DC-G edges Panthers in classic finale

The final moments of the 18th game provided the most drama of the 2022 John Stephens Classic.

Creston, ranked ninth in Class 4A, had rallied from a 4-0 first-inning deficit to take a 5-4 lead over Dallas Center-Grimes on Morgan Driskell’s RBI double in the fifth inning. Junior pitcher Keely Coen was trying to complete the victory over the No. 6-ranked Fillies, but was about to face the top of their order in the seventh inning.

Dallas Center-Grimes put together a three-run rally, starting with a line single, two bunts resulting in a base hit and run-scoring error, followed by a big two-run double by Macee Reiling.

Now trailing 7-5, Creston had an opportunity in the bottom of the seventh as Gracie Hagle and Jersey Foote singled. The Panthers’ most dangerous hitter, junior third baseman Nevaeh Randall, was up with one out. She had already homered against the Fillies earlier in the game and also hit a home run in the 9-0 afternoon win over Lenox.

DC-G sophomore pitcher Camilia Rodriguez, who had already racked up 11 strikeouts, fired a two-strike pitch to Randall.

Randall hit a laser shot that was caught by first baseman Amelia Ehlert, who beat Foote to the bag for the game-ending double play. It was a sudden conclusion to the Fillies’ 7-5 victory.

“We’d been throwing that girl outside a lot, but on that one Camilia decided to throw the riseball inside and we were able to make the play,” DC-G coach Steve Schlafke said. “That was a great game. This Creston group is so feisty. We got that 4-0 lead early and sometimes that’s tough for Creston. But tonight they just continued to battle. They were aggressive at the plate and played great defense.”

In the end, Schlafke said the two seventh-inning bunts were key to the victory.

“I tell our kids, you’re going to have a tough time winning in close games if you cannot bunt the ball,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to move people over and you have to put pressure on the defense. We had two bunts that were perfect up the first base line because they weren’t playing up there.”

Creston coach Mike McCabe said despite the seventh inning outcome, he was proud of his team’s ability to fight back and take the lead on a quality Class 4A team.

“That last inning for them was like the first, they had the top of the order coming up,” McCabe said. “We knew were going to have to earn it when they were at that point of the lineup. They book ended it on us with four in the first and three in the seventh. We had some big at-bats in between there to get ourselves back in the game.”

Creston started this year’s classic with a 6-3 win over Earlham before losing 15-0 to Class 5A 15th-ranked Ankeny, who had also routed Atlantic 12-1. (Mount Ayr challenged the Hawkettes on Saturday at the SWCC field, falling 4-3.)

On Saturday afternoon, Creston defeated a Lenox team, 9-0, that was playing without regular pitcher Zoey Reed, who was suffering from a virus illness.

McCabe liked the way his team rebounded from the lopsided loss to Ankeny and competed on Saturday.

“We didn’t play the way we wanted to the night before in a big matchup with Ankeny,” McCabe said. “I said something today about playing the way that we’re capable of playing. I thought we did that in this game. That’s how we need to play if we want to compete and win the conference and do something in regionals.”

Jersey Foote was named Creston’s Ron “Fox” Clinton Player of the Game against DC-G by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Randall was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Left fielder Caitlin Bruce made a running catch at the warning track, and catcher Ava Adamson threw out a would-be base stealer on a nice swipe tag by shortstop Gracie Hagle.

Hagle was named the player of the game against Lenox with two hits and an RBI. Catcher Sadie Cox got the award for Lenox with a perfect throw to get Foote out trying to steal second, and going 2-for-3 at the plate against winning pitcher Taryn Fredrickson.

Randall got the award for Creston in the loss to Ankeny, getting one of the team’s two hits along with a couple of defensive plays at third base.

Driskell was honored after the win over Earlham. She had two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs.

Tonight, Creston (10-4 overall, 5-1 Hawkeye Ten) hosts Carroll Kuemper Catholic (9-9, 6-1) in a battle for first place in the conference. It is a varsity doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m.

Friday’s scores

Creston 6, Earlham 3. Players of Game: Grace Porter (Earlham); Morgan Driskell (Creston).

Bondurant-Farrar 6, Atlantic 3. Players of Game: Jada Jensen (Atlantic); Sam Oaks (B-F).

Bondurant-Farrar 5, Earlham 2. Players of Game: Kate Lappe (B-F); Rowan Fisk (Earlham).

Ankeny 12, Atlantic 1. Players of Game: Rylee Riesberg (Ankeny); Claire Pellett (Atlantic).

Ankeny 15, Creston 0. Players of Game: Kendry Winfrey (Ankeny); Nevaeh Randall (Creston).

Saturday’s scores

Bondurant-Farrar 4, Clarke 0. Players of Game: Lauren Osborn (B-F); Tori Henry (Clarke).

Knoxville 10, Atlantic 2. Players of Game: Claire Pellett (Atlantic); Ashlyn Finarty (Knoxville).

Ankeny 4, Mount Ayr 3. Players of Game: Addy Reynolds (Mount Ayr); Mariah Parton (Ankeny).

Atlantic 4, Nodaway Valley 0. Players of Game: Zoey Kirchhoff (Atlantic); Lindsey Davis (Nodaway Valley).

Clarke 13, Lenox 1. Players of Game: Ali Henry (Clarke); Cadence Douglas (Lenox).

Bondurant-Farrar 4, Mount Ayr 2. Players of Game: Jacki Baas (B-F); Payten Lambert (Mount Ayr).

Ankeny 5, Knoxville 3. Players of Game: Eva Fulk (Ankeny); Brittany Bacorn (Knoxville).

Dallas Center-Grimes 6, Central Decatur 0. Players of Game: Macee Reiling (DC-G); Hallee Hamilton (CD).

Clarinda 6, Nodaway Valley 5. Players of Game: Hailee Knight (Clarinda); Jorja Holliday (Nodaway Valley).

Dallas Center-Grimes 4, Knoxville 1. Players of Game: Zoey Valenta (DC-G); Ciara Heffron (Knoxville).

Clarinda 9, Central Decatur 8. Players of Game: Emmy Allbaugh (Clarinda); Kylee Rockhold (CD).

Creston 9, Lenox 0. Players of Game: Gracie Hagle (Creston); Sadie Cox (Lenox).

Dallas Center-Grimes 7, Creston 5. Players of Game: Lydia Zaruba (DC-G); Jersey Foote (Creston).