Mustangs earn 5th in Class 3A

FORT DODGE - Alexis Kroeger's three-run double highlighted a six-run third inning as Mount Vernon earned fifth place in Class 3A with an 11-4 win over Clarke at the state softball tournament Wednesday at the Rogers Sports Complex.

'We showed a lot of resilience,” said Mustangs Coach Robin Brand, whose team finished 31-10. 'I knew we would be ready to play. I couldn't be more proud. Lily (Dahlstrom) pitched three games (in the last two days), and she worked hard today.”

The fifth-place game was tied, 1-1, before the Mustangs struck for six. Clarke (21-19) got within 8-4, but Mount Vernon scored three in the top of the sixth to pull away.

'Our intention was more than to qualify,” Brand said. 'We wanted to come up here and compete, and I think we did.”

In the consolation semifinal earlier Wednesday, Sammy Moss' slow ground ball to first base in the bottom of the seventh inning allowed Kroeger to beat the throw to the plate, and Mount Vernon edged Crestwood, 2-1.

Crestwood took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, then Mount Vernon tied it on a pair of errors in the bottom of the fourth.

Kroeger led off the bottom of the seventh in a walk, then advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches.

LIONS FALL TWICE, FINISH 8TH IN 5A

Linn-Mar dropped decisions of 3-1 to Bettendorf and 9-0 to Ankeny, and finished eighth in Class 5A.

The Lions finished 25-20.

DoniRae Mayhew hit a two-run home run to put Bettendorf ahead in the consolation semifinal.

Michaela Kennedy drove in the Lions' run with a single in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 2-1, but that's as close as they got.

Linn-Mar fell behind in the first inning of its final game and could not recover.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com