ADM tops Carlisle for program's first Iowa softball state title
· Yahoo Sports
FORT DODGE − In the new era of double elimination at the Iowa high school state softball tournament, No. 1 seed Adel-De Soto-Minburn still left no doubt, going undefeated at the tournament on its way to a state title.
The Tigers ended a dominant, wire-to-wire run to their first-ever state title with a 6-0 win over Raccoon River Conference foe Carlisle on Thursday, July 23. Starring in the effort were pitcher Lauren Hagedorn and catcher Kinzie Maxwell. Hagedorn gave up just four hits and conceded no runs in the circle, while Maxwell was 3-for-3 at the plate with a single, double, a home run, two RBIs and a walk.
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From the first round to the state title game, the Tigers went 4-0, outscoring their opponents 29-6 over the week in Fort Dodge. ADM had not lost since June 16, ending the campaign on a 24-game win streak. This is ADM's first softball state title as a school, though Adel High School won in 1970 before the three towns combined to create ADM.
"I hope all the younger girls underneath us (at ADM) can look up to us and know they can do it and they have the power to do it," Maxwell said.
The Tigers, just like during their path to a state championship, controlled the game from start to finish. Maxwell got her team on the board first with a hard-hit RBI double to center field to bring home Hagedorn. Before the end of the inning, Makenna Pitlick's hit to shallow center field got down as two Carlisle players collided. The sequence allowed courtesy runner Peyton Herrick to score. Carlisle senior Alyvia Freeman had to be helped off with an injury, but re-entered the game at shortstop in the next inning.
In the bottom of the third, it was Maxwell again with a big play. Leading off the frame, she drilled a shot over the center field wall to give the Tigers a 3-0 advantage. In the bottom of the fifth, with Maxwell on first base after a single, Aubrey Noring lasered a single to deep center field to score ADM's fourth run of the game. Noring would also score to make it 5-0, reaching home following an RBI single from Finley Schaul. The final run across was Elliotte Von Roden, who reached home thanks to a bases-loaded walk.
The Tigers had it all in this game, from high-powered offense, lights-out pitching and a defense dialed in.
"They knew they had this game," said ADM coach Lindsay Stanford. "They had it. They believed in themselves. They knew if they did the work, that was going to be the outcome."
The Wildcats' season came to an end with a 36-7 record. This was the program's 23rd state tournament appearance in coach Jim Flaws' 40-year tenure at the helm. Key seniors Mallie Stoner, Ella Smith, Alyvia Freeman, among others, depart high school with plenty to be proud of, having won a state title in 2024.
For ADM, Thursday's game was a chance at revenge. The Tigers had been to the state tournament six consecutive seasons, but have fallen short each time. In 2024, Carlisle cut ADM's title hopes one game shy of a state championship.
This time around, ADM would leave nothing to chance, concluding its dream season at 37-4, with a dominant win streak and a state title to show for it.
"We have been on the other end of this situation, it really sucks," Hagedorn said. "Being on the winning end is really exciting and really big for this team."
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: ADM tops Carlisle for program's first Iowa softball state title