March 29, 2024

Hawks punch third straight ticket to 1A softball state

Hawks state bound again

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PLEASANTVILLE — Collecting their third straight Iowa Class 1A Regional Softball Championship, Lynnville-Sully’s Hawks did it their way — aggressive hitting and base running and solid defensive play.

The Hawks punched their ticket to the 2015 Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Class 1A State Softball Tournament with a 9-1 win over Murray Monday at Pleasantville. Lynnville-Sully (35-3) drew River Valley (26-7) in the opening round of the state tournament, July 21, in Fort Dodge.

When the upset-minded Murray Lady Mustangs tied Monday’s game in the bottom of the first inning, the Hawks turned things up a notch or two.

“Stacey has us programed that way,” senior pitcher Madison Rasmusson said, referring L-S head coach Stacey Alberts and the Hawks’ style of play. “And, that’s how we’ll play next week at the state tournament. We’re going in there like the last two years to win a state championship. We’ll be working hard to get that done.”

Madison Rasmusson is one of many spark plugs for the Hawks. Alberts believes every player on the Hawk team to have the potential of delivering whatever spark — a bunt, a hit, a stolen base, a defensive play — the team needs.

Madison Rasmusson threw another complete game for the Hawks, limiting the Lady Mustangs to four hits. She gave up a walk — with two out in the seventh inning — and struck out three.

Lynnville-Sully was the visiting team in the regional championship game. Madison Rasmusson beat out a bunt for a single with two gone in the first inning. She stole second and scored on a Lysandra James’ single up the middle to center field.

Two of the Lady Mustangs’ four hits came in the bottom of the first inning. Zadie Hatfield blooped the ball over first base and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Breianna Klein singled to right field and Hatfield scored on a sacrifice fly by Deena Snyder.

It was Maria Rasmusson, an eighth-grader, who got things started in second inning for Lynnville-Sully. The younger Rasmusson drew a walk and freshman Camryn Russell went in as a courtesy runner. Sophomore left fielder Haley James put down a bunt, reaching on an error.

The Hawk base runners ended up at second and third base. Sophomore shortstop Makenzy Rozendaal bunted and loaded the bases for junior second baseman Kasiah Ehresman. Ehresman delivered by dropping a single just behind third base to drive in a run.

Murray prevented Lynnville-Sully from breaking open the game just yet. The Hawks were up 2-1 after four complete innings.

“Consistency was the key tonight. We started getting opportunities from all through our lineup, not just from the top part of it,” Alberts said. “Kids were hitting the ball square when we needed to, we found ways to get on bases from drawing walks or base hits.”

Lynnville-Sully was turned away several times because of its aggressive style on the base paths.

“We had some runners picked off tonight, but that’s going to happen when you play aggressively. We’re not going to sit back and go base-to-base. That’s not how we play. We play the whole game and our kids are always looking to get to the next base when they get on,” Alberts said.

Case in point — Madison Rasmusson doubled to lead off the fifth inning and with one gone, she stole third base. A passed ball gave her an opportunity to score and her speed paid off to put the Hawks up 3-1.

Rozendaal ripped a double to left field to start the sixth inning followed by a bunt single by Ehresman. Ehresman stole second base and Lizzy Van Manen, the Hawks’ sophomore catcher, put down a sacrifice bunt while Rozendaal scored.

Madison Rasmusson’s base hit to right field drove in a run and she trying to reach second. She was thrown out. Lysandra James bunted and was safe on an error then came the big blow. Lanser unloaded on a pitch that sailed over the left field fence for a two-run home run.

The Hawks owned a 7-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth. They added two more runs in the seventh on a couple of errors and a walk.

“I was a little nervous when the regional bracket came out because it was a tough one,” Lizzy Van Manen said. “We faced Martensdale-St. Marys Friday and got past them, but Murray beat Wayne, which was a good team. We stayed positive and really worked on the mental game tonight. We have the physical game.”

Lynnville-Sully retired 19 of the 21 batters Murray sent to the plate since the first inning.

“Defensively, we stepped up and shut down opportunities they had and that was huge,” Alberts said.

“I’m proud of the girls. We’ll give them 24 to 48 hours off to allow the coaching staff to collect itself and game plan for our first game at state. We’ll stick with what we do well in the games at state.”

Madison Rasmusson went 3-for-5 with two singles and a double. Ehresman had two singles while Rozendaal singled and doubled. Lanser had one hit — the home run. Lysandra James and Maria Rasmusson each had a base hit.

The Hawks drew seven walks and had five stolen bases in the game. Kayla Wookey was Murray’s starting pitcher, giving way to Klein in the fourth then went back to the circle in the seventh inning.

Senior Bayli Van Manen said of the success of the Lynnville-Sully team, “There’s a lot of components, including all the people who come out to support us. We work hard as a team, but most of all, we just love the game and love to play it.”

Next up is the 1A state tournament at Fort Dodge.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com