Peyton Driscoll and Williamsburg keep on humming at state softball

FORT DODGE — No Thesaurus nearby? Seeking an antonym for “fatigue?”

Try this:

Peyton Driscoll.

“The more she pitches, the better she pitches,” Williamsburg Coach Adam Berte said. “Back-to-back days, which she does a lot, she throws really well.”

And when July arrives, the innings pile up and the stakes climb, Driscoll is at her best.

The junior crafted a 14-strikeout, three-hit gem Tuesday afternoon, leading third-ranked Williamsburg past No. 14 Sioux Center, 5-1, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the state softball tournament at the Rogers Sports Complex.

“My change was on, I’d say,” Driscoll said. “It might have been moving more with the wind.”

» State softball photos: Williamsburg vs. Sioux Center

The Raiders (33-10) will face No. 2 Davenport Assumption (35-8) in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Assumption topped Ballard, 12-2, Tuesday.

“We’ve got to go through them,” Berte said. “We don’t have a choice. We’d better be on our game.”

That hasn’t been a problem lately. Williamsburg has won 12 games in a row. Driscoll has been a force, and the offense has been putting up runs at an effective clip.

Tuesday was more of the same. The Raiders finished with nine hits and stung Sioux Center (22-10) with three runs in the first inning.

Rylee Vercande doubled on an 0-2 count. Shannon Finn singled on the first pitch. Elle Ridgeway singled home the first run, then RBI ground outs by Jenna Thurm and Jersey Metz made it 3-0.

“We were really ready to go,” Ridgeway said. “(Sioux Center pitcher Tatum Schmalbeck) was a little slower than we expected, but there was more movement, and we attacked it well.”

Schmalbeck got one of those runs back with a solo home run in the top of the third, but Williamsburg answered in the fourth.

With one out, Rylie Metz and Bailie Von Ahsen hit back-to-back doubles. Driscoll’s infield single plated Metz, then Makenna Hughes’ ground out chased home Von Ahsen for a 5-1 margin.

The way Driscoll was humming, 5-1 was secure.

Nine of her strikeouts were swinging. Five were looking. She was asked which she preferred.

“I like both,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun to see strike three (called). When there’s a runner on, though, it’s great to see the batter swing and miss.”

Ridgeway and Von Ahsen collected two hits apiece for the Raiders.

Williamsburg 5, Sioux Center 1

Class 3A State Quarterfinal, at Fort Dodge

Sioux Center 001 000 0 — 1 3 0

Williamsburg 300 200 x — 5 9 0

Tatum Schmalbeck and Taya Gesink. Peyton Driscoll and Jenna Thurm. W — Driscoll (17-4). L — Schmalbeck (19-8). HR — SC: Schmalbeck (3).

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com