Greene County to play Friday for third place, Clarke playing for championship
Clarke Community senior pitcher Libby Bemis, who will pitch for Division 2 Minnesota State University, Makato next year, stymied the Greene County Rams late Thursday night in a semifinal game in the class 3A state softball tournament. The Lady Indians of Clarke (Osceola) topped the Rams 4-1 in a game that didn’t start until 11 pm due to a three hour rain delay in the late afternoon.
Bemis got 12 strikeouts against the Rams and walked just one, bringing her season stats to 235 Ks and 34 walks. Every Ram in the line-up struck out at least once, although some of the girls connected for fouls. She had a two hit shut-out going until the top of the seventh inning, with Tressa Rasmussen hitting a single in the second inning and Sydney Koch hitting a single in the fifth inning.
Rasmussen’s single came on two outs and was followed by a Ram strike out.
Rasmussen’s next at bat was in the top of the fifth inning. She connected with the ball again and hit it over the fence, but it was about two feet outside the pole on the third base line. She became Bemis’s seventh strike out for the game. Koch went to the plate and hit her single. Carleigh Paup struck out next, but Bailey Godwin made it to first on an error by the Lady Indians’ second baseman. The Rams had runners on first and second (Koch) with two outs, but Bemis struck out Saddoris to end the inning and strand the base runners.
Hannah Onken’s seventh inning home run came on the first pitch of the inning and sailed easily over the centerfield fence. It was her fifth home run for the season and her 32nd run batted in. Rasmussen followed with a single. Koch hit a bouncer and by a fielder’s choice Rasmussen was out at second. Carleigh Paup hit a pop up that was caught in foul territory and Bailey Godwin struck out for the last out of the game.
Ram pitcher Marissa Promes struck out five batters and walked two, bringing her season stats to 219 strike outs and 29 walks. She allowed seven hits.
The Lady Indians’ first hit was a single with one out in the first inning. The runner stole second but was thrown out by catcher Hannah Cooklin attempting to steal third.
They took the lead in the bottom of the third inning with a home run by designated hitter Allyson Deutsch. They combined five singles and a passed ball in the fifth inning for three runs, all of them earned.
According to the official tournament scoring, the only Ram error was by Saddoris at second base in the sixth inning, and no runs scored.
The Rams return to Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge Friday for the third place game at 1:30 pm. They’ll play East Marshall, which lost in the semifinal game to defending state champion Bondurant-Farrar by a score of 8-4.
The 3A championship will be a repeat of last year’s championship game between Bondurant-Farrar and Clarke. That game will begin at 2:30 pm.
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