ADM softball heads to 4th straight state tourney, baseball falls in 7th inning

There were only a few games on the slate for the Tigers this week and only a few more remain, with the softball team vying for a state crown.

Softball (29-9)

For the third time this season, Winterset (23-17) was brought down by ADM. This time, it denied the Huskies a chance at a third straight state title and put the Tigers back into the dance with a 6-0 win on Tuesday night in Adel.

With a seat at the table in Fort Dodge, the Tigers are seeded fourth in their bracket and will face fifth-seed Fort Dodge (30-12) in the first round on Monday. North Polk and Dallas Center-Grimes hold the top two seeds as the odds-on favorites to beat for the championship.

Last year’s state qualifying team lost 8-3 in the opening round to Fort Dodge and lost the consolation round 7-5 against Carlisle. This is the fourth year in a row the Tigers have advanced to the state tournament but have not won an opening round game since 2021.

Baseball (16-14)

After getting the best of Ballard (15-15) for the second time this season in a three-game series with a 6-2 win on Friday, the Tigers advanced to the second round of their substate bracket to face North Polk (25-6) on Tuesday.

Getting the first five runs on the board wasn’t enough for the Tigers. The title-contending Comets caught revenge on a previous 7-0 loss two weeks ago, this time putting ADM away after scoring four in the seventh inning for a 6-5 win to bring the season to a close.