Winter in July: Saints advance to state

CEDAR RAPIDS -- No balls. Two strikes. Clutch spot.Kristen Winter's mentality?"I had to get the ball on the bat and move the runner over," she said.She did more. Much, much more.Winter skied a two-run home run to left field in the top of the sixth inning and Jenny Drahozal did the rest as 10th-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier defeated No. 6 Iowa City West, 2-0, in a Class 4A regional softball final Wednesday night at Prairie High School.Winter's homer was the moment. Drahozal's performance was the story.The senior allowed only three baserunners -- two on hits, one on an error -- as the Saints (34-6) advanced to state for the fifth time, their first as 4A contestants."Jenny was masterful," said Xavier Coach Brian Erbe. "In the past couple years, she was one of our top two pitchers and I kept going back and forth on who I should pitch."This year, there was no thought process. Jenny was going to be the girl."Drahozal didn't let the opportunity pass."I really had no idea what to expect," she said. "I just took one pitch at a time."Xavier will face No. 13 Ottumwa in a state quarterfinal at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Rogers Sports Complex, Fort Dodge. The Bulldogs (30-8) defeated No. 5 Southeast Polk, 8-3.West pitcher Mackenzie Haight was locked in a shutout duel with Drahozal through five innings before Winter broke it up.Abby Bedard opened the top of the sixth with a single. Haight got ahead 0-and-2 to Winter, but Winter won the battle, yanking the ball over the left-field fence."I was expecting something off the plate, but I've always been taught that when the ball's there, hit it," said Winter, who was 3-for-3."This is a big deal. A lot of us have been teammates since third or fourth grade. There's nothing better than seeing them there at the plate, waiting for me."Xavier made it to state four straight years (2004-07) as a 3A school, then stayed home the next two years.Now, the Saints are back in Fort Dodge."This is the year," Winter said. "All or nothing. We've still got three big steps to go."

Cedar Rapids Xavier .......................... 000 002 0 -- 2  7  1

Iowa City West .................................. 000 000 0 -- 0  2  0

Jenna Drahozal (W) and McKenna Miller. Mackenzie Haight (L) and Emily Stumpff. HR -- CRX: Kristen Winter (4). Click

here to see scores statewide.