Albia Looking for a State Championship Title

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Rick Watts

John Hirl, Announcer

The Albia Lady Dees had been upsetting teams left and right in their postseason run so far. From Solon to Boyden Hull/Rock Valley, the Lady Dees have been doing the impossible. Their miracle run continued Thursday night, as they defeated the Mount Vernon Mustangs to clinch their spot in the State Championship game Friday night against the 1-Seed Davenport Assumption.

The Dees started off well like they have all postseason. Hannah Isley got on base and later scored after a Mustang error in the outfield. The Mustangs battled back in their half of the 1st when Bailey Sullivan scored Libby Ryan to make it 1-1 after 1. Rylee Leshen left off the 2nd and immediately went yard and it was 2-1 Dees going into the bottom of the 2nd. After a scoreless Mustang 2nd, Hannah Isley dug in and hit a no doubter for Albia’s second home run of the game to make to 3-1 Dees. Just one batter later the Albia pitcher Jena Lawrence hit a homer of her own to push the Albia lead to 4-1 after 2 and a half. Mount Vernon would swing back in the bottom of the 3rd when Libby Ryan was once again hit in, this time by Sammy Moss to cut the Albia lead to 4-2. That would be the end of the scoring for a while as Jena Lawrence and Mount Vernon’s Amanda Roe would settle in in the circle. Both pitchers pitched well through the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings, neither one allowing a run with help from their defense. Albia added some insurance in the top of the 7th when Makenna Ross would score Isley for the 3rd time in the game to make it 5-2 going into the bottom of the 7th. The Mustangs would get the speedy Libby Ryan on, but would fail to score her as Albia would shut the door on the Mustangs in the bottom of the 7th. Another great game from Jena Lawrence in the circle and Hannah Isley at the plate mean the Lady Dees are on their way to the Class 3A State Championship to play Davenport Assumption.

The Knights from Davenport Assumption will be the toughest test for the Dees this year. Some believe the Knight may be the best team in the entire State Tournament, regardless of class. Davenport comes into this game with the best record in the entire state, 43-1. Their only loss coming in the first game vs a team from Moline, Illinois. They feature two great pitchers, Nicole Timmons and Hannah Kelley, who both sport sub .50 ERAs. The Knights can swing the bats too, with 8 of their 9 starters hitting .350 or above. The No Coast Network will have coverage of the Class 3A State Championship game on Friday, July 21st with pregame starting at 6:50 PM and gametime at 7:09 PM on 104.9 KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE Mobile App.

Oskaloosa and Sigourney To Play In Third Place Game

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Rick Watts

Connor Swim, Announcer

After each dropping their semifinal games to tough opponents, the Indians and the Savages look to end their seasons on high notes by winning their respective 3rd place consolation games.

In the first game of the day on Thursday morning, Oskaloosa ran up against a defensively stout Winterset team. Winterset, the number one seed in 4A, was a defensive machine, only giving up one run early in the game. This run gave Oskaloosa an early 1-0 lead, but it would not be enough. Winterset made defensive play after defensive play, and finally broke through with their hitting in the 6th inning, with some help from untimely errors from the Indians. Before Osky knew it, they were down 3-1 and down to their last out. Winterset would go on to win the game and advance to the 4A championship. Oskaloosa advances to the 3rd place game, where they will take on #7 Charles City at 9:30 am with pre-game starting at 9:15 on 99.5 FM 740AM, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app. If Oskaloosa defeats Charles City, they will set the school record for wins in a season.

Sigourney played in most likely the craziest shootout Fort Dodge has ever seen. After Sigourney and Clarkesville put up two runs in the first inning, a lightning delay side lined the action for an hour and a half. When played resumed, an absolute barn burner broke out, and both teams fought tooth and nail for a chance to advance to the Class 1A Final. The game ended up in a 9th inning, with a tournament record 40 hits between the two teams, and Clarksville setting an individual team record with 26 hits. After a three run shot in the top of the 9th, Clarksville found themselves with a 15-12 lead, and they finally finished the game to advance to the finals. You can catch Sigourney in their 3rd place game at 1:30 with coverage starting at 1:15 on 104.9 KBOE, radiokboe.com, and the KBOE mobile app.

