Lisbon returns to state softball semifinals for 4th straight year

FORT DODGE — Ryleigh Allgood was clueless.

“I didn’t know anything until after the game,” she said.

Really? No peeks at the scoreboard?

“No,” she insisted. “I looked at the scoreboard, but just to see how many runs we had.”

Plenty.

Fourth-ranked Lisbon clicked in all phases and routed No. 11 Clarksville 10-0 in a five-inning Class 1A quarterfinal at the state softball tournament Monday afternoon at the Rogers Sports Complex.

Allgood pitched the 57th no-hitter in state-tournament history, the first by a Lisbon pitcher since Paige Stamp did it in 1996. And the Lions (36-8) gave her a wealth of support.

Peyton Robinson was 4-for-4, highlighting a 10-hit attack, and the Lions marched to the 1A semifinals for the fourth straight year. They’ll face No. 2 Wayne (24-4) at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

“We’ve been here four straight years. We’re ready. And we’re hungry,” Robinson said. “We came here thinking that we’re going to own this field.”

Last year’s 1A champion, Clarksville (23-5) knocked Lisbon out of title contention with semifinal triumphs in 2019 and 2020, but this clearly was the Lions’ day.

Leading 1-0 through two innings, the Lions broke it open with five runs in the bottom of the third and ended it early with four in the fifth.

“We had a good idea how they were going to pitch,” Lisbon Coach Bob Bunting said. “Give the kids credit; they stayed off the riseball and hit the pitches when they were in the strike zone.”

After a leadoff walk by Mia Petersen and a sacrifice bunt by Ella Clark, the third-inning parade began with a ground ball by Allgood, which was both misplayed and thrown away for a pair of errors. Then it was RBI singles by Kali Nelson, Blair Baltes and Robinson, and a wild pitch made it 6-0.

Allgood (28-4) struck out six and walked two. She was called for four illegal pitches, but didn’t crumble. She retired the final 11 batters she faced.

“I had a lot of adrenaline running through my body,” she said. “I was hitting the outside pitch, then down and in.”

Leading 6-0, the Lions got positive at-bats from all seven of their batters in the fifth to close it out. Taylor Techau and Robinson started it with base hits, then after Hall laid down a sacrifice bunt and Petersen coaxed a walk, Clark, Allgood and Nelson all knocked in a run.

Lisbon finished third in 2018 and 2019, fourth in 2020.

LISBON 10, CLARKSVILLE 0

Class 1A State Quarterfinal, at Fort Dodge

Clarksville 000 00 -- 0 0 3

Lisbon 105 04 -- 10 10 0

Sierra Vance and Jenna Myers. Ryleigh Allgood and Taylor Techau. W -- Allgood (28-4). L -- Vance (20-5).

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com