Things don’t always go as planned for the third-ranked (Class 4A) Fort Dodge softball team.

Even a rivalry that’s become as lopsided as the series with Mason City will produce a surprising turn of events every once in a while.

Head coach Andi Adams reminds her Dodgers it isn’t the action, but rather, the reaction that matters most.

Despite falling behind 3-0 and 6-4 early, Fort Dodge calmed the waters and ultimately swept the Riverhawks by scores of 9-6 and 9-0 to extend the program’s win streak over Mason City to 10 seasons and 36 games overall.

The Dodgers (24-3 overall, 10-0 in the IAC North) plated the final 14 runs of the evening, holding Mason City (4-17, 2-8) scoreless over the last 10 innings.

“We made some mistakes, both mental and physical, which isn’t a positive of course,” said Adams, who is now 91-6 overall against the Riverhawks during her tenure at FDSH. “But I like to see how we respond in those situations. And to this team’s credit, they usually have a pretty short memory. They don’t panic, and for most of them, they push to bounce back and prove what happened in the field or at the plate won’t beat them twice.

“I love that about this group. They’ll always come back swinging.”

The Dodgers uncharacteristically committed four errors in the opener, but eventually seized control. Junior Calliegh Zimmermann went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while classmates Hope Alstott and Ellie Doster both homered.

Freshman Macy Wills doubled and tripled. Sophomore Aubrey Alstott and freshman Emersyn Lara added two hits each.

Aubrey Alstott fought through a rough first two innings and was in total command the rest of the way. Alstott allowed three earned runs and struck out seven, remaining unbeaten on the year at 13-0.

“Our pitchers got into a rhythm, we got a lot of contributions from different hitters, and I just love how much Calliegh wants to make the next play and go get the ball (at first base),” Adams said.

The nightcap was all Dodgers. Sophomore Sydney Carver (10-2) twirled a six-hit shutout, and Fort Dodge tallied eight runs in the opening two frames to quickly turn the sweep into a no-doubter.

Doster went deep again — her 10th of the year — and senior Teryn Rippentrop was 2-for-2 with three RBI. Wills chipped in two more hits, including a double.

Doster is now batting .568 with 53 RBI — both Top-5 totals in 4A.

“I’m not entirely sure why, but we haven’t been great in our first Monday games (of the week) this year,” Adams said. “We had a big weekend (with the FDSH Invitational), but we can’t make any excuses. We’ve come too far to let ourselves slip. I think fortunately, they understand that and believe it, too.”

The Dodgers are back in action on Thursday at Marshalltown. First pitch in the twinbill is set for 5 p.m.

FORT DODGE 9, MASON CITY 6

Mason City 330 000 0 — 6 8 3

Fort Dodge 420 111 x — 9 12 4

WP–Aubrey Alstott (13-0; 7 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). 2B–FD: Macy Wills; MC: Pyper Koch. 3B–FD: Macy Wills. HR–FD: Ellie Doster, Hope Alstott; MC: Brogan Evans. SB–FD: Brooklyn Gilliland.

FORT DODGE 9, MASON CITY 0 (5)

Mason City 000 00 — 0 6 1

Fort Dodge 531 0x — 9 9 2

WP–Sydney Carver (10-2; 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). 2B–FD: Macy Wills; MC: Piper Nelson. HR–FD: Ellie Doster. SB–FD: Teryn Rippentrop, Macy Wills, Maeleena Meyer, Emersyn Lara, Hope Alstott, Rylee O’Brion.