Montezuma Drops Final Consolation Game In Extra Innings

Posted on July 20, 2017July 20, 2017 by Rick Watts

Connor Swim, Announcer

The Montezuma Bravettes unfortunately had a rough run in the State Tournament. As their time in Fort Dodge comes to a close, they leave 0-3 after being run ruled in their first two games. Monte also had the misfortune of running up against a seemingly unstoppable Kee High team that is the overwhelming favorite to win the 1A title in convincing fashion. After suffering such tough losses in their first two rounds of play, Monte looked to end their trip to Rogers Sport Complex with a positive result. They faced a conference foe in Belle Plaine for the 7th place trophy.

Both Monte and Belle Plaine are similar teams with similar goals heading into their final game. A bright spot for both teams is their youth, with only one senior between the two teams. Both teams are also new to State Tournament play, with 2017 being Montezuma’s first ever trip and Belle Plaine’s second appearance. So while at first glance the 7th Place Game does not mean much, in the big picture both teams looked to gain valuable experience at the State tournament and find a least a taste of success to help set them up to make a real run in next year’s tournament.

The game began in a way that made Monte fans think, ” Not again.” Early fielding errors by the Bravettes allowed Belle Plaine to take a quick 2-0 lead. It looked like the Bravettes would find themselves in trouble again, but immediately in the Monte half of the first inning freshman Maddy McKeag cut the lead in half after reaching third on defensive errors and scoring on a SAC ground-out by teammate Shelby Helms.

After the first inning, both pitchers and their defenses settled in. Both sides allowed base runners but held stout and allowed no more runs until Shelby Helms hit another RBI, this time on a single. Then, in the 6th inning, Monte’s Olivia Moretz laced a triple down the right field line, and scored one batter later on an error. The stage was set for Monte to find their first win, but it was not meant to be.

In the 7th, Belle Plaine’s Shaylee Dodd was able to draw a one out walk. From there the Plainesmen were able to small ball their way to a tie ball game, with a SAC from Ashton Bohlen and RBI double from Grace Perrott. Then Belle Plaine’s pitcher Katie Cubbage struck out two in a one-two-three bottom of the seventh. Both teams entered extra innings playing international tiebreaker rules, which meant both teams start their half of the inning with a runner on second. In the top of the eighth, Belle Plaine capitalized on their free base runner scoring immediately with a deep hit from Katy Ward that was dropped in right field. The Plainemen then took care of business in the bottom of the eighth in four batters to secure their 7th place trophy and the win.

Even with an 0-3 result in the State Tournament, the fight Monte put up in the final game is something they can be proud of. The girls finally had some success and a chance to win the game late, and even though they did not win, they can hold their heads high for making state for the first time in Montezuma history. You can expect the Bravettes to come out even stronger next season, a year older and with loftier goals now that they have had a taste of Fort Dodge.

Montezuma Falls In First Consolation Game to Colfax-Mingo

Posted on July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 by Rick Watts

The first trip to the State Softball tournament for the Montezuma Bravettes has not gone as they would have hoped. After a magical run through regional play, the Bravettes entered the Class 1A State playoff looking to add to their Cinderella story. Unfortunately, Montezuma ran up against an absolute powerhouse in the #1 ranked Kee High Hawks. After an tough to stomach 18-1 loss, Montezuma hoped to find a way to re-energize and take on a Colfax-Mingo team that had defeated them twice in the regular season. That would not be the case as Colfax-Mingo jumped to an early lead and never looked back on their way to a 12-0 four inning run rule victory.

The first three Colfax-Mingo batters reached base on two singles and a hit by pitch. That allowed cleanup hitter Rhiannon Haley to open up the score with a huge three RBI double. She would be batted in two pitches later by pitcher Colbee Cunningham. After gaining a 4-0 lead in the first inning, the wind seemed to be taken out of the sails of Montezuma. They struggled putting runners on base, and thanks to more collective hitting by the top of the Colfax-Mingo line up, Montezuma found themselves with no momentum for most of the short four inning affair. Colfax-Mingo short stop Amy Russell made matters even worse by hitting a two run homer in the second inning making the score 6-0, and then adding a three run shot in the forth. When it was all said and done, Colfax-Mingo had scored 12 runs in four innings on 12 hits.

The bright side of this whole tournament for the Bravettes can be found in their youth. Returning all players next year, Montezuma is gaining valuable experience in the State Tournament. That being said, Montezuma looks to finish their last tournament game with a positive outcome. You can listen in on the Bravettes final game in Fort Dodge on Wednesday, July 19th at 12:00 pm on 104.9 KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app.

