Ankeny Centennial first baseman Lizzy Klunder was in the right spot at the right time to get a souvenir from the state softball tournament on Wednesday.
Klunder caught a pop fly for the final out of the game as the 10th-ranked Jaguars defeated No. 5 Pleasant Valley, 8-1, in the Class 5A semifinals at Harlan Rogers Park in Fort Dodge.
“I was running forward and was going to (pitcher) Sam (Klug), and I just caught it,” said Klunder. “The ball’s in my bag. I’m going to keep that one.”
Centennial (33-9) rallied from an early 1-0 deficit by scoring two runs in the fifth inning and six more in the sixth. Sydney Morris went 2-for-3 and had two RBIs for the Jaguars, who will play No. 2 Fort Dodge (37-4) for the Class 5A crown on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Klug (12-5) tossed a four-hitter and had nine strikeouts as Centennial extended its winning streak to seven games.
“Pleasant Valley brought a good team today, but our girls have been working hard and it’s just been a non-stop fight,” said Centennial coach Brett Delaney. “These girls earned every minute of that opportunity right there and the week’s still going, and we still have the opportunity to take (the championship trophy) home this year.”
Check back later for complete coverage of the game.
