East Marshall softball set for semifinal showdown with Alta-Aurelia
FORT DODGE — After finishing off Ogden for a 4-0 win in Monday’s Class 2A quarterfinals, East Marshall head softball coach Jary Hoskey said he might stick around Rogers Sports Complex to get a look at Central Springs.
And while he certainly could have done that, it might not have helped him or his squad much for tonight’s state semifinals.
Sixth-seeded Alta-Aurelia (21-9) knocked off the third-seeded Panthers (28-8) in a 2-0 quarterfinal clash moments after second-seeded East Marshall (32-4) moved into the semifinals for the fourth time in program history by beating Ogden.
The Mustangs ride a 19-game win streak into tonight’s 5 p.m. game on the Kruger Seeds Field in Fort Dodge, facing a veritable unknown in Alta-Aurelia. The Warriors were the third-place team in the Twin Lakes Conference, trailing 1A semifinalist Newell-Fonda (38-5) and Emmetsburg in the league standings.
Alta-Aurelia’s claim to fame, to this point, is senior pitcher Abby Kraemer. Kraemer tossed a one-hitter with nine strikeouts as the 13th-ranked Warriors blanked eighth-ranked Central Springs in Monday’s first upset of the state tournament.
For the season, Kraemer ranks fifth in the entire state with 312 strikeouts from the circle, as she has hurled 177 of the team’s 184 innings pitched this summer. Her earned run average is a glistening 1.74, but she has walked 87 batters and hit another 11.
East Marshall junior Kodie Hoskey, in 156 innings, has chalked up 165 strikeouts but just 30 walks and four hit batters.
The Warriors average 7.1 runs per game while allowing just 3.5 per contest. East Marshall is scoring at an 8.7-runs-per-game clip while limiting its opponents to just 1.9 runs per game.
Alta-Aurelia’s roster features three seniors and the rest underclassmen of 13 sophomores, freshmen and eighth-graders. East Marshall’s lineup includes six starting seniors and two more who serve as courtesy runners.
Top-ranked North Linn (40-4) meets fourth-seeded and ninth-ranked Mount Ayr (26-2) in the 3 p.m. semifinal on the same diamond today. The third-place game is Thursday at 7 p.m., while the 2A state championship game is slated for 8:15 p.m. on Thursday night.