EBF Upsets Columbus Catholic in 2A State Softball Quarters

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Rick Watts

Connor Swim, Announcer

Even though rankings on paper suggested that the #6 ranked Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Rockets were the underdogs to the extremely young #3 Columbus Catholic Sailors, a wildly different story played out in the Class 2A Softball Quarterfinal matchup at the Rogers Sports Complex on Day One of the State Softball Tournament in Fort Dodge.

Ignore every statistic, ignore the rankings, and ignore the predictions. None of it matters here in state tournament play. The story for the Rockets played out in a way that no one watching except for the Rocket faithful and athletes expected. EBF entered the state tournament red hot, winning all regional playoff games convincingly and highlighted by a strong 4-1 win over #4 ranked Pella Christian in the Region 6 Final. The Rockets have made their money behind talented junior pitcher Randie Richmond. backed by an athletic and stout defense, as well as an explosive offense highlighted by senior shortstop Haegen Boyer and senior catcher Claire Jager.

Columbus Catholic had a dream season entering the state playoffs. The Sailors reached State for the first time in school history on the back of a school record 34 win season. The young team, fielding all underclassmen except for a lone senior and junior, has a healthy balance of solid hitting and pesky pitching. Sophomore Kayla Sproul pitched 32 of the Sailors’s 39 games this year and throws a lot of off speed that compliments her fastball. They carried a lot of moment into tournament play.

Early in the game, it became apparent which team let the moment get to their heads and what team was playing with the fire and confidence needed to succeed in the state tournament. EBF started out the game strong, not plating any runs, but knocking on the door and putting runners in scoring position every inning. In contrast, Columbus Catholic only recorded 5 hits in the entire game, 3 of which came in the 7th inning. EBF pitcher Randie Richmond was in complete control and her confidence was mirrored by her team. Still, with all of the hits and runners stranded on base by EBF, the Rockets seemed to have trouble plating runs. They took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd thanks to a triple turned Little League Home Run by senior Taryn Swartz. Swartz laced a ball into the outfield and ran into 3rd base standing up. The throw from the cutoff man flew over the head of the 3rd baseman and Swartz never stopped running and took home. This error painted a picture of the game as a whole. EBF played with confidence and did not make mistakes. Columbus Catholic showed their youth and inexperience and played a much messier game than their counterparts. This allowed EBF to appear in complete control of the game, even with just an 1-0 lead.

Finally, in the 7th inning, the score reflected the story of the game. After two singles and a walk in the top of the 7th, Haegen Boyer blew the game open with a huge double, pushing the score to 3-0. The Rockets did not quit there, with Claire Jager hitting a 2 RBI single and Darian Johnson ripping a 2 RBI double to add to the EBF lead in the top of the 7th.

The Sailors found a little bit of life in the bottom of the 7th, scoring 2 quick runs. EBF Head Coach Tony Fenton made a trip to the mound, calmed his players, and the defense closed out the game in decisive fashion.

You can catch the EBF girls in action in the Class 2A Semifinals on Thursday, July 20th, at 5:00 pm, and as always you can listen to the game live on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app, with the pregame show beginning around 4:45.

Top Seed dominates Montezuma at State

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Rick Watts

It looked tough on paper, and it ended up being even tougher than anyone could have imagined.

Defending Class 1A State Champions and #1 seed Kee made it look easy against #8 seed Montezuma in the quarterfinal round of the State Softball Tournament on Monday, winning convincingly, 18-1.

The young Bravettes got a solid outing from their defense and junior pitcher Hanna Jones, as she shut out one of the best offenses in the state in four of the seven innings. Unfortunately, the innings where the Hawks scored runs turned out to be big innings.

Five runs would score in the second, four in the fifth, and nine in the seventh. With that, Montezuma will get a great opportunity to rebound and win a game during their maiden voyage to the State Softball Tournament. They’ll face a familiar foe in #5 Colfax-Mingo, who along with #6 Belle Plaine and #7 Sigourney, represent the South Iowa Cedar League with the Bravettes. Sigourney was the only team from the SICL to win in the quarterfinals.

Monte has not had good luck against the Tigerhawks in 2017, losing at home on May 31st, 3-1, and dropping the game in Colfax on June 26th, 11-1. Both teams are playing different ball these days, and the matchup should be fun.

First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9 AM at Buena Vista University Field at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. Coverage begins on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app around 8:45 AM. Winner of the game will play Wednesday in the 5th Place Game, while loser will play in the 7th Place Game.

