March 19, 2024

Cardinals push state-ranked Fillies to extra innings

DALLAS CENTER — For almost seven innings, the Newton softball team struggled against Dallas Center-Grimes starting pitcher Allie Boender.

The Cardinals struck out eight times in the first four innings and didn’t put much pressure on the Fillies’ sophomore hurler.

But with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Newton’s offense caught fire. The Cardinals collected their first hits of the game and sent the game into extra innings with a pair of late runs.

However, in the end, Paige Shanno broke the Cardinals’ backs with a three-run, two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth and sent the two-time defending Class 4A state champions to a 5-2 win in eight innings during Little Hawkeye Conference play on Thursday.

In the bottom of the seventh, Bailey Davis and Kennedy Leiker had back-to-back two-out singles to break up Boender’s no-hitter and then Kari Adams walked to load the bases.

An error by the Fillies (20-12 overall, 7-4 in LHC) made it 2-1 and then Karley Leiker tied the score with an RBI single.

In the top of the eighth, 4A No. 12 Dallas Center-Grimes got a one-out double by Jenna Humke and Rachel Lowary walked in front of Shanno’s three-run blast.

Boender then retired the Cardinals in order in the eighth and finished with eight strikeouts to improve to 12-9 on the year.

Lowary came into the game hitting .475 and was on base four times for the Fillies, who have five straight including a 3-2 victory over 5A No. 7 Dowling Catholic on Tuesday.

Newton’s two-game win streak was snapped.

Payton Maher took the loss after allowing four earned runs on seven hits in eight innings.

Maher struck out four and walked three.

The Cardinals (14-16, 3-8) return to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Marshalltown at Berg Middle School.