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North Tama softball ends season due to COVID-19

The North Tama softball team became the first Marshalltown-area squad to suffer its season-ending loss after falling victim to a COVID-19 exposure.

Redhawks head coach Patty Calderwood confirmed to the Times-Republican on Monday that her team’s season was over, six days after the district’s Facebook and Twitter accounts canceled the first day of strentgh and conditioning at North Tama High School due to safety concerns regarding the potential indirect exposure of a softball player to someone with COVID-19.

Calderwood on Monday issued this statement to the Times-Republican: “With a heavy heart I can confirm that North Tama softball has been suspended for the remainder of the season due to a player exposure to a positive COVID-19 test. We have no other information to share. As the head coach of this team I am very proud of my staff and the team for the effort they have put into playing softball as well as dealing with the challenges the coronavirus has brought to our world.”

North Tama suffered an 0-8 campaign before the cancellation took effect. The Redhawks played June 29 at GMG — a day before announcing the weight room closure — and hosted Baxter on July 1 in what would prove to be the team’s final game of the pandemic-shortened season.

The Redhawks’ home game against Class 1A No. 1 Collins-Maxwell on Friday was canceled, as was Monday’s home contest with Colo-NESCO.

The school took to its Facebook page to honor the lone senior on the team — Sable Fehr, a five-year letterwinner who homered in her last game against Baxter and finished with a .353 batting average and team-highs of three doubles and seven RBIs.

North Tama was scheduled to begin regional play on July 13 against BCLUW in Conrad, but the Comets will now be granted a forfeit and advance into the regional quarterfinals on July 15 at No. 9 AGWSR.

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