 030 000 x — 3 7 3

Nicole Sullivan, Rylie Kane (3) and Neila Bell. Katie Smith, Elison Ollinger (7) and Christina Lincoln. W — Smith (2-0). L — Sullivan (3-3). SV — Ollinger (1).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com