—Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Jalen Adams pitches during her no-hitter against Ames on Wednesday at Rogers Park. For more photos, visit CU at messengernews.net

The Ames softball team came to Fort Dodge with a glossy 7-1 record, riding momentum from a recent four-game win streak.

The Little Cyclones left not knowing exactly what hit them.

The second-ranked Dodgers were firing on all cylinders in their return to Rogers Park after a two-week, 10-game road stretch. Junior Jalen Adams tossed her second no-hitter of the season and set a school record for strikeouts in a 6-0 victory, then the FDSH bats exploded in a 14-2, four-inning nightcap romp to complete the sweep.

Adams, a University of Iowa recruit, was flawless in the opener. Only one Ames batter reached base — on an error — and Adams faced the minimum 21 batters. She struck out a single-game program best 17 in her fourth shutout of the season.

The second-ranked (Class 5A) Dodgers (12-3 overall) pulled away late, plating three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Tristin Doster, Chloe Wertz and Haley Wills all had triples in the frame, with Maia Davis and Lucy Porter delivering RBI singles.

Sophia Klinger, Wills and Porter opened the third inning with consecutive singles, with Adams dropping down a run-scoring bunt single and Martyne Lowrey lacing an RBI double down the right-field line. Mariah Myers’ groundout plated pinch runner Reese Pederson to make it 3-0 Fort Dodge.

Adams, meanwhile, was pounding the strike zone. She K’d side in the first, third and sixth innings.

Ames whiffed at least twice in every frame. Adams, who is now 8-0 with an 0.75 earned run average, threw 64 of her 78 pitches for strikes, with six Ks looking and 11 swinging.

“Jalen was on fire,” Dodger head coach Andi Adams said. “She really got locked in. I don’t think she had any idea how hard she was throwing, or how many strikeouts she had. It was all about getting the win for the team.

“We had a lot of production from the bottom of the order (Klinger, Wills and Porter went a combined 7-for-9). Chloe hit the ball hard. We did a good job manufacturing runs (in the third and sixth). We knew Ames was coming in with a lot of confidence, so it was good to set the tone and get that win.”

Fort Dodge exploded in the second contest after falling behind 2-0 early. Lowrey doubled in the opening frame, Myers roped an RBI single, and Wertz came through with a two-run single for a 3-2 lead.

The Little Cyclones looked like they were going to get through the second inning unscathed with two outs and no one on base. That’s when the Dodgers staged a nine-run, nine-hit rally.

The highlight was Myers’ two-run shot deep over the left-centerfield wall. Adams, Wertz and Lydia Lara doubled in the frame.

Myers, just an eighth-grader, went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI in game two, improving her average to .455 with 23 driven in — the second-highest mark in 5A.

Lara doubled twice. Adams recorded three hits and drove in a pair. Wertz added three RBI.

Seven of the top eight hitters in the FDSH lineup had two-baggers.

“It was great to see so many different players contribute,” Adams said. “Mariah gets locked in like that and hits the ball so hard. Lydia really stepped up again. Chloe and Sophia had clutch at-bats…we were aggressive and balanced.”

Porter (4-0) was the winning pitcher, settling down after surrendering the two early runs. She didn’t walk a batter and struck out two.

The Dodgers return to action on Friday against Ballard at Rogers Park. The single varsity contest is at 1 p.m.

A victory against the Bombers (10-5) would mark the 700th of Adams’s coaching career.

FORT DODGE 6, AMES 0

Ames 000 000 0 — 0 0 1

Fort Dodge 003 003 x — 6 13 1

WP–Jalen Adams (8-0; 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 17 K). 2B–FD: Martyne Lowrey. 3B–FD: Tristin Doster, Chloe Wertz, Haley Wills. SB–FD: Maia Davis.

FORT DODGE 14, AMES 2 (4)

Ames 200 0 — 2 7 4

Fort Dodge 391 1 — 14 15 1

WP–Lucy Porter (4-0; 4 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K). 2B–FD: Lydia Lara 2, Martyne Lowrey, Jalen Adams, Mariah Myers, Tristin Doster, Chloe Wertz, Sophia Klinger. HR–FD: Mariah Myers. SB–FD: Martyne Lowrey 2, Maia Davis.