If you get to play in Fort Dodge in the middle of July, you had a pretty good season.
That goes for the other teams there, too. And No. 8 Lisbon ran into a pretty good team that put together a pretty good inning, as No. 6 East Marshall topped them 8-1 in a Class 2A state quarterfinal on Tuesday, July 23 on the Iowa Central Field at the Harlan Rogers Sports Complex.
“I think we felt good, but were a little tight,” Lisbon coach Abbey Shultz said. “And that showed up throughout the day. They wanted to win the first game, Lisbon hasn’t done that in a few years (since 2021).
“They really wanted it.”
The Mustangs scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning, a nightmare scenario for a young Lion team.
“It was a little bit frustrating,” senior Addi Petersen said.
The second inning was difficult for a number of reasons. With one out, Bailey Grant hit a double.
That was followed by three straight singles. The second, hit by No. 8 hitter Libby Atcher, was an infield hit that Lisbon third baseman Chloe Clausen dove for and snagged, keeping it from going into left field, but she didn’t have time to get a throw off. The third hit was a high pop up that landed between three Lion defenders in left field.
Down 1-0 with the bases loaded, Lisbon pitcher Kyla Kahl walked both leadoff hitter Morgan Neuroth and No. 2 hitter Vaeda Bryan to make it 3-0.
“She was struggling to find the strike zone,” Shultz said. “As a pitcher, if you try harder to throw strikes, it ends up working against you.”
The Lions got the second out, but then Peyton Grobenbauer smashed a grand slam over the left field fence to complete the 7-run inning.
“It was kind of devastating,” Clausen said. “I mean, when they scored the first couple, I was like, okay, we can come back from this. When the girl hit the grand slam, my heart kind of sunk.
“We just had to find a way to fight back, somehow.”
East Marshall (34-5) manufactured another run in the fourth inning off a hit batter, an error and a fielder’s choice.
The Lions kept the faith.
“It was one of those things,” Shultz said. “The wheels are falling off, but this is a young team. Let’s see how we come back from that.
“We got down on ourselves a bit because we could have battled back.”
Lisbon finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. No. 9 hitter Lillian Gaiser walked and was hit in by Petersen.
“We’ve come back from eight or more runs before,” Clausen said. “We did believe. … Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”
The Lions only had four hits off Mustang pitcher Neuroth, who struck out seven.
Lisbon pitcher Kyla Kahl was pulled after giving up the grand slam. Addi Petersen took over and pitched the final three-and-a-third innings. She only allowed two hits, one walk, and hit two batters.
“I was ready for it. I had warmed up just in case, but I was not hoping to go in,” Petersen said. “I had confidence in my defense get outs and hold them.”
The next day, East Marshall lost to No. 1 Van Meter in the semifinals, 4-3, in eight innings. Van Meter went on to beat No. 5 Audubon, 5-3, in the 2A championship. East Marshall lost, 14-2, to No. 13 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont for third place.
Lisbon bounced back the next day and defeated West Fork in a consolation game, 4-0.
“We talked that this was for the seniors, now,” Shultz said. “This is the last time they get to do this. Two girls that sacrificed a lot of summers to be here.”
Clausen, a senior, led the way with two hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Kyla Kahl pitched a one-hitter, striking out four and walking two.
“We wanted to go out and have fun,” Clausen said. “We tried really hard to do that, and we did. That pitch was right down the pipe and I put a good poke on it. It felt good to do that in my last game.”
Addie Clark also had two hits against the Warhawks (18-9).
Lisbon finished 28-13 and qualified for state for the seventh year in a row.
“It means so much,” Petersen said of keeping the streak going. “As a senior, the pressure was on us.”
“It was a very successful season,” Shultz said. “They did things no one thought they’d do. With a new coaching staff, they showed an amazing ability to buy-in, trust the process and do the things.”
Clausen and Petersen, who plans to play softball at Mount Mercy, are going to be tough to replace, but the Lions bring back the other eight starters.
“I’m excited for them,” Petersen said. “There are a lot of good girls on the team, and a lot of good middle schoolers coming up. I’m excited for Lisbon softball. I can’t wait to continue watching it.”
“Now the table is set,” Shultz said. “Everyone has experienced that high pressure, so now what are you going to do? Are you going to rise or fall?”
East Marshall 8, Lisbon 1
Lisbon 000 010 0 – 1 4 2
East Marshall 070 100 x – 8 8 1
Kyla Kahl, Addi Petersen (3) and Emma Dietsch; Morgan Neuroth and Bailey Grant. W – Neuroth. L – Kahl. 2B – Addi Petersen (L), Bailey Grant (EM). HR – Peyton Grobenbauer (EM).