—Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Mount Ayr celebrates after defeating Dyersville Beckman during a Class 2A quarterfinal on Monday at Rogers Park. Mount Ayr won 3-2 in eight innings. For more photos, visit CU at messengernews.net

Sam Stewart singled in Rachel Sobotka and ninth-ranked Mount Ayr celebrated a trip to the Class 2A semifinals with a 3-2 victory in eight innings here Monday over No. 10 Dyersville Beckman.

The Raiders (26-2 overall) will now face top-ranked North Linn (40-4) on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Stewart, a junior, connected on the first pitch she saw, driving in Sobotka, a sophomore, with two outs on the scoreboard at Rogers Park.

Just like the season has gone, the game featured several ups and downs for Mount Ayr.

The team didn’t play its first game of the season until June 4 due to weather, finishing the regular season with just 24 games total.

“We have talked all year about controlling our ape,” senior pitcher Caroline McAlexander said. “That just helps to calm everybody down.”

McAlexander, who is headed to Simpson College, struck out five and allowed seven hits with three walks and two earned runs to improve to 20-2 on the season.

Co-head coach Brandie Ruggles was on the first team from the school to qualify for state, a trip back in 1994 that resulted in a seventh place finish in 1A for the Raiders. She is a co-head coach with Bret Ruggles.

“Coach was excited telling us about her trip,” McAlexander said. “But we are on a business trip this time.

“Let’s do it.”

Stewart, Alexa Anderson and Channler Henle each had two hits for Mount Ayr. Payten Lambert drove in a run and also scored.

For Beckman (29-14), Jadyn Welling had two hits and Shea Steffen drove in two runs in the fourth.

MOUNT AYR 3,

DYERSVILLE BECKMAN 2

Beckman 000 200 00 — 2 7 4

Mount Ayr 001 001 01 – 3 10 1

WP–Caroline McAlexander (20-2, 8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 4 BB); LP–Sydney Steffen (23-13, 7 2/3 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 3 K, BB); 2B–DB: Emily Wulfekuhle. RBI–DB: Shea Steffen (2).; MA: Payten Lambert, Sam Stewart. SB–DB: Emily Wulfekuhle.