Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Emma Barnes of Linn-Mar slides safely into home plate on Monday at Rogers Park during a Class 5A quarterfinal game against defending champion Pleasant Valley. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

Emily Koranda and Emma Barnes have made their respective senior seasons ones to remember.

The Linn-Mar duo missed the entire campaign last year, but in Monday’s Class 5A opener, the long rehab trek back from injury made it all worth the while.

Koranda was out for her junior season recovering from an ACL injury, and Barnes missed 2024 with a broken ankle.

In their Class 5A quarterfinal opener at Rogers Park on Monday, the Lions (34-6 overall) took down defending champion Pleasant Valley (30-10) by a final of 5-1.

The seventh-seeded Spartans struck first, scoring a run in the third inning and held onto that lead until the fifth inning. Linn-Mar plated two in the fifth and three in the sixth for insurance.

The Lions will now meet sixth-seed Cedar Falls (31-9), which upset third-seeded Southeast Polk, 12-11. The semifinal contest for Linn-Mar will be Wednesday at 12:45 p.m. on Iowa Central Field.

Koranda entered the state tournament with a 5A-best 0.81 earned run average and 190 strikeouts.

On Monday, Koranda (17-3) was nearly untouchable. She went all seven innings, allowing only two hits. She gave up one earned run, striking out 12 batters.

Barnes had a big effort at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a home run.

Koranda did her damage at the plate as well, going 3-for-4. Mallory Palmer tallied two hits, and Karsyn Michael drove in a run.

For Pleasant Valley, Addison Ohda had a double. Ella Rubel had the other hit and the lone RBI to plate Ruby Stagg.

Pleasant Valley will meet Southeast Polk (31-11) in a consolation contest on Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. on Dodger Field.

LINN-MAR 5, PLEASANT VALLEY 1

Pleasant Valley 001 000 0 — 1 2 3

Linn-Mar 000 023 x — 5 11 2

WP–Emily Koranda (17-3, 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 SO); LP–Macyn Bischoff (16-7, 6 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO).

LOB–Pleasant Valley 3, Linn-Mar 11; 2B–PV: Addison Ohda; LM: Brynna Gander, Emily Koranda, Annie Cassidy; HR–LM: Emma Barnes; SACB–PV: Eden Russmann, Lola Gardner.

Multiple hits–LM: Koranda (3), Barnes (2), Mallory Palmer (2); RBI–PV: Emily Rubel; LM: Barnes (2), Cassidy, Karsyn Michael.