It appeared Linn (10-17) would be shut out in Friday’s Class 2, District 8 semifinal against Eugene as the Eagles scored 13 runs in three innings. However, the Wildcats put the kibosh on that idea with a solid comeback bid that extended the game to six innings and ended with a 19-9 loss.

“I knew they were going to come out and fire it up,” said Coach Dan Campbell. “Eugene has a good team, but I’m proud of the boys for fighting back. It just wasn’t in the cards tonight for us. We couldn’t make some plays early. They put the ball in play, hit some holes, and it snowballed on us early. ”

The first step in extending the game beyond four innings was to stop the Eagles from adding to the tally.

Linn did that in the bottom of the frame after Jax Kubiak got around loaded bases with one out.

The Wildcats went to the fifth determined to keep their season alive. Gus Peters drew a lead-off walk and then Hunter Bish (2-2) delivered a single. Two batters later, Trevor Brandt (1-2, RBI) came through with a single to load the bases. In an electric moment, Kubiak (2-3, 6 RBI) smashed the ball over the center-field fence for a grand slam to give Linn some breathing room, though the team still trailed 13-4.

“Jax hit the grand slam, and I thought we would hopefully play two more innings, and we did,” said Campbell. “We cut it down to a very manageable score, but we couldn’t hold them.”

Linn carried that momentum into the fifth and shut down Eugene 1-2-3.

After two quick outs in the top of the sixth, however, it looked like Linn had stalled. That was not the case.

G. Peters was hit by a pitch, and Bish singled for the second time. Aaron Starke drew a walk to load the bases. Linn’s fifth run came home as T. Brandt (1-2, RBI) was hit by a pitch. From there, the Wildcats were dialed in, as Kubiak and Bobby Winkelman (1-4, RBI) singled to plate three more.

Still trailing 13-8, Kubiak scored on a steal of home, but Winkelman was caught attempting to steal second to end the inning.

“We finally got the bats rolling a little bit, put a little pressure on them and got it to 13-9,” said Campbell. “I thought if we could just hold them in the seventh and put a couple more base runners on, anything could happen.”

Instead, Eugene tacked on six runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game.

Peyten Peters added a hit for the Wildcats.

“If you told me we were going to score nine runs tonight, I would have said we got a victory, but it was like a slow pitch game,” said Campbell.

On the mound, Kubiak allowed six earned runs on five hits, with two strikeouts and six walks over 3.1 innings. G. Peters gave up six earned runs on three hits with four walks in 1.1 innings. Tryten Reynolds closed the game, allowing six earned runs on three hits with four walks in one inning.

Linn defeated Vienna 8-3 in Thursday’s district opener.

“Vienna has a quality squad, and we knew we would have to play very well,” said Campbell. “I’m proud of the boys for last night. Vienna got us earlier in the year, and it was nice to come back and get them.”

Linn jumped out quickly with five runs in the top of the first.

Winkelman (2-3) and Austin Dudenhoeffer (2-3, 2 RBI) hit back-to-back one-out doubles to plate the first run, and P. Peters (3-4, 2 RBI) singled to drive in CR Joseph Brandt (Dudenhoeffer) to take a 2-0 lead.

With two outs, G. Peters (1-3, RBI) doubled and drove in CR T. Brandt (P. Peters) for a 3-0 edge. Craig Laughlin (1-3, 2 RBI) hit a two-run HR to left field, and Linn led 5-0.

After Vienna plated one in the bottom of the third, Linn added two runs in the fourth. Starke (1-3), Kubiak (2-4), and Winkelman singled in straight at-bats. A balk drove in CR Nash Tyree (Starke), and Kubiak scored on a Dudenhoeffer sac fly. P. Peters hit an RBI single to plate Winkelman and end Linn’s offensive effort.

Vienna scored two in the bottom of the seventh, but Linn held on for the win.

Dudenhoeffer struck out seven and walked three while allowing one earned run on five hits over six innings. G. Peters allowed one hit in an inning of relief.

Campbell told the team after the game that he would not return next year. “I feel good about where the program is at,” he said. “I told the boys I would never leave the program if I knew it wasn’t in good hands. And I know it’s in good hands moving forward. I’ve got some other avenues in my life. It’s time to kind of settle down and retire after coaching for more than 30 years.”

Campbell said he is proud of assistant coaches Jason Dudenhoeffer, Caleb Thomas, and Alex McCrary. “They’ve been super all year,” Campbell said. “Caleb and Alex aren’t even getting paid. They’re donating their time to the kids in our program, so we’re very appreciative of that. I can tell them what I want done, and they take care of it.”

Campbell is also pleased with the progress he’s seen this year, especially concerning how the seniors have helped the younger players. “Austin, Trevor, Tryten, and Bobby took the freshmen under their wing and were patient with them,” he said. “Sometimes, that’s tough to do, but I’m really happy with the way those four seniors led our team this year.”

Linn entered the district tournament in good shape. “The season was up and down for sure,” said Campbell. “When you have four freshmen on the field, it’s a tough learning experience. Kudos to those guys; they were thrown into the fire. We knew, with four freshmen starting, there was going to be a learning curve. They were very coachable the whole year, and they had their ups and downs, as did all the players. But I was pleased. Going forward, those freshmen are going to be really good ball players, and they’re going to get the program rolling.”

Campbell was equally pleased with the rest of his players. “They’ve all done some great things this year, and they made a lot of progress,” he said. “I told the boys I’d be their number-one fan going forward.”

Linn defeated Russellville 6-3 last Tuesday to end the regular season.

P. Peters and Kubiak each had two hits with an RBI, while Winkelman (RBI), Laughlin (RBI), Starke, Dawson Sprenger (RBI), and Reynolds had a single apiece.

Dudenhoeffer’s 2.2-inning start ended with five strikeouts and one walk with no runs on two hits. P. Peters struck out seven and walked none while allowing two earned runs on six hits in 4.1 innings.