Newton drops 4A state semifinal heartbreaker to ADM

FORT DODGE — Experiencing the highs and the lows of state softball tournament play are Newton High’s Cardinals the past two days on the diamonds at Harlan Rogers Park.

After a dramatic 1-0 opening win on a walk-off home run on Tuesday, the Cardinals went into Wednesday’s Class 4A semifinal game against top-seeded ADM with confidence. It was a battle from first pitch to final out in the top of the seventh between the to ranked teams.

The Tigers escaped with a 9-8 win over the Cardinals to advance to the championship game. The Cardinals will play for third place at the 2018 Iowa Girls’ High School State Softball Championships.

“These girls are resilient. We saw that today in this game. They never backed down against a very good ADM team,” Newton head coach Casey Price said. “They wanted it so, so bad.”

Price said her players were ready for the Tigers. The 10th-ranked Cardinals came into the semifinal with the No. 2 ranked Tigers prepared to win.

Why not?” Price said.

Junior third baseman Mackensie Brown felt those highs and lows in Wednesday’s game. Brown went 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring three runs and driving in two.

Brown scored the tying run after a bunt single in the fourth inning. It started a three-run rally by Newton to take a 3-1 lead over the Tigers.

When the Tigers knotted it up 3-all in the bottom of the fourth, Brown led off Newton’s fifth inning with a solo home run. Her second home run of the season went over the center field fence of Diamond No. 2 at Harlan Rogers Park.

“I haven’t been real good hitting the ball of late. It felt good to help the team get back on top,” Brown said. “We know we’re a good team. There have been a lot upsets in the tournament this week and we believed we could do it today.”

The game was locked up again in the top of the sixth at 6-6. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, ADM senior catcher Ashley Tennant equaled her uniform number. Tennant hit her 15th home run of the season — a three-run shot to put the Tigers in front 9-6.

“We knew about her home run hitting ability. We debated about pitching to her or walking her,” Price said. “That’s sports. The girls were ready to battle back and we almost did it.”

Back came the Cardinals in the top of the seventh inning.

Junior shortstop Emily Valtman, who was walkedfour times in the game by the Tigers, reached on an error. Eighth-grader Kya Butler went in as a courtesy runner for Valtman.

Senior center fielder Karley Leiker singled and the runners moved up a base on a groundout by senior first baseman Taylor Ryan. Peyton Maher, junior pitcher, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Brown connected for an RBI single then stole second base. She represented the tying run with senior designated hitter Audrey Lucas at the plate.

“I truly believed we could get Mack (Brown) to third. We had to get her there and she’s got some wheels,” Price said about calling for Brown to attempt stealing third base with two outs in the seventh.

Tennant fired a strike to ADM third baseman Brooke Hickey. The Tigers caught Brown stealing third to end the game.

“It was a great effort on all their parts today. I’m proud of these kids,” Price said. “Let’s get third. The girls all wanted to stay together and stay here. They had a choice to go home or stay.”

Seniors Audrey Lucas, Harlie Durr, Mackenzie Johnston and Kennedy Leiker joined with Brown in breaking out of hitting slumps for the Cardinals. Newton had 13 hits and 11 came from those five players in the bottom half of the batting order.

“It felt good. It was the first hit I’ve had in awhile,” Durr said of her two-run double in the fourth inning. Brown and Lucas had singled in front of her.

“To put us up on the scoreboard was great and the energy level just went up for us,” Durr said.

Kennedy Leiker, Newton’s catcher, didn’t bat in Tuesday’s state tournament opener. She broke out with a 3-for-4 day with three base hits, and drove in two runs.

Lucas and Johnson each went 2-for-3 with two singles. Johnson had an RBI. Ryan doubled and Karley Leiker singled for the other two hits.

ADM took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Emily Hlas put down a squeeze bunt to plate the run.

Newton loaded the bases with no outs in the third but failed to score.The Tigers had a double play to help thwart the threat. The Cardinal defense worked out of a two-on, one-out situation in the bottom of the inning.

The Cardinals took the lead in the fourth. But again had the bases loaded with no outs and couldn’t score more than the three runs.

ADM, the 4A tournament’s top-seed, rallied to scored two runs in the fourth. The teams headed to the fifth tied 3-3.

Brown’s home run untied it. Johnson singled with two gone and swiped second base. Kennedy Leiker had an RBI base hit.

The Tigers put two runners on with two gone in their half of the fifth. Emily Hlas doubled in two runs and scored on a single by Emily Kay.

ADM had 10 hits in the game.

“We went head-to-head and it was tough. I think that’s the most hits Peyton has had off her pitching,” Price said. “She threw a heck of a game even not feeling 100 percent.”

ADM’s Abbie Hlas gave up 13 hits, walked eight and had one strikeout. Maher finished with two walks issued and seven strikeouts.

Ryan opened Newton’s sixth inning with a double and Brown was walked with one out. Lucas beat out an infield single to load the bases. A fielder’s choice retired Ryan a the plate but Johnson worked a walk to force in the tying run, 6-6.

Morgan Meyer walked to lead off the sixth for the Tigers. Sierra Wyant reached on an error with one out and a wild pitch moved the runners up.

Maher battled with Tennant as Tennant fouled off several pitches. It was a 3-2 count and Tennant connected for the three-run blast.

“Like coach said in the huddle, this game showed our team has character,” Durr said. “ADM is a good team and we fought to the end.”

In Wednesday’s other 4A semifinal, No. 7 seeded Des Moines Hoover beat No. 6 seeded Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 12-1 in five innings.

Newton (25-8), which was seeded No. 4, plays Sergeant Bluff-Luton (24-14) at 4:45 p.m. Friday in the third-place game. The game is on Diamond No. 2.

“We're going to go out there, go after third and make Newton softball history,” Brown said.

ADM (35-7) takes on Hoover (21-7) at 5:45 p.m. Friday on the Buena Vista University Diamond.

Cedar Rapids Xavier beat Dallas Center-Grimes 11-0 in five innings in a 4A consolation game Wednesday. Also in consolation play, Independence defeated Charles City 8-4.

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