Estherville-Lincoln Central took another step towards a state championship on Monday, beating East Marshall, 8-2, in the quarterfinal round of the Class 3A State Softball Tournament. The Midgets scored three runs a piece in the second and third innings to pull away, and then added two more in the fourth. The Mustangs plated their two runs in the fifth inning. Kendall Bosch was in control from the pitcher’s circle, holding East Marshall to one earned run on five hits. The all-conference senior struck out seven batters and didn’t walk any. From the plate, Bosch also went 3-for-4 as ELC outhit the Mustangs 10-5. Sadie Winter was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two driven in, and freshman Caitlyn Clayton hit a two-run homer, her third blast of the season. The loss drops East Marshall to 30-6 and into the consolation bracket to play Waukon on Wednesday. Estherville-Lincoln Central, with a 28-6 mark, takes the diamond Thursday against top-ranked Solon, who also won by an 8-2 final. The Spartans are 36-6. Coverage of that semifinal matchup can be heard on Y100 starting at 2:50pm.
Des Moines Christian got after Emmetsburg and senior pitcher Faith Schmidt early and often Monday, running away with an 11-0 win in five innings in the Class 2A State Softball Quarterfinals in Ft. Dodge. The Lions scored one run in the first, then plated five runs in each of the next two frames. In all, the all-conference hurler allowed nine earned runs on nine hits, and finished with five walks and two strikeouts. At the plate, the E-Hawks received two hits from Michaela Rehm, with Schmidt and Tegan Olson collecting the only other hits on the day. Des Moines Christian improves to 28-6 and will play Thursday in the state semifinals against Durant, who defeated Denver, 3-0. Emmetsburg, at 32-10, falls into the consolation rounds and will play twice on Wednesday. The E-Hawks will open against Denver at 10am, with coverage available on Y100.
The other Class 2A quarterfinals ended with Treynor shutting out Wayne, 6-0, and Sumner-Fredericksburg holding on for a 4-2 victory over Van Meter.
In Class 1A, LeMars Gehlen Catholic and Newell-Fonda both took quarterfinal losses and will play each other Wednesday on the consolation side of the bracket. Gehlen Catholic fell 6-1 to Martensdale St. Mary’s, while Newell-Fonda dropped a close 4-3 contest against Charter Oak-Ute. The other quarterfinals saw Earlham defeat Marquette Catholic, 8-0, and Don Bosco snuck by Mason City Newman Catholic, 7-6.
