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Mount Ayr’s late move tops Mustangs

East Marshall softball stunned by Raiderettes’ seventh-inning rally, 5-4

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - East Marshall’s senior softball players accept the Class 2A fourth-place trophy after falling 5-4 to Mount Ayr in Thursday’s game at the Iowa Girls High School State Softball Tournament in Fort Dodge. The Mustangs ended their season with a 32-6 record.

FORT DODGE — As Madison Farrington circled the bases for the 15th time this season, the East Marshall softball team celebrated her record-breaking home run for their standout senior catcher’s accomplishment and for the added cushion it gave the Mustangs.

Mount Ayr spoiled the moment two innings later.

The fourth-seeded Raiderettes overcame a 4-2 deficit thanks to a pair of home runs in the top of the seventh inning, sending second-seeded East Marshall to a 5-4 loss in the third-place game in Class 2A of the Iowa Girls High School State Softball Tournament on Thursday night at Rogers Sports Complex.

East Marshall (32-6) suffered back-to-back losses for the first time all season, and doing it in consecutive games was hard for the Mustangs’ group of eight seniors playing as Mustangs for the last time.

Farrington, as excited as she was to get the home run records, would gladly give them back for the third-place trophy.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - The East Marshall softball team poses with its Class 2A fourth-place trophy after Thursday’s game against Mount Ayr at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. The Mustangs ended their season with a 32-6 record following a 5-4 loss to Mount Ayr.

“The record was good to have in that moment, but they came back with two more home runs so that was pretty hard,” she said. “We still got fourth place. Last night’s loss (to Alta-Aurelia in the semifinals) was hard because just getting to the championship game was on the line. … It felt like we lost every single game we ever won yesterday but that wasn’t the case, so we still had to see it like we could come out and get third.

“We were playing this game so that we could win our last game and we were until the very end.”

Bumped right up against the 90-minute time limit of the state tournament’s consolation bracket, East Marshall clinged to a 4-3 lead after back-to-back doubles by Rachel Sobotka and Halsie Barnes brought the Raiderettes (27-3) to within one. Farrington’s long home run provided some meaningful insurance, giving the Mustangs a 4-2 lead, but Mount Ayr wouldn’t relent.

Addy Reynolds led off the top of the seventh inning with her third home run of the season, and Alexa Anderson gave the Raiderettes their first lead of the game with her sixth round-tripper of the summer.

East Marshall junior pitcher Kodie Hoskey got a pair of groundouts to close out the at-bat, but the damage had already been done.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - East Marshall’s Maria Rasmusson touches home plate after sliding safely around Mount Ayr catcher Abigail Barnes in the first inning.

Pressed into a one-run deficit in their last at-bat for the second time in as many nights, the Mustangs threatened but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Maria Rasmusson worked a leadoff walk before Reagan McIlrath flew out to deep left field. Farrington’s grounder to third brought about a low throw across the diamond, and Rasmusson hustled around to third. Abby Ryan, running for Farrington, took second base without a play, but Mount Ayr’s lone senior Caroline McAlexander wriggled out of the ill-fated situation with a strikeout and a groundout to give the Raiderettes a thrilling, come-from-behind victory.

“We had a shot, we had people on and in scoring position and it just didn’t muster,” said East Marshall head coach Jary Hoskey. “Give them credit, they got the outs when they needed to and hit the home runs when they needed to. They’re a good ballclub.”

Mount Ayr had a 14-game win streak snuffed out by eventual 2A champion North Linn in Wednesday’s semifinal round, while East Marshall’s 19-game string was snapped by Alta-Aurelia. Neither the Raiderettes nor Mustangs had lost since mid-June, leaving both hungry for one last victory to close out the campaign, and for some their careers.

McAlexander, Mount Ayr’s lone senior, finished with seven strikeouts and five walks, succumbing to East Marshall’s fast start. Melinda Puumala led off the bottom of the first inning with a four-pitch walk, and Rasmusson reached safely on McAlexander’s error on her sacrifice bunt. One out later, Farrington’s single through the left side brought in the Mustangs’ first run. Rasmusson made it 2-0 when she came across on Hannah Birks’ single up the middle, and Ryan ran home without a play on a wild pitch.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Mustang third baseman Hannah Birks tags out Mount Ayr’s Sam Stewart in the fourth inning of Thursday’s game.

The rainy weather that forced the day’s third-place games to be delayed by the conditions led to struggles with pitch location and execution in the early going, but the sprinkles let up before the midway point.

East Marshall’s 3-0 lead held firm until the fourth inning, when Mount Ayr got a two-run, two-out double by Sam Stewart moments after the Mustangs missed an opportunity to get out of the inning unscathed.

Farrington’s homer regained a two-run lead for East Marshall, but Mount Ayr countered again before delivering the knockout punches in the top of the seventh.

“I thought we had the game won when we were up 3-0 and Kodie was rolling along, but it is what it is,” said coach Hoskey. “It wasn’t meant to be.”

All eight seniors play a role in the Mustangs’ starting lineup — Puumala in center field, Rasmusson at second base, Farrington at catcher, Juliana Arifi at first base, Kayla Mommer was the designated hitter for right fielder Madison Duncan, and Ryan and Quin Damman served as courtesy runners.

Coach Hoskey couldn’t quantify their impact on the program, but looked fondly at the team’s new fourth-place trophy while contemplating an answer.

“Would we have liked third place instead of fourth? Sure, but the success that this team has had and the success of these seniors outweighs anything. I’m gonna miss them,” he said. “I cried and cried because I’m losing not only eight wonderful players but wonderful people. When we were down, they picked us up. They’re going to be tough to replace.”

