Spartans reach 3A final

FORT DODGE -- Talk about a moving experience.Arran Weeces scattered three hits, and top-ranked Solon made a first-inning run stand up in a 1-0 win over No. 5 Estherville-Lincoln Central in a Class 3A semifinal at the state softball tournament Thursday afternoon at the Rogers Sports Complex."The ball was moving for her today," Solon Coach Ben Sorden said. "That's all you can say. The ball was spinning; she did a fabulous job moving the ball."So the ball was moving. Up? Down? In? Out?"All of it," Sorden said.Solon (37-6) will face No. 9 Ballard for the 3A championship at 2:30 Friday afternoon. The Bombers (34-9) scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to beat No. 3 Bondurant-Farrar, 1-0.The Spartans are seeking their third state title; they struck gold in 2003 and 2007."Tomorrow's game is the one we've wanted to play in all season," Weeces said. "The will for tomorrow got us through today."Weeces threw a tidy 85-pitch game (63 for strikes), walking two and striking out five in outdueling Syracuse University recruit Kendall Bosch.Solon dented the scoreboard immediately. Emily Bransky led off the bottom of the first with a double to left field, then moved to third on a passed ball.Alyssa Rickels singled Bransky home for the lead run -- and, as turned out -- the lone run."We always want to come out aggressive. We've talked about that since the beginning," Rickels said. "After the first run, we were still aggressive, but we just hit the ball right to them."Three of Solon's four hits came in the first inning."One-to-nothing, that's championship softball," Sorden said.The Midgets (28-7) had chances for the equalizer in the third, fourth and fifth innings, putting a runner at third base each time. Each time, Weeces and the Spartans escaped.Rickels made a key diving catch in right field in the fourth inning."I knew I had to go get the ball," Rickels said. "We practiced diving catches last week. I had to go get it."ELC faces Bondurant-Farrar in the third-place game at 1:30 Friday afternoon.

Kendall Bosch and Taylor Lago. Arran Weeces and Hannah Turkal. W -- Weeces (20-2) L -- Bosch (19-7).

3A State Semifinal

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