SUBSTATE FINAL
-CLICK HERE TO SEE MADISON THOMPSON TALK ABOUT HER HOME RUN
-CLICK HERE TO SEE CLIPS FROM THE GAME
F/9
JOHNSTON 3
#6 EAST 2
It was a thriller at East on Wednesday night in the 4A Region 3 Substate Final. And after two extra innings the Dragons of Johnston were able to pull the upset and break the hearts of East players and fans that had packed the complex.
The Scarlets jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, and that score would stick for many innings as Scarlet freshman Riley Fisher and Johnston senior Tara McCully pitched a couple gems.
In the top of the fifth inning Fisher began to struggle a bit and after one of her pitches got past catcher Cari Smith, Johnston’s Cassie Curtis was able to steal third base. Curtis was than able to steal home after Smith walked away from home plate and left it briefly unattended. That heady base-running by Curtis tied the game at one. East went down one, two, three in the bottom of the fifth, securing Johnston all the game's momentum.
In the top of the sixth, Johnston’s Madison Thompson hit the first home run of her career. Thompson said she didn’t think it was going to get over and she was almost right, the ball scraped the plastic yellow tubing that goes around the outfield fence, barely escaping the field. The home run put the Dragons into a frenzie and gave them a 2-1 lead. East would put runners on second and third in the bottom of the sixth, but could not score.
Johnston threatened in the top of the seventh but the Scarlets (who had switched pitchers to another freshman, Janie Smith) came out unscathed. In the bottom of the seventh, East senior Missy Ulmer led off with a single. Ulmer was than sacrificed to second. Than with two outs, East sophomore Taylor Alligor stepped up and whacked a base hit into left center scoring Ulmer and tying the game at two.
In the top of the eighth Johnston was able to muster a leadoff walk followed by a Jordan Sandquist infield single. Janie Smith would retire the next three batters and East went into the bottom of the inning with nothing to lose.
The bottom of the eighth brought Johnston freshman Abby Wilmes to the mound. Kaitlyn Carpenter led off the inning with a single. Sophomore Jessica Grochala than sacrificed Carpenter to second base but East could not muster up any more success in the inning, and it’s on to the ninth.
Johnston’s Jayde Cherkas started the inning striking out, but senior shortstop Abby Sonner quickly gave the Dragons life with a single. The second out of the inning came on a foul ball fly out. Johnston coach Todd Merical than became risky. With two outs he gave Sonner the green light to steal second base, and she did it successfully. Shortly after that senior Leah Peterson hit a controversial infield single and it allowed Sonner to score the go-ahead run from second base. That’s all the Dragons would need as East went down one, two three in the bottom of the ninth.
Johnston will play at 1:30 next Tuesday in Fort Dodge at the State Tournament.
TJ Rushing, High School Playbook
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