Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Into the Class 2A State Softball Championship

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Rick Watts

The Rockets of EBF have been on a long journey this season. They have been ranked in the top ten in Class 2A all season long, and as high as #2. But as the season wore on, they slipped and were passed by teams that the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union deemed hotter or more deserving.

Well, when postseason play got started, the Rockets made no bones about it: they were one of the best teams in the state. The have the chance to prove that they are the BEST team in the state in Class 2A, as they will play for a championship on Friday.

It was relentless pressure put on by the EBF offense against a great pitcher for #2 Interstate 35. Carlyn Stanley entered as a prized recruit for Indian Hills Community College and has been dominant all year. But EBF would only be retired in order in the fourth inning, and would at least put two on base in four innings.

Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to score a run, as Stanley and her defense would continuously get out of jams. Stanley would strike out 12 Rocket batters in the game, but would also walk six.

The big hit finally came when Randie Richmond launched a two-run bomb over the left field wall to give the Rockets a 2-0 lead. Richmond was also dominant in the circle, allowing just one hit in the first six innings and two hits in the 7th.

It was precarious, but the Rockets were able to ride their junior right-hander to the win. Richmond would finish with a complete game three-hitter with no walks and four strikeouts, throwing only 71 pitches in the game. That’s compared to the 147 that Stanley had to throw for I-35.

EBF advances to their second state championship game in school history in softball, with the other coming in 2014. They will face #5 Iowa City Regina, who is making their third straight trip to the state title game in Class 2A, winning the championship in 2015.

The first pitch is scheduled for 4:53 PM on Buena Vista University Diamond at Rogers Sports Complex. You can hear the action starting around 4:35 on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.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.

Oskaloosa Survives in Extras, Into State Softball Semis

Posted on July 19, 2017 by Rick Watts

If the 2016 State Softball Tournament wasn’t thrilling enough for Oskaloosa supporters, the beginning of the 2017 edition should kickstart their adrenaline.

#4 Osky played from out front in their Class 4A Quarterfinal against #5 Mount Pleasant, but had to go into extras to pull out a 3-2 win and advance to the final four.

The game began with Oskaloosa’s Alexis Groet and Mount Pleasant’s Cali Liechty trading clean innings through three. In the top of the 4th, Mount Pleasant would threaten, but a great catch and throw by Josie Bunnell in left field got the Indians out of the jam with a double play.

In the bottom of the 4th, Osky finally broke through on the scoreboard. Ava VandeWall singled and that was followed by an Aubrey Miller double off the left field wall. Taylor Wills would fly out, but Maddie Haines would draw a walk to load the bases with just one out.

Freshman Meghan Moorman came to the plate and dumped a little blooper into shallow left field. Panther shortstop Anni Liechty made a great catch ranging into left, but was upended by left fielder Chi Glaha who was also trying to make the catch. After Liechty fell down, Coach Jay Harms sent VandeWall from third and she would score ahead of the throw.

Mount Pleasant immediately would answer, however, as they would get a leadoff single by Makayla Cam, and she would score on a Chi Glaha double with two outs in the 5th.

The game would stay there until the bottom of the 6th, when Taylor Wills would launch her second home run of the season. The moonshot to straight away centerfield gave Osky a late 2-1 lead with just three outs left to get.

As they have all season, the Panthers battled back, getting a leadoff single by Allison Buckert and she immeiately stole second. After a couple of quick outs, Glaha came through with an RBI single to tie the game off of Groet.

We went into the 8th, and Groet settled back in, striking out the dangerous Bailey Johnson and getting the Panthers 1-2-3 to set up the middle of the Osky order in the bottom half of the inning.

Aubrey Miller led off with a walk and that was followed by a Wills single. Haines would pop out, and that would bring Moorman back to the plate with the potential game-winning run at second base. After Emily Richmond entered as a pinch runner for Miller, Moorman crushed a ball off the base of the centerfield wall to get the RBI and give Osky the win.

Alexis Groet picked up the win in the circle, striking out 11 Panthers and allowing just six hits.

The Indians are into the state semifinals for the second straight year, and they will face #1 Winterset, who enter at 33-7 after a 5-2 win over #8 Sergeant Bluff-Luton on Tuesday.

That state semifinal will be played on Thursday morning at 11:30 AM on Diamond 2 at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. You can hear the action live on 104.9 FM KBOE, 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, kboeradio.com,radiokmzn.com, and the KBOE and KMZN mobile apps. The pregame show will begin around 11:15 AM.

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.

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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