Lisbon rallies, then Interstate 35 answers for a 2A state softball quarterfinal victory

FORT DODGE — The Lisbon Lions constructed a riveting comeback.

Almost miraculous, really.

It wasn’t enough.

Fifth-ranked Interstate 35 answered No. 4 Lisbon’s game-tying rally with a game-winning surge of its own and prevailed, 9-5, in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the state softball tournament Tuesday afternoon at the Rogers Sports Complex.

“I knew it was now or never; I needed to step up and show out,” said I-35’s Katie Murphy, whose two-run double broke a 5-5 tie in the top of the seventh inning.

“I knew my pitch, I hit it and I hoped for the best.”

The Roadrunners (26-12) meep-meeped their way to Wednesday’s semifinal round; they’ll face defending-champion, top-ranked Iowa City Regina (28-8) at 3:30 p.m.

Regina outlasted No. 12 Northeast, 4-3, in eight innings Tuesday.

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Down 5-1 through five innings, Lisbon (34-8) awakened in the sixth.

Peyton Robinson opened it with a one-out bloop triple down the right-field line, then scored on Kaitlynn Hasselbusch’s groundout.

Kali Nelson singled. Ella Clark reached on an error. Ryleigh Allgood doubled home a run, then Addi Petersen singled home a pair to tie it 5-5.

“It felt awesome,” Clark said. “We kept battling. We kept fighting.”

Lisbon Coach Bob Bunting said, “We came back, and I thought if we could stop them (in the seventh), we’d have a good shot.”

Instead, I-35 went back on the offensive, and a pair of hit batsmen was key.

After a single by Kady Alery loaded the bases, Murphy delivered the tie-breaking blow, then Cora Keller followed with a two-run double.

The Roadrunners collected 12 hits off Allgood (21-5), including a three-run home run by Trinity Darst in the third inning that erased Lisbon’s early 1-0 lead.

Lisbon will conclude its sixth consecutive state trip at 11:30 Wednesday morning with a consolation game with Northeast (22-12).

That will close the book on a memorable class of seniors, including Robinson, the 2023 Gazette Female Athlete of the Year.

“They’ve been a joy, they really have,” Bunting said. “The way they’ve stuck together, this is one of the most fun teams I’ve had.”

Said Petersen, a junior: “It’s been amazing. Now, next year, it’s all going to change. We’re going to have to adjust and battle even harder.”

Interstate 35 9, Lisbon 5

Class 2A State Quarterfinal, at Fort Dodge

Interstate 35 003 200 4 — 9 12 1

Lisbon 010 004 0 — 5 9 2

Katie Murphy and Trinity Darst. Ryleigh Allgood and Blair Baltes. W — Murphy (17-10). L — Allgood (21-5). HR — I-35: Trinity Darst (8).

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com