—Messenger photo by Britt Kudla FORT DODGE’s tory bennett looks to throw out a runner at first base on Friday night at Rogers Park. For more photos, visit CU at messengernews.net

The top-ranked (Class 5A) Fort Dodge softball squad set the tone early in their CIML cross-conference showdown with No. 7 West Des Moines Valley on Friday at Rogers Park.

The momentum didn’t last, though, as the Dodgers went from a team showing conviction to a slump of relative complacency in what ended up being a twinbill split.

A 7-3 FDSH victory in the opener was washed out by a 7-1 Tiger triumph in the nightcap.

Head coach Andi Adams saw her Dodgers quickly break open game one with a six-run second inning. For as impressive as that single frame was, the bats went cold and the visiting Tigers were the aggressor the rest of the way, scoring 10 times from that point on while only giving up two more.

“Sometimes, the truth hurts. And the fact of the matter is, outside of the one big inning we had, Valley out-played us,” Adams said. “They deserve credit for that. When you play a championship-caliber program and a Hall of Fame coach who has won six state titles like Tom Bakey, you can’t take your foot off the throttle. I think, if we’re being honest, we got a little too comfortable (ahead 6-0) and thought we could just go through the motions and win.

“You don’t do that against the Valleys of the world. So it’s disappointing. We have to show a more consistent sense of urgency if we want to try and separate ourselves from the other really good programs out there in 5A, because there are a lot of them.”

Adams was particularly frustrated with the standout players at the top of her lineup, who went a combined 1-for-10 in the second contest. The Tigers had 12 hits to the Dodgers’ three.

“I have to hold the three seniors and Mariah (Myers) to a higher standard, and they didn’t get the job done (on Friday),” Adams said. “My daughter (Jalen) Adams has one hit, a weak grounder and strikes out on a bad pitch. Mariah was 0-for-2. Tory (Bennett) goes 0-for-3. Haley (Wills) was 0-for-2. That can’t happen. Losses are inevitable, but you can’t be as uncompetitive as we were.”

Fort Dodge sent 10 batters to the plate in the second-inning explosion of the opener, using small-ball tactics to plate the first four runs before Bennett delivered a two-run douhble — one of just two extra-base hits for the Dodgers on the evening compared to Valley’s seven. Sophomore Mackenzie McIlrath, freshman Ashlyn Wills and Jalen Adams singled and scored, with junior Reese Pederson coming home as a courtesy runner for Adams. Freshman Meah McCaleb swiped a pair of bases in the frame, with Wills adding a stolen base as well.

Adams (2-0) gave up her first runs of the year on a three-run home run by Tiger senior second baseman Gianna Lara, but only surrendered a single hit in the final four innings. The University of Iowa recruit struck out eight, moving within five of breaking Kylee Jones’s all-time program record of 686.

Adams improved her career record to 90-9.

“I thought we did some positive things in that first game,” Andi Adams said. “It was good to see us manufacture runs with our speed putting pressure on their defense to make tough decisions. The bottom half of our order did a nice job. And really, the defense played well all night long with the exception of just a play or two.

“I thought Lydia Lara and Meah McCaleb in particular brought the kind of intensity and consistency we’re going to need. When you’re No. 1, you’re going to have a target on your back. And no one wants to walk away from a long road trip (to Fort Dodge) after getting swept. We need to respect that a little more against these Top-10 teams, because we’re going to face a lot of them.”

Ashlyn Wills had two hits in the opener for Fort Dodge, as did Bennett. Haley Wills drove in a pair.

McCaleb doubled and scored on an RBI groundout by freshman Lucy Porter in the nightcap.

Porter suffered the first loss in her career, snapping a 14-game personal win streak. The setback also marked the first in the last 22 contests for the Dodgers (3-1 overall) dating back to last year.

Lara had three doubles in the second game for Valley (3-1). Katie Shaner and Claire Long homered.

Fort Dodge is back in action on Tuesday at home against second-rated Ankeny Centennial. The Dodgers then face No. 5 Waukee Northwest on Thursday, again at Rogers Park.

FORT DODGE 7, WDM VALLEY 3

Valley 003 000 0 — 3 4 2

Fort Dodge 060 001 x — 7 8 0

WP–Jalen Adams (2-0; 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K). 2B–FD: Tory Bennett; V: Ireland Broderick. HR–V: Gianna Lara. SB–FD: Meah McCaleb 2, Ashlyn Wills.

WDM VALLEY 7, FORT DODGE 1

Valley 311 101 0 — 7 12 2

Fort Dodge 010 000 0 — 1 3 1

LP–Lucy Porter (1-1; 4 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). 2B–FD: Meah McCaleb; V: Gianna Lara 3. HR–V: Katie Shaner, Claire Long. SB–FD: Tory Bennett; V: Ireland Broderick.