Central Springs SB no-hits Mt. Ayr, Newman Catholic blanked by North Linn at State

(ABC 6 News) — Rarely, if ever, has Central Springs softball looked out of sorts.

Their warpath towards a state title began on Tuesday in Fort Dodge, Iowa against the Mount Ayr Raiderettes in the Class 2A Quarterfinals.

While Panthers pitcher Cooper Klaahsen was working her magic on the mound, the offense flourished. In the second inning, Azaria McDonough got the Panthers on the board, 1-0, through a sac fly that sent Aurora Stepleton home.

In the fifth inning, Central Springs cracked the game open when Ashley Hoeft uncorked a 2-run home run to extend the score to 5-0.

Klaahsen ended her day with a no-hitter, as the Panthers won 6-0 to advance to the semifinals. Central Springs will face Regina Catholic on Wendesday at 5:30 PM.

Meanwhile, in Class 1A, Newman Catholic softball began their state title quest against top-seeded North Linn. Despite the Knights’ effort to get on the right foot early, the bottom of the first is where trouble started.

The North Linn Lynx got a sac fly off the Knights’ Macy Kellar before adding two more before the first ended. Newman Catholic Avah Hanning walked to begin the top of the second. But even adding another runner on base wasn’t enough for the Knights, they were held scoreless all game long, losing to North Linn in a 10-0 shutout.