Seventh ranked Johnston managed only one hit against Linn-Mar but the Dragons took advantage of some freebies to advance in class 4A. Eight Johnston batters drew walks and runs were scored via a wild pitch and a passed ball in a 2-0 victory.
The Dragons relied on senior pitcher Joe Hawks who limited the Lions to three hits and struck out eight. “I felt pretty good today and though everything was going well, as long as I was hitting on my spots and focusing on not looking ahead, it worked,” Hawks says. Hawks only allowed three base runners and got a solid defensive effort behind him.
Johnston’s only hit was a double by Trevor McCauley to lead off the top of the sixth inning. He later scored on a passed ball. “You can’t defend ball four, it pretty much comes down to that,” Linn-Mar coach Chad Lechner says. “That’s tough, it’s tough to bounce back from. I thought our kids battled the whole time and represented themselves well. It was a heck of a game, we just came up on the short end.”
The Lions finish with a record of 27-16.