FORT DODGE — Games with 10-plus runs are almost routine for Van Meter softball, and Tuesday’s state quarterfinal matchup against West Fork was no different.
The No. 1-seeded Bulldogs handed No. 8 West Fork a 10-0 loss in six innings at the Iowa high school softball state tournament. Van Meter – riding a 38-game winning streak with just one loss all season – moved one game closer to a Class 2A title.
It didn’t take long – less than one inning – for Van Meter to get on the scoreboard. Maddie Waldorf’s base hit sent Lauren Wallace home with two outs, and the Bulldogs went up by one.
Van Meter steadily added to its score: three runs in the second, four runs in the third, one run in the fifth and, finally, a run in the sixth.
But how, exactly, did the Bulldogs collect so many runs?
It came down to an important – and record-breaking – aspect of their game.
Van Meter finished the quarterfinal matchup with 14 steals, according to the box score. It set a tournament record for most steals in a single game and matched the 2A record for steals over an entire tournament.
Finley Netten managed three stolen bases; Halle Karaidos, Bianca Prickett and Kennedy Wiedman each stole two. Ivy Vaught, Mady Schnell, Lauren Wallace, Lily Lindsey and Waldorf picked up one apiece.
Add in a few hot bats and some solid bunts – with three RBIS from Schnell and two from Alice Ruggles, along with five additional hitters notching an RBI on the day – and Van Meter possessed all the necessary pieces for an easy win.
“That’s everything for our game plan,” Van Meter coach James Flaws said postgame. “If we move people around and we can bunt like we did today, we score runs. And the more runs we put across, the harder it is to come back against us because we have a great pitcher and great defense.”
Waldorf did her part from the circle, striking out 10, allowing two hits and zero runs with no errors. Her performance as a pitcher – and a hitter – instills confidence in the entire Van Meter squad.
“She fuels us,” Flaws said. “When she throws like that, our defense has to stay engaged because the ball’s not always coming to them.”
The Bulldogs advance to Wednesday’s state semifinal, but there is still a target on their back. Van Meter hasn’t lost a game since a May 25 matchup against Winterset, falling 2-1 to a team playing two classes up.
But that hasn’t taken the fun out of the game.
Watch the Bulldogs during pregame activities or in between innings, and you’ll see a looseness among the players. Waldorf did the worm in the middle of Van Meter’s pregame huddle; the outfielders compared dance moves between the third and fourth innings.
Sure, the Bulldogs want to win.
But softball is – first and foremost – still a game, after all.
"At the end of the day, they’ve put a ton of work in, and this should be fun,” Flaws said. “It’s a game. No matter the result, go have fun with your teammates. You should, this is the greatest tournament in the state.”
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: Van Meter storms past West Fork, 10-0, in Iowa state softball tournament quarterfinal
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