There won’t be an all-Ankeny clash, or even an all-CIML Conference battle, in the Class 5A state championship softball game.
Second-ranked Ankeny and No. 3 Waukee Northwest, the defending champion, were both upset by teams from the Mississippi Athletic Conference in the Class 5A quarterfinals on Monday at Harlan Rogers Park in Fort Dodge. The Hawkettes dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 7 Muscatine, while the Wolves suffered a 5-4 loss to No. 6 Pleasant Valley in the other game on the bottom half of the bracket.
Ankeny (31-7) and Northwest (31-12) will now play in a Class 5A consolation game on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. on Veterans’ Field.
“I am very excited to be able to play one last time with our team and especially the seniors,” said Ankeny outfielder Aubrey Lensmeyer. “They are all like sisters to me, and I want to be able to secure one more win as a team.”
Lensmeyer, a sophomore, doubled twice for the Hawkettes’ lone hits off Muscatine pitcher Maura Chalupa. Chalupa (20-3) racked up eight strikeouts en route to her second straight shutout.
“She pitched really well,” Ankeny coach Dave Bingham said of Chalupa. “We were very confident going in. We did a lot of work.”
Ankeny starter Abby Rusher (19-5) was nearly as good. She took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before giving up a leadoff double to Avery Schroeder, whose line drive to left-center field was almost snared on a tremendous diving attempt by Avery Nelson.
Schroeder advanced to third on a bunt by Kaitlyn Haag, but the Hawkettes got out of the jam when Becca Haag failed to get a bunt down and Ankeny catcher Cassie Johnson threw a strike to shortstop Kendra Lewis, who tagged Schroeder out as she tried to get back to the bag.
“We would have had to be spectacular to not give them any runs, but we had our moments,” Bingham said. “They got that runner to third there in the sixth, and Cassie gunned her out.”
Muscatine then took advantage of the Hawkettes’ only error to score three runs in the seventh. Mia Molina led off with a single, went to second on a bunt, and then moved to third on a two-out infield hit by Lilly Gray.
Schroeder followed with a hard grounder that was fielded cleanly by Ankeny third baseman Larissa Miller. However, her throw to first was in the dirt and Alysa Lowe was unable to come up with the ball, allowing Molina to score.
After Schroeder stole second, Kaitlyn Haag hit a two-run single to left to increase the Muskies’ lead. Schroeder barely beat the tag by Johnson at home plate to make it 3-0.
“It comes down to little things,” Bingham said. “We had a no-no into the sixth, but credit to them for making adjustments and getting some balls in play.”
Rusher retired nine straight batters during one stretch. She allowed one earned run on five hits and had three strikeouts over the first 6 2/3 innings before Kendra Winfrey came in to get the final out in the top of the seventh.
Lensmeyer drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the inning, but Chalupa then retired the next two batters to close out the game. Muscatine (33-6), which placed third at last year’s tournament, will play Pleasant Valley (31-9) in the Class 5A semifinals on Wednesday.
“The love and gratitude and confidence that we had I think caught us a little off guard when it’s a tight game like that, but we’ve been in a couple like that so that was good,” said Bingham, whose team’s 11-game winning streak came to an end. “I think we thought we were going to have a chance at the end, and I still–honestly, with two outs–with this group I was very confident.”
After Lensmeyer hit a one-out double in the second inning, Chalupa retired the next eight batters that she faced before Lensmeyer doubled again to lead off the fifth. It was her sixth double of the season.
“I knew that (Chalupa) had a curve and rise and liked to hit the outside corner,” Lensmeyer said. “I just went in with a clear, calm, and confident mind like Bingham says. I knew that this was a big game, and I wanted to leave it all out on the field for the team.”
However, Chalupa then struck out the side to keep the game scoreless. In the sixth, she walked Miller with one out but left her stranded at second.
That set the stage for Muscatine’s big seventh inning that extended the Muskies’ winning streak to eight games.
“I’m very grateful for them,” Bingham said of his players. “Win or lose, no matter what was going to happen, I was going to be proud of them.”
Ankeny, making its 28th state tournament appearance, will play Northwest for the third time this season in an effort to tie for fifth place in Class 5A. The Hawkettes swept a doubleheader at Northwest on June 26.
“What a season it has been, and we get one more game,” Bingham said. “That’ll be fun to take the field with them one more time. It’s a privilege.”
