FORT DODGE — When it rains, it pours.
While raindrops hit the Iowa state baseball tournament in Cedar Rapids, they avoided Fort Dodge and the state softball tournament. Still, the runs came in bunches between No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes and No. 7 Carlisle, who combined for 14 runs. Ultimately, it was Carlisle and its avalanche of runs that overcame the Mustangs in an 8-6 victory.
It was a battle of experience between these two squads, with 11 seniors for the Mustangs and nine for the Wildcats. There were 49 years of coaching experience on display for DCG's Steve Schlafke and 42 years for Carlisle's Jim Flaws.
The Wildcats came out hot, as junior Logan Brown's fly-ball single got the scoring started by driving in Addyson Eginoire home. Senior Kaliyah Freeman followed that up with a hard line drive single, which brought home two runners to make it 3-0. After an error brought eighth grader Chloe Roling in to score, senior Evan Johnson-Miers concluded the scoring in the frame with a single to bring home Freeman, giving Carlisle a 5-0 lead in the top of the first.
However, DCG was unfazed, loading the bases, and forcing Carlisle to churn through a pair of pitchers before landing on their third of the inning, sophomore Mallie Stoner. She would slow the bleeding and keep a 5-2 lead after the first inning.
Despite all the experience in the ballpark and in the dugout, it was Stoner who would emerge as the key player to hold things together for Carlisle. After allowing a two-run double from Aubrey Johansen in the bottom of the second to make it 5-4, Stoner allowed just one home run in the bottom of the fifth for the remainder of the game. Carlisle's fourth inning, with four hits and three runs, ultimately was too much to overcome for DCG.
With five saves on the year, Stoner has been called on often and looked the part of a veteran to help Carlisle survive and advance against a fellow experienced squad.
"There wasn't really that much pressure for me because I just knew that my job was to go in there and throw strikes," Stoner said. "My defense backed me up, but I'm used to getting put into those situations."
DCG's season comes to an end, as will Schlafke's coaching career. The coach announced his retirement after 49 years of coaching and 22 with the Mustangs, with a career record of 1,378-671 all-time and 591-280 with DCG, not counting the consolation rounds of the 2024 state tournament that still need to be played.
Flaws knows how tough Schlafke teams can be and defeated them in a tight game earlier in the season on July 3. Behind this win, he and his roster and feeling confident they can keep the train rolling in Fort Dodge.
"Just to beat them twice in the last two weeks, it's quite an honor," Flaws said. "Coach Schlafke, he's a legend. It's sad to see him be done, but I hope I know when it's time for me to be done as well."
No. 6 North Scott 2, No. 3 Norwalk 1
For everything that happened between Dallas Center-Grimes and Carlisle, the game between North Scott and Norwalk was the exact opposite.
After the Lancers got RBI singles from eighth grader Laney Weige and senior McKinley Toohey in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead, junior Chevelle Kingsley pitched a gem to hold on for a victory. Kingsley recorded seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits and one walk. As a result, Kinglsey moves to 12-4 on the year and pushes her squad to a semifinals matchup with Carlisle.
No. 1 North Polk 7, No. 8 Western Dubuque 2
As it has been most of the season for the Comets, this was the Ava Husak show.
The junior Drake softball commit launched a three-run shot in the bottom of the fourth with two outs to expand her team's 2-1 lead to 4-1.
"I was just looking for a base hit up the middle and then the home run happened," Husak said.
Her prowess there, along with just two runs and two hits allowed on the day in the pitcher's circle, propelled North Polk to its 37th win on the season. After her team fell short last year while Husak played through a stress fracture, her coach Rick Dillinger says, this team is hungry to capitalize while the iron is hot.
No. 4 ADM 2, No. 5 Fort Dodge 0
After five and a half scoreless innings, ADM sophomore Ellis Smith and senior Aleah Johnson came through in the clutch with an RBI single from Smith and a sacrifice fly from Johnson to make it 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth. However, the star of the show has to be sophomore Lauren Hagedorn, who pitched seven shutout innings and allowed just six hits in the game.
Having won 14 of their last 15 games, the Tigers are playing their best ball at the right time. But they have a tough matchup ahead against fellow Raccoon River Conference member North Polk.
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 4A Iowa state softball tournament round-up: Carlisle outlasts Dallas Center-Grimes
Most Popular
Comments / 0