Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Maggie Elsbecker of Fort Dodge slides safely into second base at Rogers Park on Wendesday. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

Lydia Lara ran her season record to 10-0, Lucy Porter picked up her fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season and the third-ranked (Class 4A) Fort Dodge softball team swept Waterloo East for a second time this season here Tuesday night at Rogers Park.

Scores were 10-0 in five innings and 12-0 in four in favor of the Dodgers.

Lara, a senior who was 0-2 inside the circling entering the year, tossed a two-hitter in the nightcap for FDSH (25-7 overall, 13-1 in in the Iowa Alliance Conference), which has now won five in a row and 14 of 16.

“That is exactly what you want to see out of a senior,” FDSH head coach Andi Adams said. “Lydia is poised and so confident right now. When someone with her experience gains that extra bit of confidence, you really see them take it to another level.”

Porter, a sophomore, pushed her career record to 42-10 with a two-hitter of her own in the opener, striking out 13. She has now pitched 18 scoreless innings and hit her season-high in strikeouts vs. the Trojans (3-24, 1-13).

“When you know what you are going to get out of girls like Lydia and Lucy pitching, it takes so much pressure off of everybody else,” Adams said. “But at the same time, all of these girls are just so excited and so hungry to prove everybody wrong that doubted them. Sure, we lost some key players, but these girls want to keep the tradition going.

“With Fort Dodge softball, that’s what it’s all about.”

The Dodgers took advantage of six walks and six more hit batters to start the doubleheader, scoring runs in four of the five innings. Eighth-grader Ellie Doster and senior Maggie Elsbecker each drove in two, while Lara reached four times and scored two runs with an RBI.

Elsbecker, Ashlyn Wills and Cadence Touney reached three times a piece, while Meah McCaleb and Macy Brown were on base twice. McCaleb and Touney also drove in a run.

“We moved a few girls around in the lineup just to see how it would shake out,” Adams said. “We’ve got some options going forward and some depth we can play around with.”

An eight-run second opened things up in the second game, as Brown drove in two and Hope Alstott, Wills, Elsbecker and Lara each had one. McCaleb scored twice and Touney also crossed home two times.

Maddie Hoshaw finished the twinbill with three stolen bases, as Fort Dodge surpassed 100 as a squad on the year.

The Dodgers have now won at least 25 games each of the past six seasons and 10 of the last 12 overall.

Up next will be a twinbill with Ames on Thursday night for the conference title. Earlier this year, the two teams split their doubleheader, with the Little Cyclones winning 1-0 and Fort Dodge scoring a 6-4 victory.

FORT DODGE 10, WATERLOO EAST 0 (5 inn.)

Waterloo East 000 00 — 0 2 1

Fort Dodge 124 03 — 10 8 0

WP–Lucy Porter (15-7, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 13 K, 1 BB). LP–Aubrey Mielke (2-11, 4ª IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 K, 6 BB).

2B–WE: Malloree Nichols; FD: Lydia Lara. RBI–FD: Meah McCaleb, Maggie Elsbecker (2), Lydia Lara, Cadence Touney, Ellie Doster (2). SB–FD: Cadence Touney, Hope Alstott, Meah McCaleb, Ashlyn Wills, Maggie Elsbecker, Maddie Hoshaw (2).

FORT DODGE 12, WATERLOO EAST 0 (4 inn.)

Waterloo East 000 0 — 0 2 7

Fort Dodge 082 2 — 12 4 1

WP–Lydia Lara (10-0, 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB). LP–Malloree Nichols (1-7, 3 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 1 K, 7 BB).

RBI–FD: Hope Alstott, Ashlyn Wills, Maggie Elsbecker, Lydia Lara, Macy Brown (2). SB–FD: Maddie Hoshaw, Hope Alstott, Meah McCaleb, Ashlyn Wills.