FORT DODGE — Five hits, including two home runs and a triple, enabled Des Moines Hoover to score seven runs in the top of the fifth inning, a burst that carried the Huskies to an 8-3 win over ADM in the Class 4A State Championship game Friday at Harlan Rogers park.[wpedon id=”85410″ align=”left”]
ADM (35-8) had taken a 2-0 lead with a pair of tallies in the bottom of the fourth before Daija Bates opened the fifth with a solo home run to center field, her first dinger of the season. A walk, an error and a RBI-single followed before Hoover pitcher Hannah Blackford served her own cause with a monstrous three-run shot well over the fence in right field for a 5-2 Huskies lead.
Two singles and a two-run triple from Bates pushed the margin to 7-2 and set the stage for Hoover (22-7) to win their first title since winning a one-class 16-team crown in 1982. The Huskies had not returned to the state tourney since then before surprising the 4A field this season. Their appearance in the title game was the first by a Des Moines public school since Des Moines East fell to Ankeny in the 5A title game in 2012.
While neither team moved the scoreboard in the first three innings the game provided plenty of excitement with fine defensive plays, notably from ADM sophomore center fielder Morgan Meyer.
Meyer spun around, raced to the fence, and crashed into the barrier while leaping and reaching over the top protective barrier to pull back a would-be home run from Abby Nolte to end the top of the first inning.
Tiger hurler Abbie Hlas — whose sister Emily had singled in the third frame for the first hit of the game — ripped a single down the right field line to start the ADM fourth. She moved to second when the ball was misplayed, and scored from there when Sierra Wyant laced a single back up the middle for a 1-0 ADM lead.
Wyant sped to second base on the late throw to the plate, advancing to third on a ground out by Ashley Tennant.[wpedon id=”85410″ align=”left”]
Brooke Hickey dropped down a squeeze bunt an on 0-2 count, with first baseman Katie Burns flipping the ball to catcher Hannah Poortinga. The ball and a sliding Wyant arrived at the same time, with Wyan initially ruled out.
However, the ball had been jarred free and lay in the dirt behind Wyant, out of view of the home plate umpire. Realizing the Poortinga had not held on, the umpires conferred with each other, reversing the call and giving ADM a 2-0 lead.
The fifth inning explosion by Hoover was followed by a sixth inning in which neither team scored, but Nolte lifted a deep drive with one out to right field in the top of the seventh. The spinning shot, pushed by the wind, eluded right fielder Emily Hatchitt, who crashed to ground at the base of the fence, the ball skipping away. By the time Hatchitt — playing with stitches in her knee, the result of an accidental self-cleating — could regain her feet and reach the ball Nolte had circled the bases for a rare inside-the-park home run.
Despite trailing by six runs and down to their final three outs the Tigers refused to slink away. Hickey opened the at-bat with an opposite-field triple to right, with Brynn Busta’s base hit closing the gap to 8-3 with no outs.
A fielder’s choice and a strikeout left Emily Hlas on first base with two down, and a ground out to the third baseman ended what by all accounts was a brilliant season for the Tigers.
Abbie Hlas suffered the loss in the circle after yielding eight runs on eight hits. She issued two walks and finished with five strikeouts.
Blackford allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out one while not walking a batter in earning the win.[wpedon id=”85410″ align=”left”]
Adel won a fall softball championship in 1970 as one of their eight state tourney appearances. Friday’s game capped the fifth trip to the tournament for the merged ADM program. The Tigers have now placed second four times — in 1994 and 1995 as a 2A team, and in 2007 as a 3A. ADM tied for fifth in 2008.
Head coach Rick Dillinger, who began coaching in 1976 at Danville, was seeking his fourth title, having led North Polk to championships in 2000, 2006 and 2008. He was assisted this season by Kenzi Sutton and Thana Heller.
Tennant was the lone senior, and junior Hatchitt the only other upperclassman for ADM, far and away the youngest team in the tourney field.