Savages stun the Westerners at State

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Rick Watts

John Hirl, Announcer

One of the biggest stories going into this year’s Class 1A State Championship Tournament was the potential rematch between Kee High and Akron-Westfield in the Championship game. The Spoiler Savages of Sigourney dashed any hope of that happening as they defeated Akron-Westfield, 7-3, Monday afternoon in the 1st Round of the State Tourney.

Sigourney (23-11) came into the contest as a 7-Seed and heavy underdog to the 2-Seed Westerners of Akron-Westfield (35-3). However, that didn’t stop the Savages from playing with confidence and composure the whole game. It started in the 1st inning when, after a shutdown inning defensively, the Savages jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after Autum Barthelman hit in her sister Summer to score the first run of the game for the Savages. Sigourney would go on to score a couple more runs in the 1st to push it to 3-0 Savages after 1. The Westerners would strike back, however, with a pair of runs in the 3rd. The Savages would enter the 4th with a 3-2 lead and exit with a 6-2 lead after nice RBI’s by Summer Barthelman and Kendall Striegel and some costly errors committed by the Westerners. Akron Westfield added a run in the 5th and Sigourney put another one on the board in the 6th to make the score 7-3 going into the 7th and final inning. Kendall Striegel set down the Westerners in order to end the 7th and put a cap on a terrific day for her in the circle where she allowed just 3 earned runs against a team that boasted 4 of the top 5 hitters in the tournament for Class 1A. The many Sigourney fans that made the trip to Rogers Sports Complex erupted after the final out was recorded as their team continued its improbable postseason run.

Next the Savages play the 3-Seed in the Class 1A tournament, Clarkesville (28-2), on Thursday at 7:30 PM on Diamond 2 at Rogers Sports Complex. The Savages will look to pull of yet another upset this postseason when they take on an Indians squad that went undefeated in conference play in the Iowa Star Conference and posses an outstanding freshman pitcher Kori Wedeking who went 22-1 this year with an ERA of 0.69. The No Coast Network will have coverage of the Class 1A State Semifinal game starting with game time tentatively set for 7:30 PM. The pregame show is set for around 7:15 on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app with John Hirl and Mitch Eslick.

No Coast Network Announces Broadcast Lineup for State Softball Tournament

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Rick Watts

State softball is on deck and five area teams will be playing for state titles in four different classes.

All the action on the No Coast Network begins Monday morning around 10:45 on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app. In Class 1A, #8 Montezuma will face #1 Kee in the first game on Buena Vista University Diamond at the Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. Monte enters at 19-12 while Kee is 35-2.

Following that contest on the same field at around 3 PM will be #7 Sigourney vs. #2 Akron-Westfield. That game will also be broadcast on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app. Sigourney is 22-11 entering the tourney and Akron-Westfield is 35-2.

Not too long after that will be the Class 2A quarterfinal between #6 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont and #3 Waterloo Columbus Catholic. First pitch is on Diamond 2 around 5:30 PM Monday evening. The Rockets will be playing on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app just before the first pitch. If the Sigourney game is still going on prior to first pitch, the game will begin on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app. EBF enters at 30-8, with Columbus Catholic entering at 34-5.

Tuesday morning, #7 Albia takes the field in the Class 3A bracket. The Lady Dees are playing #2 Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. First pitch is at 11 AM on Buena Vista University Diamond. You can check for regular updates on 104.9 FM KBOE throughout the game, as well as the KBOE 104.9 FM Facebook page. Albia goes into the tournament at 28-8, and Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley enters at 32-2.

Finally, Oskaloosa will round out our first round games Tuesday afternoon at 3 PM in the Class 4A quarterfinals. The #4 Indians play #5 Mount Pleasant on Buena Vista University Diamond, and that game can be heard on both 104.9 FM KBOE and 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN. It will also be streamed on both kboeradio.com and radiokmzn.com. Osky goes into the tournament at 29-12 and Mount Pleasant enters at 31-10.

You can follow all of the state tournament action by liking our Facebook pages, KBOE 104.9 FM and KMZN. You can also follow us on Twitter: @KBOERadio and @KMZNRadio.

Oskaloosa Defeats Burlington with Late Rally, Back to State in Softball

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Rick Watts

The Oskaloosa Indians were trying to make history on the softball diamond on Tuesday night, and riding another unbelievable performance from their ace, they did just that.

#7 Burlington was in town to face the #5 Indians in the Class 4A Region 5 Final with a trip to state on the line. When the dust settled, Osky would grab the win, 5-1.

