SEMI-SWEET
Dodgers respond with two wins before bowing out
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The longest day in the history of Fort Dodge softball ended with tears, hugs and an extended ovation from fans anxiously waiting to greet their Dodgers on the other side of the fence to the field at the state tournament.
Their team hadn't lost. They'd been outlasted.
In the first year of the new double-elimination format, head coach Andi Adams' squad gave it everything they had until they had nothing left to give. A 14-hour, three-game marathon at Rogers Park for FDSH ended with No. 2 seed Carlisle advancing to the Class 4A state championship round in a winner-take-all showdown with the third-seeded Dodgers, 2-0.
Adams isn't into moral victories or always taking a bigger picture away from coming up short. She loves to win first and foremost. Yet even she felt a sense of both pride and closure in the ending late Wednesday night despite the outcome on the scoreboard.
"It feels like we won," Adams said. "I know that sounds strange, and I know these kids would give anything to be playing for a title (on Thursday). But they maxed out. They invested everything - physically, mentally and emotionally - into this game, this season and each other.
"They're exhausted. I'm exhausted. I truly feel like they can walk away from this experience with no regrets. I couldn't have asked them for more. And even though we came up short of the ultimate goal, this is the kind of thing they'll be telling their baby girls about someday."
The Dodgers (41-6 overall) began climbing the daunting mountain step by step with a 2-1 morning win in an elimination showdown with North Polk. That set the stage for round two with the Wildcats (36-6), who had defeated Fort Dodge the evening before by an 8-3 count.
The tables were turned by a focused group of Dodgers in the rematch. Knowing they had to prevail to stay alive and set up a rubber match for the championship berth, Fort Dodge was all business in a 7-3 victory that flipped the script on the seasoned Wildcats.
"It's really hard to put into words what I saw in those first two games with their backs against the wall," Adams said. "They played flawless defense. Our pitching with (sophomores) Aubrey (Alstott) and Sydney (Carver) was fantastic.
"Instead of feeling the pressure (of being on the brink of elimination), they rose to the occasion. That says so much about their character and the connection and trust they've built as a real, true team."
After a two-hour break, Carlisle answered with a clutch counter-punch in the finale. Iowa State University recruit Mallie Stoner fired a three-hit shutout, and a run in the first and one more in the fourth was enough to hold up and finally shake the Dodgers.
Alstott tossed a four-hit complete game versus North Polk while also hitting her first home run of the season. Alstott and Calliegh Zimmermann both had two hits for Fort Dodge, which stranded eight runners and had three thrown out at either third or home.
The offense led the charge in the first tilt with the Wildcats. Zimmermann, Meg Marsh and Emersyn Lara - the Nos. 6, 7 and 8 batters in the lineup - each drove in two runs. Leadoff hitter Hope Alstott was 3-for-4 with an RBI double.
Zimmermann and Lara had two hits each. Macy Wills scored three times.
Carver went five innings for the win, allowing just two earned runs. Alstott relieved her and went two more scoreless frames for the save.
Carver and Alstott teamed up to keep the Wildcats quiet in the third installment, but Stoner - a senior who helped Carlisle to a state title here two years ago - was just that much better. A few hours earlier, Stoner had allowed four runs in less than two innings against the Dodgers. She buckled down when it mattered most, though.
"I'm not making any excuses - they beat us and were the better team (in the nightcap)," Adams said. "Do I feel like we kind of hit a wall in that third game? Yes. Did we run out of gas? Yes. We wanted it. We kept competing. We kept believing. But we were also getting to that point of exhaustion."
Alstott threw 154 pitches on the day, and Carver totaled 130. In the 20 combined innings of work, the duo struck out a total of two batters. Fort Dodge's defense didn't commit a single error behind them.
"Flawless defense," Adams said. "Again, we couldn't have asked for more. That makes such a huge difference, when you're not giving (the opponent) extra outs or creating problems for yourself with errors."
After Fort Dodge received its state trophy and posed for a team picture, Adams had the Dodgers huddle together in one big circle for a parting, private conversation.
"They were crying. I was crying," Adams admitted. "It kind of (collectively) hit us at that moment. We didn't want this to end. Not in a way that winning would've necessarily (cured) - I mean we didn't want the season to end because we weren't ready for it to be over.
"This will forever be one of my favorite Dodger teams. We won 41 times, which hasn't been done here in over 20 years - and that was when we used to play 50-game schedules. They accomplished so many things. But it's more and bigger than that. We had fun. The kids bought in. They held each other accountable. We didn't make it here last year (to state) and I told them they could do something about that. They did. And I want to thank them for that."
Adams will lose seniors Teryn Rippentrop and Maeleena Meyer from what should otherwise be another title contender in 2027.
"But I have to say, God bless both Teryn and Mae," Adams said. "They've been leaders. The seniors you want to have. I truly believe going through this together - both the highs and lows of it - makes you better, not just as softball players, but people.
"I'm blessed with a terrific coaching staff, a great group of parents and these special kids. I couldn't ask for anything more. But I also know this will light a fire under them. I want it to hurt. I want them to taste it and feel the sting. That's what motivates you instead of satisfying you. We'll be back."
FORT DODGE 2, NORTH POLK 1
North Polk 000 010 0 - 1 4 1
Fort Dodge 010 100 x - 2 8 0
WP-Aubrey Alstott (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K); LP-Mallory Byrd (6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K).
2B-NP: Reese Smithey, Tessa Dillinger. HR-FD: Aubrey Alstott. SB-FD: Meg Marsh, Maeleena Meyer, Rylee O'Brion, Calliegh Zimmermann.
FORT DODGE 7, CARLISLE 3
Fort Dodge 000 420 1 - 7 11 0
Carlisle 001 020 0 - 3 9 2
WP-Sydney Carver (5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K); SV-Aubrey Alstott (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K); LP-Estella Bowman (5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K).
2B-FD: Hope Alstott; C: Akyvia Freeman. SB-FD: Hope Alstott 2, Emersyn Lara; C: Chloe Rolling, Anyah Oatts.
CARLISLE 2, FORT DODGE 0
Fort Dodge 000 000 0 - 0 3 0
Carlisle 100 100 x - 2 8 1
WP-Mallie Stoner (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K); LP-Sydney Carver (3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K). 2B-FD: Ellie Doster; C: Mallie Stoner, Claire Benson. SB-FD: Hope Alstott; C: Chloe Rolling.