Ankeny Centennial’s Mady Ott was surprised when the Urbandale softball team elected to pitch to her.
It was a decision that the 11th-ranked J-Hawks are now regretting.
With two outs and first base open, Ott blasted a three-run homer over the flag pole in left-center field to give the No. 6 Jaguars a 10-8 victory in eight innings to complete a sweep of Monday’s doubleheader against visiting Urbandale.
“I was surprised they didn’t walk me to load the bases and have a force play, but Jess(ica Lathrop) was on deck and her bat has been hot lately,” said Ott.
It was Centennial’s second walk-off win of the night and allowed the Jaguars to clinch at least a share of the CIML Conference championship. Coach Brett Delaney’s team won the opener, 4-3.
“The girls found a way to get two gritty victories,” said Delaney. “Urbandale’s a really quality opponent, and they came ready to play. We had to come from behind in both games and just find a way.”
The Jaguars finished the regular season at 13-3 in the conference and 28-9 overall. Urbandale’s records dropped to 4-12 and 20-18.
No. 1 Valley is 11-3 in the league and can also earn a share of the crown by sweeping last-place Dowling Catholic on Wednesday.
“It’s great to be conference champs, but we are not done yet,” said Ott, whose team will begin the defense of its Class 5A state championship later this week.
After Urbandale scored two runs in the top of the eighth to break a 6-6 tie, winning pitcher Lauren Sandholm drew a leadoff walk to ignite the Jaguars’ rally. She advanced to second on a grounder by Addie Pollock and came home on a double by Addi Starr, her fourth of the night.
Pinch-runner McKenna Vallejo went to third on a single by Cora Boyle, who raced to second on the throw home. Jordyn Kennedy then flied out to shallow left field to set the stage for Ott’s heroics.
“It was a decision that (Urbandale) made,” Delaney said. “I was actually surprised that they didn’t walk Jordyn first, and then they didn’t walk Mady. But you know, whoever would have been up there for us, I think they would have been prepared for that opportunity–whether it was Jordyn, Mady or Jess in the 5 hole.”
Ott, who had homered earlier in the game, ripped a 3-1 pitch from Urbandale reliever Morgan Barry over the left-field fence. It was her 13th blast of the season, which ties her for fourth in the state among all players.
“I’ve been in a few clutch situations where I’ve come up just short this year so to be able to pull through in a clutch situation felt really good,” Ott said.
Urbandale built a 6-1 lead on the strength of three home runs, but the J-Hawks lost a critical run on an apparent three-run blast by Tatum Johnson when the lead runner was mobbed by one of her teammates and missed home plate. It ended up being a costly error.
Centennial scored three runs in the fifth inning and two more in the seventh to force extra innings. An infield single by Payton Drefke scored Ott with the tying run.
“It was a true testament to their willingness to do whatever it takes to get it done,” Delaney said of his team’s comeback.
Ott went 4-for-4, scored three runs and knocked in six more in the win. She is now batting .377 with a team-high 38 RBIs.
Starr went 3-for-5 with three doubles and drove in a run, while Lathrop also had a double. Starr is tied for 11th in the state with 17 doubles.
Sandholm (13-6) took over in the pitcher’s circle with one out in the third and allowed just one earned run on three hits over the final 5 2/3 innings. She walked one and had four strikeouts.
In the opener, the J-Hawks took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on a two-run homer by first baseman Bella Oberbroeckling. Centennial tied the game in the sixth when Vallejo led off with a single and eventually came home on a sacrifice fly by Kennedy.
After Boyle (15-1) replaced Sandholm in the top of the seventh and retired all three batters that she faced, Drefke was hit by a pitch from Barry to lead off the bottom of the inning. She then advanced to second when Mary Brantley reached on a fielder’s choice.
After both runners moved up on a sacrifice by Ava Faber, Drefke raced home for the winning run on a squeeze bunt by Kori Lincicum that landed between Barry and Oberbroeckling.
“It was a good confidence booster for everybody,” Delaney said. “The games had a postseason feel to them. I think it was an invaluable experience to get the girls ready for the postseason.”
Starr went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the opener. Kennedy went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
Makenna Foster went 2-for-3. Boyle doubled and scored a run.
The Jaguars will host Marshalltown (13-23) or Iowa City West (3-31) in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Saturday at 7 p.m. Those two teams will meet in a quarterfinal on Thursday at Marshalltown.
“No matter who we get, we’ll be ready to play,” Delaney said. “We have two of the best pitchers in the state in Lauren and Cora. It gives us two different types of pitchers, and we’re prepared to use both of them. And our lineup will be ready to go, too.”
