Comets fall to Huskies, 7-2, in first round of state tourney

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

FORT DODGE — You got the feeling things might start out painful when Des Moines Hoover’s Hannah Blackford got hit by the first pitch thrown by Charles City ace Sami Heyer in one of the Class 4A first-round games, Tuesday at the State Softball Championships.

And indeed it did get more painful as two more Husky batters got hit that inning.

But the marks were left on the Comets as the Huskies ended up sending nine to the plate that inning while taking a 5-0 lead.

Heyer returned to her effective self and held the Huskies scoreless for the next four innings before being touched for two unearned runs in the sixth inning. And the Comets began to get better swings at Husky starter Blackford after the first time through the lineup.

But No. 2-seed Charles City couldn’t overcome the early deficit and lost, 7-2.

The No. 7-seed Huskies (20-9) move on to the semifinal round where they will face No. 6-seed Sergeant Bluff-Luton at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

When the Comets lost in the first-round at the state tournament two years ago, they bounced back to win the consolation bracket.

This year, the tournament scuttled the consolation bracket, but the first-round losers still get an added  — “thanks for playing … and since you’re already down here, we’ll let you play again” — consolation game.

Media — including the professional and social varieties — have weighed in about the meaningless of these token consolation games. But Charles City’s consolation game will likely have a pride factor to it as the Comets will face Independence at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The two teams met late in the regular season after the Mustangs took over the Class 4A No. 1 spot in the periodical Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union softball rankings after the Comets were ranked No. 1 during the two weeks before.

Charles City won the game, 1-0.

The Comets and the Mustangs, which lost to SBL 3-2 in their first-round game, will get one more shot at each other while capping their seasons.

Hoover didn’t get its first hit amid its first-inning rally until the seventh person up in the lineup. Katie Burns hit a bloop double that found an open spot in short left-center field, chasing a run home ahead of Jordan Redeker singling to right to drive in the fourth and fifth runs.

With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Charles City eighth-grader Ashlyn Hoeft recorded the Comets’ first hit with a double down the left-field line that was nearly caught by Husky left fielder Karli Benson, who dove all-out for the ball only to have it bounce out of her glove upon hitting the ground.

Charles City senior Tayler Schmidt followed with a bouncer over the third base bag for another double scoring Hoeft.

After Ciana Sonberg reached on an error, Payton Reams laid down a suicide-squeeze bunt to score Schmidt for Charles City’s only other run.

Blackford, who tripled and doubled in the leadoff role for the Huskies, picked up her ninth win. Not a strikeout artist like her counterpart Heyer, who came into the tournament with 260 Ks for the season and added nine more against the Huskies, Blackford relies more on her defense which backed her up with some outstanding plays against the Comets.

With innings and chances running out, Sonberg hit a laser-shot heading for right field only to have Husky second baseman Jade Sharp snare it with a diving catch.

Hoeft was robbed of her second hit of the game by a diving catch by Hoover shortstop Abby Nolte. And Heyer, batting for herself in the final inning, had her bid for extra bases foiled by a running catch by Husky center fielder Tayler Floyd near the fence.

For Charles City, this is its 27th state tourney appearance which has them in a three-way tie with Ottumwa and Ankeny for second most all-time. Clear Creek-Amana is the all-time leader with 34.

For Des Moines Hoover, this is only its second state tournament appearance. The last time the Huskies made it was in 1982, when they defeated Charles City in the championship game.

Other Class 4A results include No. 1-seed ADM defeating No. 8-seed Dallas Center-Grimes, 8-1; and No. 4-seed Newton edging No. 5-seed Cedar Rapids Xavier, 1-0.

DES MOINES HOOVER 7, CHARLES CITY 2

DMH AB R H BI CC AB R H BI

Hannah Blackford 3 1 2 0 Lisabeth Fiser 4 0 1 0

Jade Sharp 3 1 0 1 Ashlyn Hoeft 3 1 1 0

Abby Nolte 3 1 0 0 Tayler Schmidt 3 1 1 1

Hannah Poortinga 3 1 0 1 Ciana Sonberg 3 0 0 0

Karli Benson 4 0 0 1 Payton Reams 3 0 1 1

Daija Bates 3 1 1 0 Cora Crooks 1 0 0 0

Katie Burns 4 1 1 2 Alex Litterer 1 0 0 0

Jordan Redeker 4 0 1 2 Allie Cross 1 0 0 0

Tayler Floyd 3 1 0 0 Kelby Katcher 3 0 0 0

  Madeline Peters 3 0 1 0

Rachel Chambers 2 0 0 0

Samantha Heyer 1 0 0 0

TOTALS 30 7 5 7 TOTALS 28 2 5 2

DES MOINES HOOVER 500 002 0 — 7

CHARLES CITY 000 200 0 — 2

LOB–DES MOINES HOOVER 8, CHARLES CITY 5. ERR–Jade Sharp, Abby Nolte (3), Payton Reams. 2B–Hannah Blackford, Katie Burns, Tayler Schmidt, Ashlyn Hoeft. 3B–Hannah Blackford. HBP–Hannah Blackford, Hannah Poortinga, Daija Bates. SB–Tayler Floyd.

DES MOINES HOOVER IP H R ER BB SO HR

Hannah Blackford (W) 7.00 5 2 2 0 4 0

CHARLES CITY

Samantha Heyer (L) 7.00 5 7 6 3 9 0

PB–Hannah Poortinga. SO–Jade Sharp, Tayler Floyd (2), Jordan Redeker, Katie Burns (2), Daija Bates, Abby Nolte, Karli Benson, Madeline Peters (2), Tayler Schmidt, Rachel Chambers. BB–Jade Sharp, Tayler Floyd, Abby Nolte.

NOTES: Class 4A First Round Umpires: P-Brian Cole. 1B-Mark

Brighton. 3B-Travis Chizek.

LOCATION: Rogers Park – Buena Vista U Diamond