Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Macy Brown of Fort Dodge stretches to make a play at first base against Waukee Northwest at Rogers Park on Friday night. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

Fort Dodge was one out away from a signature softball victory over defending state champion Waukee Northwest on Friday night at Rogers Park.

Then the Wolves showed why they won last year’s Class 5A title.

Northwest plated six runs in the top of the seventh inning — all with two outs — and held on for a 7-5 victory in a rematch of last year’s 5A final.

The Dodgers (11-4 overall) led 3-1 after six innings and got two strikeouts from pitcher Lucy Porter in the seventh. The Wolves then delivered an RBI double, drew three walks and finally a grand slam knockout punch for a 7-3 advantage.

Fort Dodge scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but left two runners on base.

Northwest came into the game rated 3rd in 5A. Fort Dodge is No. 4 in 4A after moving down one class this year.

The Wolves beat Fort Dodge, 2-0, for 5A gold in 2022.

“I saw so many good things, but sometimes, pressure gets to you in those (late-game) situations,” said FDSH head coach Andi Adams. “The last three outs in a tense game are the hardest.

“I am super proud of the girls, but making big plays and getting big hits are part of (closing the door). We’re not just young… we’ve also got a lot of inexperienced players who haven’t been in that type of stressful situation.”

Porter had allowed just two hits and kept Northwest (12-3) off the scoreboard into the sixth inning with a 3-0 advantage.

Natalee Watts got the Wolves on the board with a home run to open the sixth, but Porter retired the next three hitters in order to keep the Dodgers in front.

A fly ball to right that fell between two Dodger defenders would loom large in the seventh. After Laurel Richards reached to start the frame, Porter fanned the next two batters and went to two strikes on all-stater Maddie Oetzmann before she laced a double to left to trim the deficit to 3-2.

Porter suddenly couldn’t find the zone, walking the next three batters to force in a run and make it 3-3.

Kaylee Cords then delivered the big blow, belting a grand slam to center for a 7-3 Wolves edge.

“Lucy can’t put this on herself. There are so many things that happened for us to come up short,” said Adams. “These pressure situations will be good for us with what we will face in our future.”

The Dodgers plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh, getting RBI singles from Meah McCaleb and Hope Alstott, but both were stranded to end it.

Fort Dodge grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run single from Macy Brown. The Dodgers made it 3-0 in the fourth when Lydia Lara drove home Candace Touney.

Touney and Lara had two hits each for the Dodgers. Touney also scored twice.

The Dodgers backed Porter with some great defensive plays as well. Alstott made a nice grab on a grounder and flipped the ball to second from her stomach for an out in the fourth. McCaleb scooped up a hot shot at third base in the fifth for the second out of the frame.

Porter coaxed Northwest into 10 pop-fly outs. Alstott handled four of them.

The Dodgers jump back into Iowa Alliance Conference play on Monday, hosting Ames (11-6, 6-0) in a doubleheader with first-place in the Northern Division on the line.

WAUKEE NORTHWEST 7, FORT DODGE 5

Northwest 000 001 6 — 7 6 1

Fort Dodge 020 100 2 — 5 6 1

Maddie Oetzmann and Kaylee Cords. Lucy Porter and Ellie Doster. 2B–Northwest: Oetzmann. HR–Northwest: Natalee Watts, Kaylee Cords. SB–Northwest: Watts; FD: Touney, Ashlyn Wills. CS–Northwest: Watts. T- 2:01.