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Even a step up in class doesn’t seem to faze Van Meter at the state softball tournament.
Mady Schnell was a double shy of the cycle as the sixth-seeded Bulldogs – champions in both 2024 and ’25 for Class 2A – overwhelmed No. 3 seed Albia in a Class 3A opener at Rogers Park on Monday, 10-2.
Schnell drove in four runs and scored twice. The sophomore is now hitting a team-best .544 on the season.
Ashlan Small went 3-for-3 and Aniston Netten drilled a two-run homer for Van Meter, who improved to 33-6 with the win. The Bulldogs advance on the winner’s side and will now square off with Dubuque Wahlert on Tuesday back on Iowa Central Field at 5:30 p.m.
The contest was tied at 2-2 after three innings before the Bulldogs exploded with three runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth to pull away.
Jillian Wosmansky contributed two hits in the victory. Van Meter was replacing eight seniors from last season’s title squad, and the Bulldogs have only one 12th-grader on their roster this summer.
Brooke Rubel and Ayla Green both drove in runs for third-seeded Albia (32-2), which came in with the best record in 3A. The Lady Dees, who are at state for the seventh time in the last 10 years, will face No. 7 seed West Delaware in an elimination game on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. on Iowa Central Field.