Cougars win close call

FORT DODGE- Facing a deficit for the first time this post-season, the AGWSR softball team met the challenged and celebrated a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Janesville in a Class 1A quarterfinal contest at the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union’s state tournament inside Rogers’ Sports Complex here Monday.

The Cougars’ come-from-behind win was mounted in the bottom of the sixth inning and fueled by freshman Taylor Sperfslage and Alyssa Hames.

Sperfslage sliced a sharp single to rightfield to score Haley Bakker from second base and on the throw home, Sperfslage took second. Lefty Hames followed with a soft single again to rightfield and Sperfalage motored home just beating the throw and tag. And all this happened with two-outs.

“I saw O’Brien give me the go and I was like ‘oh man I got to go.’ I saw the catcher was pulled up the line a little and I just slide around her. I felt the tag, but I was already on the plate,” said a smiling Sperfslage.

The sixth started with Taryan Barrick hit-by-a-pitch and Bakker took over as the courtesy runner.

For the full story see Friday's edition of the paper.