-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Mariah Myers of Fort Dodge attempts to tags Waukee NW Natalee Watts on Thursday in Waukee

WAUKEE — It was a doubleheader of give and take between third-ranked (Class 5A) Fort Dodge and No. 1 Waukee Northwest here on Thursday.

The Dodgers gave the Wolves an opportunity to stay in control of their own destiny in the CIML Iowa Conference softball race, and Northwest took it.

After a high-energy, tense 2-1 Fort Dodge victory in the opener, the Wolves rallied to salvage a split on their home field in the nightcap by plating single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings for a 3-2 triumph.

As a result, Northwest (28-4 overall, 19-3 in the CIML Iowa) remained a full game ahead of the defending state champion Dodgers (28-6, 18-4) in the league standings with just one twinbill remaining for both programs.

Head coach Andi Adams, who won her 700th game at FDSH in the first contest, insisted her squad learned a valuable lesson despite only coming away with a split. Fort Dodge trailed only once the entire night: at the very end, when an RBI single by Miami of Ohio softball recruit Reagan Bartholomew plated the winning run on a close play at the plate.

To Adams, the Dodgers got the fate they probably deserved.

“When you come to a place like this and try to sweep the No. 1 team with a conference title on the line, they’re not just going to hand it to you,” Adams said. “They’re going to dig and fight and do everything in their power to avoid getting swept. You can’t sit on two runs (that FDSH plated in the first inning of the nightcap) and expect that to hold up. You can’t back your way into (another win).

“You have to capitalize on opportunities and literally slam the door in their face. We got up early and built some momentum, but the deeper we got into the game, the more we seemed to be just kind of hoping the two runs would be enough. And it just wasn’t.”

Fort Dodge senior all-stater Jalen Adams became the program’s all-time leader for career victories with her 104th in the opener. Adams (16-3) struck out nine, scattering five hits and sitting down Wolve leadoff hitter Bailie Kroll looking to end it with the tying run at second base.

“Jalen was phenomenal,” Andi Adams said. “I honestly think it’s the best I’ve seen her pitch from start to finish. She wanted it. And our defense played really well behind her.

“These are the situations we need to be in. Big crowd. Hostile environment. Us against the world. And the kids responded, saying, ‘we’re here. We’re not scared. We’re not going anywhere.'”

The Dodgers had a number of hard-hit balls either go right to a Northwest defender or nosedive into a charging south wind blowing in toward home plate. Fort Dodge finally broke the scoring ice in the sixth, when senior Haley Wills delivered an RBI single to plate Tory Bennett. Wills then baited the Wolves into allowing courtesy runner Reese Pederson to score when she bluffed between first and second base.

Bennett and Wills stole bases. Bennett, Macy Brown and Maggie Elsbecker had the other Dodger hits against Maddie Oetzmann, a junior who had been undefeated at 17-0 before Thursday.

Fort Dodge appeared to be ready to go for the jugular when Adams and Mariah Myers recorded hits immediately and freshman Lucy Porter drove them both in for a 2-0 advantage in the second tilt. The Dodgers had nine hits in the first five innings, but stranded seven runners and held that precarious lead until the fifth and sixth, when the Wolves eventually tied it at 2 on an unearned run.

A two-out single by Wills in the top of the seventh nearly plated Elsbecker with the go-ahead run, but she was thrown out at home on a bang-bang play to end the frame. Bartholomew then drove in the winner on another call at the plate that could have gone either way.

A wild Northwest celebration spilled onto the field in much the same way the Dodgers reacted to their dramatic win in the opener.

Myers was 3-for-3 in game two. Wills singled twice and Lydia Lara doubled.

Porter (12-3) was sharp until the Wolves finally chipped away and began to solve her late.

Fort Dodge has one more CIML Iowa doubleheader at home against Marshalltown. Northwest takes on Ames next week; a sweep would secure the league title.

The Dodgers take on No. 2 Johnston on Friday morning at 11 a.m. in the Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational. Fort Dodge then squares off with Earlham at 2:15.

FORT DODGE 2, WAUKEE NW 1

Fort Dodge 000 002 0 — 2 4 1

Waukee NW 000 000 1 — 1 5 1

WP–Jalen Adams (16-3; 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K). 2B–NW: Maddie Oetzmann. SB–FD: Tory Bennett, Haley Wills.

WAUKEE NW 3, FORT DODGE 2

Fort Dodge 200 000 0 — 2 10 1

Waukee NW 000 011 1 — 3 8 1

LP–Lucy Porter (12-3; 6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K). 2B–FD: Lydia Lara.