A pair of third inning home runs lifted ninth ranked Ankeny past top ranked and unbeaten Bettendorf 4-1 in a class 4A quarterfinal. Aly Cappaert drilled a two run homer to left center and two batters later Erica Kirgan cleared the fence in left as the Hawkettes took a 3-1 lead.

Kirgan says they were nervous as Bettendorf was undefeated, but she says she waited on the change-up and drove it out of the park.

Cappaert says the long ball has been carrying the Hawkettes as of late. Kirgan says “it’s crazy” as a walk off home run in the substate propelled them and the homers in this game have them on a roll.

Shayla Starkenburg gave up only six hits and kept a powerful Bettendorf lineup off balance with her changeup. Bettendorf coach Mark Lewis says their scouting report didn’t show Starkenburg had a good change-up and it took them awhile to adjust.

 He feels his team will bounce back and play well in the consolation bracket despite suffering its first loss. Lewis said all along they weren’t going to make one game any defining moment.

At least three umpires suffered heat-related illnesses while working at the state softball tournament Monday afternoon. The temperature reached 95-degrees in Fort Dodge with a heat index near 120. One of the umpires impacted by the heat was Cary Griffiths of Nashua. He says without much of a breeze, it’s tough to stay cool out on the diamond.

Griffiths worked the plate in the first game and got through alright. He was in the fifth inning of the second game when he said lights started spinning in front of his head, “It was goofy.”

Griffiths says umpires and players who were overheated were able to take shelter inside a cooler spot. He says there’s a tent with air conditioners and athletic trainers with ice and water, but he says there was no way to get cooled off.

Griffiths says he can’t remember the weather quite being like this at the state softball tournament. He says there have been some hot days in the past, and he was younger then too.

None of the three umpires impacted by the heat were taken to the hospital and were being treated at the Rogers Sports Complex. The umpires worked back-to-back games, with Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union officials saying afterwards that umpires will never again work consecutive games.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Senior catcher Sarah Parkinson singled in the go ahead run in the top of the 10th inning as defending class 1A champion and top ranked Akron Westfield edged eight ranked Earlham 3-2. Parkinson says the pitch was right on the money for her and she says she hit it with “the most heart I could.”

Pasrkinson’s hit capped off a comeback by the Westerners after they fell behind 2-0 after three innings of play.

After a rough start Akron-Westfield starter Brandi Davis settled down and held Earlham scoreless the final seven innings.

Sara Johnson’s three-run homer to left center field capped a five run first inning as third ranked North Sentral Kossuth/Armstrong-Ringsted rolled to a 10-0 victory in a 1A quarterfinal.

NSK-AR coach Bill Ingalls says they usually aren’t that explosive, getting that many runs early, but he says he’ll take it. The five runs in the opening inning was more than enough for Eagles pitcher Allie Ingalls who gave up only two hits in the victory.

Ingalls says it allows the pitcher to move the pitches around more and the defense is calmed down with a cushion of runs and they can play better.

The Eagles improve to 37-3.

The Bettendorf softball team is closing in on an unbeaten regular season but coach Mark Lewis says his team is not even talking about it. The Bulldogs are 35-0 heading into tonight’s doubleheader at Davenport West but Lewis says his team is not feeling any pressure.

Two years ago the Bulldogs made it to the state tournament with several sophomores in the lineup but Lewis says they came up short in 2010. He says they put tremendous pressure on themselves and that was not healthy. He says they didn’t play their best because of that.

Lewis says the biggest thing this year is the ability to play without pressure and at 35-0 they don’t worry about a loss, they just want to have quality at bats. Lewis says an unbeaten regular season would not mean much if the season does not end at the state tournament. For any team to beat Bettendorf it will take outstanding pitching and defense.

The Bulldogs average nearly nine runs per game and as a team are hitting better than .420. He says offense is the key and he hasn’t seen an offense that has the confidence that they do right now. Lewis says you can have a great offense, but then hit the ball at people and lose and he hopes that doesn’t happen to this group.