FORT DODGE — It’s the final day before the championship rounds of the Iowa high school softball state tournament, but there is still plenty of action to be played before the title games.
There were six teams left standing in Class 5A at the start of the day but, by the end of the night, only two squads will remain. And those two programs – after getting a day off – will compete to take home the championship on Friday night.
Here is a recap of all the action from Day 3 of the Iowa state softball tournament.
No. 6 Southeast Polk 12, No. 3 Valley 10
For the second time this tournament, these two teams faced off and – for the second time this tournament – Southeast Polk came out on top. But it was a battle until the very end, with the two teams exchanging multi-run innings.
The Tigers held the Rams without a run in the top of the first, and then Ilsa Hervey gave Valley the early lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning. Southeast Polk turned the tables in the second, with Berkley Weiland sending two runners home and Ivy Ohorilko scoring another runner to take the lead.
Valley put two more runs on the board in the third inning, and Southeast Polk scored three in the fourth – including a two-run homer from Karter Price. And the scoring just didn’t stop.
The Tigers added one run in the bottom of both the fourth and fifth innings, the Rams scored three runs in the top of the fifth, and Lily Finn tied things up for Valley with a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth.
Southeast Polk managed to pull ahead once again in the top of the seventh inning, and the Rams held Valley to just one run in the bottom of the seventh to walk away with the win.
“Our girls just trust each other,” said Southeast Polk coach Tia Stiles. “Valley is an excellent opponent. They have some really good players, really good hitters. At the end of the day, our girls wanted to do what they could to help the team be successful.”
No. 1 Waukee Northwest 4, No. 4 Dallas Center-Grimes 0
With this win, Northwest clinched its spot in Friday’s state championship game.
The Mustangs started off strong, loading up the bases in the first inning and holding Waukee Northwest to just one hit in the bottom of the frame. The Wolves kept Dallas Center-Grimes off the board, though, and both teams exchanged outs in the second inning.
Sophia Schlader – one of the top pitchers in the state – made her mark at the plate. In the bottom of the third inning and with one out on the board, she drilled a solo home run for the Wolves’ first run of the day. Alayna Schulte walked on the next at-bat, then stole a pair of bases before Kenley Sanger drove her in to give Northwest a two-run lead.
It was three-up-three-down for both teams in the fourth inning, and neither team could add a run in the fifth. But the Wolves sealed the win in the sixth, keeping Dallas Center-Grimes off the board while adding two more runs – off hits from Leela Appeldorn and Meredith Thomsen – to their tally.
The Wolves got three quick outs in the top of the sixth, including back-to-back strikeouts from Schlader to end the inning, and the reigning champions secured a spot in the title game. They’ll take on either Ankeny Centennial or Southeast Polk in Friday’s state championship game.
“We have such a routine and stuff like that, we try to stay the course,” said Northwest coach Carrie Eby on her team’s experience in the tournament. “It’s nice that we do the same stuff from Day 1 all the way through Friday, so our girls know what to expect, know what to do and the discipline is there. So, that’s what we’ll keep doing.”
No. 2 Ankeny Centennial 10, No. 6 Southeast Polk 3
While it was a team effort against Southeast Polk, the Ott sisters stole the show.
The Jaguars got on the board early, with Mylie Hatfield hitting a single that sent two runners home. Emmy Ott kicked off the bottom of the second with a solo home run and then – to lead-off the bottom of the fourth, after the Rams picked up a run – Mady Ott picked up a one-run shot of her own.
With a 4-1 lead in the fifth, Emmy Ott sent another solo shot over the fence. Centennial added a pair of runs in the fifth, but a home run from Jadyn Woods gave Southeast Polk two runs in the top of the sixth.
Mady Ott still needed to even the score with her younger sister, and she did just that, sailing a three-run home run over the fence to make it a 10-3 game.
“Emmy’s worked her way into the spot and earned everything that she’s been given,” said Centennial coach Brett Delaney. “Day-by-day, she’s continued to improve. She took a really good round of (batting practice) yesterday and a really good round today, and so that led into the game today.
“I know that they’re always rooting for each other and they’re their biggest cheerleaders. They’ve got a good family behind them, and it’s just cool to see.”
The win clinched the Jaguars’ place in the state title game. Centennial will take on Waukee Northwest on Friday in the championship game. First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Class 5A Iowa state softball tournament Day 3 scores and recap
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
