Van Meter softball continues strong start, girls soccer wraps up season at state
The Van Meter softball team continued its hot start to the season by winning its last three games.
The Bulldogs closed out the week competing at the Perry Tournament, winning both of their games.
Van Meter first took on Webster City on June 3, winning 10-0.
Leading the Bulldogs was junior Maddie Waldorf and sophomore Cali Richards, who each had two RBIs. Richards went 2-for-2 at the plate while Waldorf finished with a .667 batting average.
Waldorf and sophomore Bianca Prickett also had a solid day pitching, throwing for six strikeouts combined while allowing one hit in five innings.
Van Meter then met Glenwood in the second game, winning 2-0.
Senior Macy Blomgren led with a batting average of .667 and one RBI while Waldorf had another strong day pitching, throwing nine strikeouts and allowing two hits in six innings.
The Bulldogs continued that strong play into the next week, where they met Earlham on June 5, winning 8-2.
Van Meter got out to a hot start, scoring three runs in the first inning before extending it to six by the third inning.
The Bulldogs will aim to extend their win streak to four games when they take on Des Moines Christian at 7 p.m. June 6 at Van Meter High School.
Baseball drops a close one
The Van Meter baseball team saw its three-game win streak come to an end after it ended its week in a close loss to Carlisle.
The Bulldogs first played Pleasantville on May 31, winning 5-2 to mark their third win in a row.
Leading Van Meter was senior Carter Durflinger, who had one RBI after finishing with a .500 batting average. Juniors Austin Baumhover and Jaxon Hanselman also recorded an RBI in the win.
Sophomore pitcher Cole Moore picked up the win after throwing 11 strikeouts, allowing two hits and two runs in 6 ⅔ innings.
Van Meter then played Carlisle on June 3, falling 7-6. The Bulldogs led 6-5 at the end of six innings, but the Wildcats scored two runs in the final inning to earn the win.
Junior Rhett Pleggenkuhle led the team, hitting a home run and recording three RBIs.
The Bulldogs will try to bounce back against Des Moines Christian at 7 p.m. June 6 at Van Meter High School.
Girls soccer wraps up season at state
Assumption, last year's 1A state runner-up, had a similar experience to Des Moines Christian during its quarterfinal game with Van Meter.
The Knights were slow out of the gate and didn't get on the board until the second half. But once they figured things out, they took firm control of the game.
Amalie Yeates scored Assumption's first goal off an assist from Ella Curoe. Anika Ekstrom netted the second goal off a ball from Maddi Tolle.
Van Meter fell 2-0 and ended its season with a 12-4 record.
The Ames Tribune's Joe Randleman contributed to this story.