With a roster teeming with players returning from last year's third-place team in the state in Class 2, you know you're going to have a tough time keeping the Linn baseball team off the scoreboard.
And when you give the Wildcats some extra at-bats, you're definitely in trouble.
That's the situation the Calvary Lutheran found itself in Thursday night.
The Lions gave the Wildcats some additional opportunities thanks to some untimely errors, and Linn took advantage in a 12-1 win at Calvary.
Linn scored in each of the first four innings and ended the game after five due to the run rule. The Wildcats got one run in the first, three in the second, one in the third and seven in the fourth.
"These kids usually put something together, it's just a matter of time," Linn coach Travis Fitzwater said. "We're still progressing to get a bunch of hits in the first inning or second inning, instead of the third and fourth. But we're definitely getting better."
The game, which started under threatening skies that never did much but drop a few sprinkles, was still affected by a field that had seen its fair share of rain.
"We've got to play better than we are to beat a team like Linn, and we probably played worse than we actually are," Calvary coach Rusty Bourg said. "We just made too many mental errors, baserunning errors, throwing errors.
"And we didn't adjust to the elements. The wind's blowing out, and we don't move back. The infield's slow, and we don't take a couple steps in. Little things like that, you shouldn't have to wait for the coach to tell you."
Linn manufactured a run in the top of the first when Cameron Laughlin led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a groundout by Chase Laughlin and scored on Ryan Mantle's sacrifice fly.
The Wildcats made it 4-0 in the top of the second thanks to a two-run single by Brock Winslow and an RBI single by Chase Laughlin.
Calvary got its only run of the game in the bottom of the second when Bradley MacLaughlin led off with a double and later scored on another double, this one by Ray Eickmeyer.
Linn then blew the game open with the seven-run fourth, thanks to five hits, three errors and three stolen bases. Blake Snyder's pinch-hit, two-run single was the big hit of the frame.
Fitzwater said Linn has plenty of players who can contribute, as witnessed by the fact 11 different Wildcats had hits.
"We've definitely got a lot of guys coming back, our depth and experience is pretty vast," he said. "And we've got several freshmen and sophomores who I think are going to make a difference for us. We're still figuring out what our best lineup is, so we're moving guys around a lot.
"It's a good problem to have - when you see someone is struggling and needs a break, you can always look back at the bench and you've got four or five guys to go with. It's good for the coaching staff, but sometimes it's hard, too."
Winslow paced the offense with two hits and three RBI, while Daulton Niederhelm and Chase Laughlin had two hits and one RBI apiece.
Snyder had one hit and two RBI, while Mantle, Ben Klebba and Ben Brandt had one hit and one RBI apiece.
"Usually when the guys get a look or two at the pitcher, things start coming together for us," Fitzwater said.
Brandt was the winning pitcher, working the first three innings. He allowed one earned run on four hits while striking out six.
"Ben's been spot-on for us all year," Fitzwater said. "He's coming off two ACL injuries from last year, he injured one and then re-injured it, so he's still getting back to health. We're throwing him out there for two or three innings at a time each week, and he's done great. You can count on him hitting spots and not putting guys on."
Ryan Deeken finished up for the Wildcats with two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out two.
Beau Monson had a double and a single for Calvary.
Alex Flannigan was the losing pitcher, as he gave up nine runs (six earned) on nine hits while striking out two in 32/3 innings.
"I thought Alex, for the most part, threw OK," Bourg said. "He kept us in it. If we make a couple plays on defense, it might be a different score."
Hance Sommerer followed and worked one-third of an inning for the Lions, giving up three unearned runs on three hits and one walk. Jordan Duenckel pitched a scoreless final inning, allowing two hits and striking out one.
Linn (5-2) will play a pair of games Saturday at Southern Boone. They will play the host school at 7 p.m. before taking on New Bloomfield at 9 p.m.
Calvary (1-2), which won the JV game 4-0, hosts Prairie Home at 4:30 p.m. Monday.