The Greene County High School softball team earned a trip to the State Tournament next week at Rogers Sports Complex north of Ft. Dodge with a resounding 12-3 victory in Battle Creek Monday night over Class 3A fourth rated Sioux Center. The victory was the third one-sided win on the tournament trail against rated teams for Coach Tom Kennedy’s unranked Rams, and the Region 1 title was the first for a Jefferson-based softball team. Greene County won in Wall Lake on July 8 over number 11 East Sac County, and the Rams followed that with a 14-2 semifinal victory over number 10 Sergeant Bluff-Luton in Sergeant Bluff. Those two wins were in six innings by the 10-run rule.
Sioux Center finished 26-4 and the Warriors did go the full seven innings with the Rams, although Greene County hit a season-best four home runs in the game and collected 13 hits. The Rams were the visiting team and they never trailed. Greene County scored twice in the second inning and led 2-1 after two. A four-run fourth made it 6-1, and a single run in the fifth made it a 7-1 game. The Rams scored three times in the sixth and SC pushed two across for a 10-3 score. The final two runs were scored in the top of the seventh. The bottom of the seventh was th only time the Rams retired the Warriors in order.
Junior Hannah Onken hit solo home runs her first two trips to the plate. She now has four homers on the season. Onken also drew an intentional walk her third time up with no outs and no one on base. She alter drove in two runs with a single and finished with four RBI. Junior Emma Saddoris hit her team leading fifth homer of the season, a three run shot, in the fourth. It was her fourth home run in the past five games. Saddoris also doubled, and singled. Junior Marissa Promes hit a solo homer, her third this season, in the fifth inning. She also singled and was on base four times. Junior Kayla Mobley and sophomore Carleigh Paup each singled twice, and junior Tressa Rasmussen singled and drove in a run. Junior Emily Christensen also had one RBI.
The Rams overcame four errors while Sioux Center had two errors. The loss was the most lopsided of the season for the Warriors.
Promes allowed seven hits and held the Warriors to less than half their season scoring average. None of the SC runs were earned. The right hander struck out nine batters and walked two. She now has 208 strikeouts to just 27 walks for the season.
Although official records aren’t kept, it’s believed the four homers in one game are the most for a Jefferson-based softball team. Also a rarity are the two homers in the same game by Onken. Saddoris is also in uncharted territory with four homers in her last five games. She has 10 hits in that span, seven for extra bases.
The Rams open 3A play at Rogers Sports Complex north of Ft. Dodge on Monday, July 21 at 5 p.m. against Center Point-Urbana (28-9). Clarke (24-8) and Spirit Lake (23-8) meet in the other quarterfinal on the Rams’ side of the bracket. The other two quarterfinals on the other side of the bracket have East Marshall (32-3) meeting Mid-Prairie (25-10), and 2013 champion Bondurant-Farrar (20-13) taking on West Burlington/Notre Dame (23-12). All teams are guaranteed three games as all eight places will be determined.