Championship bracket competition resumes at the state high school softball tournament in Fort Dodge on Thursday with the semifinal round in all five classes. In class 1A, third ranked Martensdale-St. Marys will take on tenth rated Charter Oak-Ute.

This is the fifth straight year that Martensdale-St. Marys has reached the semifinal round but the Blue Devils are still in search of their first title.

Martensdale-St. Marys coach Todd Verwers says they have a lot to contend with as their baseball team has won titles, “Five times in a row that’s great, but until you have the one big trophy, it’s not good enough.” The Blue Devils will be out to snap a three game losing streak in semifinal round games but Verwers says pressure is not an issue.

“These girls have been in big games since they were in 7th and 8th grade,” Verwers says. He says they’ve been to the state tournament in other sports and they have been bless to have good athletes.

Charter Oak-Ute is 28-12 and upset fourth ranked Newell-Fonda 4-3 in the quarterfinal round.

Right fielder Ashley Goslar drove in the winning run against Newell-Fonda with a single in the top of the seventh and says the Bobcats are thrilled with the chance to play in the semifinals. “This is the biggest deal ever, like, I’m so excited, I’m like I’m nervous already, but I think we can take it all the way for sure,” Goslar says.

Second ranked Earlham will play sixth ranked Don Bosco in the other 1A semifinal. Earlham senior catcher Amy Wright says the Cardinals are motivated by last year’s first round loss to eventual champion Akron-Westfield. “We got beat and we know what it felt like and we didn’t want the feeling again.”

Wright was a freshman third baseman on the 2009 Earlham team that won the state championship. She would like to end her high school career in the same manner. “I remember that dogpile at home plate, I remember that vividly, I dream about that every day,” Wright said.

Don Bosco scores three runs in the bottom of the sixth to rally by Mason City Newman in the opening round. The Dons are in the semifinals for the first time since the 2000 season.

The opening round of the state high school softball tournament is complete. Kendyl Lindamen slammed a pair of homers as top ranked Ankeny rolled to a 13-0 victory over Marshalltown in class 5A. Ninth ranked Iowa city West beat number 8 Ottawa 5-0.

Chloe miller slammed a two run walkoff homer in the bottom of the 8th as fifth ranked Pleasant Valley edged Dowling Catholic 2-0, and fifth ranked Des Moines East score four runs in the second and added 7 more in the fifth enroute to a victory over #10 Davenport West.

In class 4A, top ranked Clear Creek Amana scored five runs in the second and went on to a 10-0 victory over West Delaware, and fourth ranked Indianola scored four runs in the first in a 4-1 victory over 6th ranked Winterset. Second ranked Dallas Center Grimes blanked ninth ranked Sioux City Heelan 3-0. And it was #7 Washington over third ranked Carlisle 5-2.

In 3A, Kelly Bycroft slammed a two run homer, one of 13 hits for third ranked Bondurabnt-Farrar in an 8-1 victory over Davenport Assumption. Sydney fisher and grace hall had back to back rbi doubles in the top of the seventh as ninth ranked Ballard rallied past number four Mid-Prairie 5-4.

The Class 1A quarterfinals opened the state high school softball tournament in Fort Dodge. Third ranked Martenasdale-St. Marys scored three runs in the top of the first and cruised to a 6-1 victory over LeMars Gehlen.

Martensdale-St. Marys coach Todd Verwers says it always feels good to get the first win, and said “it’s kind of like meeting back up with that girlfriend you broke up with last year, you still get a little nervous and your heart pounds, but if you weather that storm early, all of a sudden you start feeling fine.”

He says they were able to weather the storm with some early runs. Verwers says the Blue Devils were ready for a challenge from Gehlen. He says Gehlen had upset the top ranked team and they knew it would be a tough test.

Ashley Goslar singled in the game winner in the top of the seventh as 10th ranked Charter Oak-Ute upset number-four Newell-Fonda 4-3. “I was really nervous, I was shaking, but then I got up there and I just cleared,” Goslar said.

Goslar expected to get the bunt sign with the go ahead run on third and one out, but she says it was okay when she got the hit sign, even though she doesn’t hit much.

Senior catcher Amy Wright slammed a pair of homers, a three run shot in the first and a two run blast in the fifth as second ranked Earlham rolled past Bellevue Marquette 8-0. Wright says a home run is nice anytime, but to do it in a big game left her “kind of shocked.”

It is the off season for college sports but campuses across the state are busy this summer as schools host a variety of sports camps. That includes Central College where softball coach George Wares will be offering camps the week of July 29th through August third.

Wares says camps are a way to promote a program and a school. “You know it’s beneficial I think from kids that are 5th grade up through seniors. And it’s an obvious benefit in terms of recruiting,” Wares says. He says the camp allows the kids to be with the staff for a couple of days and see what they are like, which he says is an advantage for Central or any other school that holds a camp.

Wares says they will offer a day-camp for kids in fifth through eighth grade and an overnight camp for players who are freshmen through seniors. He says they bring in coaches from other universities and former players and try to help the players connect with schools.

Wares says it can be difficult to find the right time to hold camps especially for kids who play more than one sport. Central’s softball camp is slated to run after the state high school tournament is completed.

“And we know that many of the athletes in the state of Iowa…are in more than one sport. So the timing is good, it’s always tough to find a week that fits in with schedules,” Wares says. He says having the camp after the state tournament makes it easier for athletes to get to their camp.