Oskaloosa hit the ball well all night long against Grayhound pitcher Alivia Fawcett, getting hits in every inning but the fourth. They would plate the game’s first run in the second after singles by Aubrey Miller and Taylor Wills, which would be followed by a Maddie Haines sacrifice bunt and a Meghan Moorman RBI single.

On the other side in the early going, Osky pitcher Alexis Groet struck out the first eight she saw before allowing a couple hits in the fourth. She’d pitch around that jam to keep the score 1-0. After both teams were quiet in the fifth, Burlington brought the top of their order back up in the 6^th. Slap hitting senior Mia Ruther would get her second hit of the game to lead off the inning, then she would promptly steal second. After back-to-back strikeouts, clean-up hitter Heather Geiger hit a soft grounder down the first base line. She would leg that out for an infield hit, and the throw to first from Groet would go down the right field line, allowing the tying run to score.

Into the bottom of the 6^th, Oskaloosa wanted to get more runs before they fell behind. Ava VandeWall led off the inning with a double, representing the go-ahead run. Aubrey Miller would walk to follow that, and Taylor Wills would move the runners to 2^nd and 3^rd on a groundout to first base.

Maddie Haines would come through with a single down the left field line to give Osky the lead. Another bloop hit was hit to right field by Meghan Moorman, which set the table for senior Devan Welch, who got her second hit of the game for an RBI to increase the Osky lead. Josie Bunnell would also hit an RBI single to make it 5-1.

In the 7^th, Groet would quickly retire all three batters she faced to give the Indians the win and move them to state for the third time in four years. This is also the first time in school history that Oskaloosa qualified for state in back-to-back campaigns. They won the Class 4A State Championship in 2016.

Osky advances to state where they will play on Tuesday next week at 3 PM against Mount Pleasant. The Indians are the #4 seed in the bracket with Mount Pleasant the #5 seed. You can catch all of the state tournament games for Osky on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app.

Montezuma, Sigourney, EBF, Albia All Qualify for State Softball Tournament

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Rick Watts

The softball regional finals did not disappoint in our listening area on Monday night as four games produced four area teams qualifying for state.

In a game heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app, the Montezuma Bravettes took on Fort Dodge St. Edmond in a most improbable matchup. After three quick, scoreless innings, Monte would plate three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings and another run in the sixth. A solo home run would be all the Gaels could match in that span. Eventually, Monte would get the final out and win by a score of 7-1. Bravette pitcher Hanna Jones would only surrender one run on three hits in the game.

Montezuma will be the #8 seed in Class 1A and will face #1 seed Kee in the quarterfinals on Monday at 11 AM.

On 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app, the Sigourney Savages looked to upset #3 Martensdale-St. Marys on the road. The Savages would score two runs early, but Martensdale-St. Marys would battle back and tie the game. Sigourney would hang tough and walk-it-off in the bottom of the 7^th to advance to state with the upset.

Sigourney will be the #7 seed and will face #2 seed and perennial powerhouse Akron-Westfield Monday at 3 PM.

Joining Montezuma and Sigourney at state are Colfax-Mingo and Belle Plaine, who found ways to win their respective regions as well. That means that four of the eight teams in the Class 1A state tournament bracket are out of the South Iowa Cedar League, a conference that had zero teams ranked in the top ten heading into the postseason.

In Class 2A Region 6, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont travelled to Pella Christian High School to face the #4 team in the state and picked up a 4-1 win to get back to state for the first time since 2014. They’ll be the #6 seed in Class 2A and face #3 seed Waterloo Columbus Catholic on Monday at 5:30 PM.

In Class 3A Region 7, Albia went on the road to face Solon and got a big upset win, 11-3. The Lady Dees have shown the ability to play with anyone and they’ll get a chance as the #7 seed in the Class 3A bracket. They’ll play #2 seed Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley in the quarters on Tuesday at 11 AM.

Tonight, the Class 4A and 5A Regional Finals will be decided. Among them is the Class 4A Region 5 Final between the Oskaloosa Indians and the Burlington Greyhounds tonight at 7 PM. You can hear that contest live on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app starting at 6:45 PM.

Also, the Ottumwa Bulldogs will be on the road to face top-ranked Waukee in the Class 5A Region 1 Final. That game is at 7 PM as well.

You can check out a full schedule for the State Softball Tournament for all of our listening area when we announce it by the end of this week for both KBOE and KMZN. Keep updated by checking out the websites, kboeradio.com and radiokmzn.com.

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