FORT DODGE — Mady Schnell, remember the name.
Van Meter softball fans surely will.
It was Schnell who propelled the No. 1-seed Bulldogs into the state championship game with a walk-off home run. Then she won it all for her team with another home run in a 5-3 victory against No. 3 Audubon for the Class 2A Iowa high school softball title.
What a start to a high school career since Schnell is, after all, an eighth grader.
“You can't dream that stuff up,” said Bulldogs coach James Flaws, whose father Jim won a state title as head coach of Carlisle on Thursday. "Yeah, once in your lifetime, but to do that two times in three days? That’s just unreal.”
The uncharacteristically low-scoring game started slow on both sides of the ball. Van Meter pitcher Maddie Waldorf walked two batters, but the Bulldogs’ defense forced three outs before Audubon could score a run.
Van Meter put two runners on base – both with walks. But even with a stolen base, the Bulldogs finished the first without a run on the board.
Kennedy Wiedman managed to put the Bulldogs up by one in the second inning – scoring off an Audubon error.
The Wheelers turned the game in their favor in the third, though. Jordan Porsch and Mattie Nielsen both scored when a wild pitch turned into an error on the throw from catcher to pitcher.
Audubon’s defense did its job in the bottom half of the inning, catching two fly balls and striking out one batter, to preserve the lead.
Audubon’s no-hitter came to an end in the bottom of the fourth when Wiedman hit an infield single, beating out the throw to first base. That didn’t impact the score, though and the Wheelers added another run the following inning.
But as fans in Fort Dodge learned this week, don’t count the Bulldogs out when they’re down late.
Van Meter sent Audubon’s first three hitters back to the dugout in the sixth and then jumped on the offensive. With bases loaded and no outs, the Wheelers’ walked Lauren Wallace and Katie Vaught scored.
A couple outs later, Halle Karaidos’ single was enough to get a run from Schnell and the Bulldogs tied the game at three apiece.
And then, wouldn’t you know it, Schnell stepped up to home plate with two outs and a runner on second base.
For those who haven’t watched Van Meter’s two previous tournament games, Schnell’s stat line features three runs batted in and a walk-off home run in the eighth inning of the state semifinal against East Marshall.
She’s been a difference-maker all tournament, and Friday’s game was no different.
Bulldogs’ fans decked out in blue and white watched as Schnell hit another home run over the center field fence, just as she had on Wednesday. It was a two-run jack that gave Van Meter a 5-3 lead heading into the seventh inning.
“She’s had a great tournament all week,” Flaws said postgame. “We knew if they threw it over the plate, she’d hit it hard and obviously, she hit that ball very hard.”
The Bulldogs waited with bated breath as Audubon worked through the top of the final frame.
The Wheelers’ first batter was thrown out at first, where Waldorf moved – and starred – after Bianca Prickett took over in the circle. Audubon’s second batter met the same fate.
But with back-to-back singles, the Wheelers put runners on first and second, with a two-run deficit and two outs. Hope of a game-tying pair of runs faded when a grounder to third ended with a force out to put a bow on the game.
Van Meter’s dugout emptied and crashed into an overjoyed pile in front of the pitching circle. Waldorf enveloped Wallace in a hug.
And then – a year removed from losing in the 2023 championship game – the Bulldogs finally raised the title trophy above their heads.
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: 'Can't dream that stuff up': Van Meter wins Iowa softball state championship off eighth grader's bat
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