March 28, 2024

Emotional Ending

No. 11 Tigerhawks lose season finale to second-ranked Akron-Westfield

Image 1 of 4

FORT DODGE — Colfax-Mingo softball coach Bryan Poulter knew his team’s season was going to end Wednesday at the Iowa Girls High School State Softball Championships at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex.

But that didn’t make saying goodbye to a pair of talented seniors any easier.

It wasn’t the storybook ending for Amy Russell and Alivia Haley. The senior combined to go 0-for-4 at the plate with a walk. But it didn’t take away from the stellar season and stellar careers that they had.

In the end, the Class 1A No. 11 Tigerhawks settled for a sixth-place trophy following a 6-3 loss to second-ranked Akron-Westfield on the Yankee Diamond.

“We knew we had a lot of the key elements to get here,” Poulter said. “We felt on any day and any week that we could play with anyone, and I think we can.”

The Tigerhawks scored first when Ries Wilson singled, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Haley, took third on a passed ball and then scored on a wild pitch in the first inning.

Wilson was 2-for-3 on the day with two runs scored. She had seven hits and scored six runs in the tournament, which both tied for a 1A state tournament record.

The Tigerhawks just couldn’t get going though.

The Westerners, who were the 2016 1A runner-ups, tied the game in the second and then plated four runs in the third to pull away.

Colfax-Mingo got within 5-3 in the third. Wilson opened the inning with a single and then scored on a two-out RBI double by junior Rhiannon Haley. The younger Haley scored on an RBI single by sophomore Colbee Cunningham.

Akron-Westfield starter Bailey Davis settled in after that. She retired the Tigerhawks (26-13) in order in the final three innings. The game was called after six innings because of the 90-minute time limit.

“The 90-minute time limit got us today,” Poulter said. “Even though we tell them not to rush the at-bats, they think they have to rush. We made some swings at early pitches that we shouldn’t have taken. We didn’t take our good swings.”

The C-M bats struggled against Davis, but the other two phases were inconsistent, too.

The Tigerhawks only committed one error on defense, but the Westerners took advantage of several wild pitches and passed balls and were able to bunt to spots that forced Colfax-Mingo to rush.

“You have to be quick against a small-ball team, but you have to complete the play, too,” Poulter said. “We got caught up in rushing and not doing the complete part of the play. We would go down to get a ball and make a quick move to pick it up but wouldn’t pick it up, things like that.

“We just got too far ahead of ourselves. They put good pressure on us with the small ball stuff, and we didn’t always make good responses.”

Colfax-Mingo had only four hits at the plate, but Russell, sophomore Mac Brown and eighth-grader Madison Gilkison all walked once.

Russell (17-5) got the start in the circle and had moments of greatness. She struck out the side in the first and second innings, but allowed four runs and three hits in the third. Russell retired the Westerners (37-3) in order in the fifth and faced just four batters in the sixth.

Russell surrendered six runs — five earned — on 10 hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

It was an emotional end to the prep careers of Russell and Alivia Haley. Teammates consoled them off the field after the loss, and both seniors spent several minutes with an also emotional Poulter.

“As a coach, you build relationships. I never felt like you could coach without having some sort of a relationship with the players,” Poulter said.

“Some of the relationships are casual and some are more personal. The relationship with these two is personal. We have done a lot. They have worked hard. You get real close with them, but these are good things. They are going to go on to the next path of their life and these are things that will lead them a long the way.”

Russell finished her final season with a 1A-high 17 home runs and 66 RBIs. She finished with a team-best batting average of .541, hit a team-high 16 doubles, scored 45 runs, drew 17 walks and struck out only five times.

Like Wilson, Russell can now claim a pair of state tournament records. Her three home runs in the state tournament ties two other players in 1A for most in a state tournament. Her pair of homers against Montezuma also is tied for the most in a single game.

Wilson, Russell and Alivia Haley all hit homers against Westwood in the opener. It’s just the second time a 1A school has hit three home runs in one game, joining Don Bosco from 2013.

Alivia Haley hit around .400 in her final Tigerhawk season. She blasted three homers, connected on 15 doubles and scored 52 runs. She struck out only six times.

Akron-Westfield finishes in the top five at the state tournament for the ninth time in the past 13 years.

Belle Plaine defeated Montezuma, 4-3, to place seventh in 1A. The Plainsmen were sixth last year.