Jaye Hutcheson tossed a three hitter as ninth ranked Linn-Mar cruised to an 8-0 win over Des Moines Lincoln in a class 4A quarterfinal round game.
The Lions got all the runs they would need in the top of the first when they scored four runs, all coming with two outs.
Junior first baseman Sammy Stephenson drove in the only run of the game in the top of the ninth with a two out single through the hole in left as Pleasant Valley edged Johnston 1-0. Stephenson says with Spartan pitcher Anna Sokolik limiting Johnston to just two hits they were confident they would eventually break through,
She says they knew their defense was strong and eventually their offense would come on, and it did.
Senior second baseman Caitlin Davis led off the top of the ninth by slamming a home run over the left field fence as seventh rated Ottumwa upended third ranked Cedar Rapids Jefferson 1-0. Davis says she had trouble hitting her all night, but got an inside pitch and turned on it. Davis says the Bulldogs played a solid game, especially on defense. She says they got a lot of hits, but didn’t string them together.
Jefferson coach Larry Niemeyer says the game came down to one pitch and one swing. He says sometimes things happen that way, as they had an 0-2 count and then came with an inside pitch and "She hit the heck out of if."