Linn put together a 4-2 week that included its first conference victory, a pair of high-scoring wins, a shutout on the program’s first youth softball night, and a 1-2 showing against strong competition at the JC Classic.

The Lady Wildcats opened Monday with a 5-0 victory over Fayette in their first conference game of the season.

“This was our first conference game of the year, and it was nice to get the W,” said Linn coach Jason Dudenhoeffer.

Emma Starke turned in a complete-game shutout, allowing six hits without a walk over seven innings.

“Emma pitched a really good game,” Dudenhoeffer said. “We couldn’t get our bats all hitting together. Offensively, we did some small things right to push across some runs. Defensively, we played pretty solid.”

Linn collected 10 hits. Anna Peters and Elli Dudenhoeffer each had two hits and two RBIs, Paige Senevey added two hits and an RBI, and Kenzy Hackmann finished with two hits and scored three times.

The offense came alive Tuesday in a 16-9 victory over Father Tolton.

Linn scored four runs in the top of the first, but Tolton answered with six in the bottom half. The Lady Wildcats tied the game with two runs in the second, moved back in front with two in the fourth, then broke it open with seven runs in the fifth.

“We came out swinging the bat really well, scoring four in the top of first,” Dudenhoeffer said. “But defensively, we had a few mistakes and gave away the lead quickly. We tied it up in the second inning, added a couple runs a couple innings later, and then we had a really good offensive inning in the fifth to secure the win.”

Linn finished with 15 hits. Dudenhoeffer went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Starke was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, Peters had two hits, two RBIs, and scored three times, and Senevey added two hits and two RBIs. Hackmann had two hits and scored four runs, while Ava Voss drove in three.

The Lady Wildcats followed Thursday with a 12-0, five-inning victory over South Callaway during Linn’s first youth softball night.

“It was great to see all of the young players come out and support the team,” Dudenhoeffer said.

Linn wasted little time giving them something to cheer about, scoring 10 runs in the first inning.

“We came out swinging the bat really well again,” Dudenhoeffer said.

Hackmann went 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored. Starke and Morgan Sutton added two hits apiece as Linn finished with 12.

Peters handled the rest, throwing a one-hit shutout over five innings without issuing a walk.

“Anna pitched a great game,” Dudenhoeffer said.

Linn’s JV also defeated South Callaway that night, scoring three runs in the second inning for a 3-1 victory in a three-inning game.

Ava Voss had Linn’s only hit, while Hackmann drove in a run. Colleen Clough, Sutton, and Paige Senevey scored the three runs, with Clough also stealing a base.

Starke started in the circle and allowed one run without giving up a hit in one inning. Hackmann earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out four.

Linn then headed into the JC Classic on Friday and Saturday, opening with a 6-5 loss to Southern Boone.

The Lady Wildcats jumped ahead 4-0 in the first inning, but Southern Boone scored twice in the third and four times in the fourth to take the lead. Linn added a run in the fifth but could not complete the comeback.

“It was a good game versus a very good team,” Dudenhoeffer said. “We had the lead but couldn’t hold on to it. We had our chances.”

Starke had two hits and drove in two runs, while Senevey also had two hits.

Linn faced South Harrison later Friday and fell 8-5.

The Lady Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the second before South Harrison scored four in the fourth. Linn pulled within 4-3 with two runs in the sixth, but South Harrison answered with four more. Peters hit a two-run home run in the seventh for Linn’s final runs.

“They are a very solid team,” Dudenhoeffer said. “I think their pitcher was the best we’ve seen all year, and they had some girls that could flat-out hit.”

Peters worked in the circle for Linn.

“Anna did a great job keeping them off balance for most of the game,” Dudenhoeffer said. “They had two big innings, and that was the deciding factor.”

The Lady Wildcats closed the tournament on a positive note Saturday, defeating Blair Oaks 7-3.

Linn trailed 2-1 before pushing five runs across in the fifth inning to take control.

“Offensively, we started off pretty slow, only getting one run until the fifth,” Dudenhoeffer said. “Our bats started up, and we got a crooked number on the board.”

Starke led the offense with a 4-for-4 performance and two RBIs. Senevey and Dudenhoeffer each added two hits as the Lady Wildcats collected 11.

Peters went the distance, allowing three runs on eight hits without issuing a walk.

“Anna did a great job locating pitches and keeping them off balance,” Dudenhoeffer said. “Starke had a great day at the plate, and defensively we played really well. Ava Voss had a heck of a game at third today.”