Farrington finished with two of her team’s six hits, driving in two runs to finish the year second in the state in RBIs (68). Puumala was 1-for-2 with a double off the fence, while Rasmusson, Birks and Emma Pfantz each added singles.

Hoskey closed out with seven strikeouts and four walks, surrendering 10 hits to a Mount Ayr team that really thumped the ball all night.

“I think we were definitely more loosey-goosey and weren’t as nervous and ready to play the game, but we still had some errors and I wasn’t on my game tonight,” Kodie said. “We were ready to get third place and we were trying to play hard but it didn’t end up in our favor.

“It’s very emotional. We’re definitely going to miss our seniors a lot. They were basically our whole team and great leaders.”

Sobotka finished with three of Mount Ayr’s 10 hits, hitting two doubles and scoring twice to lead the Raiderettes. Seven of their hits went for extra-bases, prompting Kodie to recall an early game this season in which she gave up four home runs in a 9-2 loss to Camanche at the Williamsburg Tournament.

But East Marshall’s rough start, going 3-for-3 to open the season, was a driving force of what got the Mustangs to their state tournament trophy on Thursday night in Fort Dodge.

“We thought we had a shot at winning a state title, and we did have a shot at it but yesterday didn’t work out in our favor,” said Puumala. “It’s harder tonight for us seniors knowing everyone’s done and it’s our last high school game, but we did what we could.”

Hoskey and McIlrath were named to the 2A All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the state title game, which North Linn claimed 3-0 over Alta-Aurelia.

——

Iowa Girls High School State Softball Tournament

At Rogers Sports Complex, Fort Dodge

CLASS 1A

Quarterfinals

Collins-Maxwell 4, Le Mars Gehlen 0

Newell-Fonda 7, Lynnville-Sully 5

Lisbon 1, Wayne 0

Clarksville 5, Bishop Garrigan 0

Consolation First Round

Lynnville-Sully 5, Le Mars Gehlen 4

Wayne 10, Bishop Garrigan 0 (5 innings)

Championship Semifinals

Collins-Maxwell 9, Newell-Fonda 1

Clarksville 1, Lisbon 0

Thursday, July 25

Third-place game

Lisbon 6, Newell-Fonda 2

Championship

Collins-Maxwell 4, Clarksville 3

CLASS 2A

Quarterfinals

North Linn 6, Wapello 0

Mopunt Ayr 3, Dyersville Beckman 2 (8)

East Marshall 4, Ogden 0

Alta-Aurelia 2, Central Springs 0

Consolation First Round

Dyersville Beckman 5, Wapello 3

Ogden 12, Central Springs 3

Championship Semifinals

North Linn 8, Mount Ayr 1

Alta-Aurelia 2, East Marshall 1

Thursday, July 25

Third-place game

Mount Ayr 5, East Marshall 4

Championship

North Linn 3, Alta-Aurelia 0

CLASS 3A

Quarterfinals

Davenport Assumption 3, Algona 2

Waterloo Columbus 8, Albia 5

Louisa-Muscatine 10, Mount Vernon 6

West Liberty 10, Treynor 0, 5 innings

Consolation First Round

Algona 5, Albia 4

Treynor 7, Mount Vernon 6

Championship Semifinals

Davenport Assumption 6, W’loo Columbus 0

Louisa-Muscatine 10, West Liberty 2

Friday, July 26

Third-place game

Waterloo Columbus (36-5) vs. West Liberty (29-6), 2:30 p.m.

Championship

Davenport Assumption (40-2) vs. Louisa-Muscatine (35-4), 3:30 p.m.

CLASS 4A

Quarterfinals

Carlisle 10, Denison-Schleswig 1

West Delaware 8, Independence 2

North Scott 3, Oskaloosa 2 (8 innings)

Charles City 4, Dallas Center-Grimes 3

Consolation First Round

Independence 3, Denison-Schleswig 0

Dallas Center-Grimes 1, Oskaloosa 0

Championship Semifinals

Carlisle 7, West Delaware 6 (8 innings)

North Scott 3, Charles City 2 (9 innings)

Friday, July 26

Third-place game

West Delaware (31-11) vs. Charles City (36-4), 4:45 p.m.

Championship

Carlisle (37-3) vs. North Scott (28-14), 5:45 p.m.

CLASS 5A

Quarterfinals

Waukee 8, Ottumwa 0

Johnston 3, Indianola 2

Valley 3, Fort Dodge 0

Iowa City High 10, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 2

Consolation First Round

Indianola 4, Ottumwa 1

Fort Dodge 8, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 0

Championship Semifinals

Waukee 3, Johnston 1

Valley 4, Iowa City High 2

Friday, July 26

Third-place game

Johnston (35-9) vs. Iowa City High (35-8), 7 p.m.

Championship

Waukee (40-3) vs. Valley (31-10), 8 p.m.

——

Mount Ayr 5, East Marshall 4

MA 000 201 2 — 5 10 3

EM 300 010 0 — 4 6 1

Caroline McAlexander and Abigail Barnes; Kodie Hoskey and Madison Farrington. W–McAlexander (21-2). L–Hoskey (22-5). 2B–MA: Sam Stewart, McAlexander, Rachel Sobotka 2, Halsie Barnes; EM: Melinda Puumala. HR–MA: Addy Reynolds (3), Alexa Anderson (6); EM: Farrington (15). LOB–MA 7, EM 8.

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