FORT DODGE − Another day, another thrilling day of Iowa high school softball action at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex.
In the new age of double elimination for the state tournament, five games took place in Class 5A on July 21, as teams staved off the end of their season or looked to extend their success another day. Here’s a look at all the action from Tuesday at the IGHSAU softball state tournament in Class 5A.
Games listed in the order they were played on July 21.
No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy 7, No. 8 Pleasant Valley 1
Cedar Rapids Kennedy advanced to take on No. 4 Dallas Center-Grimes. The two teams will play Tuesday night. Pleasant Valley was eliminated from the tournament.
No. 1 Waukee Northwest 4, No. 4 Dallas Center-Grimes 1
The Wolves cruised to a 2-0 start in the tournament, jumping on the Mustangs early and never looking back.
Northwest only needed a strong first inning to get things done. Kenley Sanger’s single put the ball in play, but a throwing error to third base brought Alayna Schulte home to take a 1-0 lead. Freshman Maya Twigg slapped for another single, bringing pinch runner Claire Martins home. A second defensive error for DCG saw Hazel Leinen score and give Waukee Northwest a 3-0 edge. The final run of the inning came off of an RBI single from Meredith Thomsen, whose hit to shallow left-center saw Neva Polc score for a 4-0 advantage after one.
Dallas Center-Grimes’ only run came quickly in the top of the fourth. After Addie Abens dropped a hit in shallow left-center field, Tessa Jones drove Abens home with an RBI double up the left-field line to cut the deficit to 4-1. However, that would be all DCG could muster against the Wolves’ stellar pitching.
As usual, Waukee Northwest got a strong day from its star pitcher Sophia Schlader, as she racked up 12 strikeouts on the afternoon. She said she had high confidence in her command of the strike zone and in her catcher, Sanger, to help record another stellar outing.
“They’re really good, they have some good hitters,” Schlader said. “Just trusting my stuff and knowing Kenley (Sanger) has my back. If I miss a pitch, she’ll bring it in for me.”
Dallas Center-Grimes will play at 8 p.m. on July 21 against Cedar Rapids Kennedy in an elimination game. The winner of that will play Waukee Northwest at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22. If the Wolves win that game, they would advance to the state title game, while DCG or Cedar Rapids Kennedy will need to win twice to reach the final.
No. 3 Valley 6, No. 7 Dowling Catholic 5
The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning. Ilsa Hervey’s single to center field brought home Kari Rose, followed by Brynn Cibula’s sacrifice hit allowing Campbell Broderick to score. The Maroons countered quickly in the next half inning, with Madison Nagel’s double to deep center field sending pinch runner Cooper Mull to home plate. A Jesse Jefferson RBI double to shallow center saw Nagel tie the game.
In the top of the third, Dowling’s Lively Hanawalt sat on first and Kylie Matejski was on third as Alex Curtin stepped up to the plate with one out. Hanawalt attempted to steal, distracting the defense as Matejski stole home to give the Maroons a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, a solo shot from Hervey tied the contest, 3-3, setting up some drama.
For the third lead change of the game, Dowling Catholic eighth grader Jovie Evans drilled an RBI double to deep-center field, bringing home Lively Hanawalt for a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth.
The game’s fourth and final lead change came in the top of the fifth. Rose tied the game by putting the ball in play with the bases loaded and no outs. While she was out at first, Lillian Stamets scored from third base to tie the game. A bunt from Broderick allowed Jordyn Huffman to score off of a fielder’s choice and take a 5-4 lead. The game-winning run came from Hervey, whose sacrifice bunt brought home London Roe. While Dowling Catholic would score a fifth run in the top of the sixth off of a Matejski solo shot, they could not muster enough late to rally.
“We just kept calm,” Hervey said. “We knew we could beat them. We just stayed in our game and we played how we normally do.”
The Maroons’ season comes to an end with an 0-2 mark at the state tournament and a 20-18 overall record in 2026. This was the program’s 17th trip to the state tournament and second in a row under head coach Brent Parrott.
For Valley, it survives and advances. The Tigers have a stiff challenge ahead on Wednesday, July 22, needing to win three consecutive games to reach the championship matchup. They’ll start at 11 a.m., with the loser of Tuesday night’s No. 2 Ankeny Centennial vs. No. 6 Southeast Polk game.
No. 2 Ankeny Centennial vs. No. 6 Southeast Polk
First pitch scheduled for 5:45 p.m. CT.
No. 4 Dallas Center-Grimes vs. No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy
First pitch set for 8 p.m. CT.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Class 5A Iowa state softball roundup: Waukee NW, Valley both 2-0
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Eli McKown, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
