FORT DODGE − Let’s set up the finals, shall we?
The Class 4A field at the Iowa high school state softball tournament has narrowed to the final two teams at day’s end at July 22 with No. 1 ADM and No. 2 Carlisle set to clash on Thursday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. for the Class 4A state title.
Before we get there, here’s a rundown of all the action as it happens in Fort Dodge.
Games listed in the order they are played on July 22.
No. 3 Fort Dodge 2, No. 7 North Polk 1
The Comets put on a stellar defensive effort in this elimination game, but Dodgers’ pitcher Aubrey Alstott’s effort in the circle and at the plate helped carry Fort Dodge to the next round.
Meg Marsh got things going for Fort Dodge in the bottom of the second, with her groundout to first allowing Calliegh Zimmerman to break the scoreless tie. In the bottom of the fourth, Alstott’s solo shot over the left field wall went 234 total feet to give the Dodgers a 2-0 advantage.
North Polk’s lone run came off of an RBI double from Reese Smithey in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit in half. While Fort Dodge recorded eight hits, the North Polk defense kept the Comets within striking distance all the way to the final out. North Polk’s Tessa Dillinger was on third base with two outs in the top of the seventh, but could not get home to tie the game as Fort Dodge escaped to the next round.
North Polk’s season concludes with a 21-18 record. Three seniors graduate after leading the program to its fourth-consecutive state tournament, but ample talent returns as the Comets will look to build on this performance in 2027.
“We put our kids in a lot of hard situations throughout the year with our tough schedule and then getting here and playing some really tough teams. I think it just makes you better,” said North Polk head coach Addy Ostendorf. “You remember the feeling when you don’t get that clutch hit or you don’t make that defensive play. It’s going to propel them forward for sure.”
No. 1 ADM 7, No. 4 Western Dubuque 0
The Tigers are your first finalist in Class 4A, with Lauren Hagedorn starring once again in the effort. The Iowa State commit pitched a shutout in the circle with just three hits allowed, as well as hitting two home runs to send her team to the state championship game.
After pitchers dominated the first two innings, ADM got on the board quickly in the bottom of the third. With Ellis Smith on first base, Hagedorn drilled a two-run shot to right-center field. Later on in the frame, a bunt from Aubrey Noring brought home courtesy runner Peyton Herrick from third base to cap off a three-run inning for the Tigers.
While ADM would need no more offense, the runs kept coming anyway. In the bottom of the fourth, Elliotte Von Roden’s single up the left-field line saw Smith reach home. In the bottom of the fifth, Addison Siedelmann recorded an RBI single to push the lead to 5-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Hagedorn put an exclamation point on her performance with a two-run shot to deep left-center to make it 7-0.
The Tigers are now just one win away from winning the program’s first state title. Hagedorn and the senior class plan to give it their all on Thursday night against either No. 2 Carlisle or No. 3 Fort Dodge. The state title game is slated to start at 7:30 p.m. on July 23.
“A lot of excitement going into the championship,” Hagedorn said. “Knowing it will be my last game, just leaving it all on the field with my teammates.”
No. 3 Fort Dodge 7, No. 2 Carlisle 3
Fort Dodge won this matchup, forcing a winner-take-all contest between them and the Wildcats at 7:15 p.m. on July 22. The winner will face ADM in the finals on July 23 at 7:30 p.m.
No. 2 Carlisle 2, No. 3 Fort Dodge 0
Two games wasn’t enough between these two at the state tournament, fans needed a third. After Carlisle took the first matchup on July 21, Fort Dodge took the second matchup to force this winner-take-all matchup.
The difference this time? A clean, efficient outing from the Wildcats en route to reaching the state final. After giving up multiple runs in the previous matchup against the Dodgers, pitcher Mallie Stoner dialed it in for the shutout victory and conceding just three hits. While she had just one strikeout, her and her defense excelled in forcing outs against a high-powered Dodger defense.
In the bottom of the first, Carlisle started strong with one run. Stoner drilled the ball to left field, bouncing out of the glove of the left fielder to allow courtesy runner Olivia Petersen to give her team a 1-0 edge. In the bottom of the fourth, Carlisle got on the board again via an RBI single from Mira Heidemann to double her team’s advantage.
By night’s end, that’s all they needed to pull off the victory. Aside from an error in the top of the seventh, the Wildcats were laser-focused from the first out to the last.
“They were locked in,” Carlisle head coach JIm Flaws said. “That loss helped motivate us.”
As a result, we’ll have a Des Moines-area clash between Carlisle and ADM at 7:30 p.m. on July 23. Carlisle and ADM split the regular season series at 1-1, but are quite familiar with one another as inter-conference foes.
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: Iowa state softball Class 4A roundup: ADM advances to title game
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Eli McKown, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
