(Van Meter, IA) — Last year, Van Meter beat Exira EHK Audubon 5-3 in the Class 2A Softball Championship but this year, only one of those teams will go to Fort Dodge as the two meet in the Class 2A Regional Finals tonight, coverage on KS 95.7 FM.
In 2024, the Bulldogs 8th grader Mady Schnell hit a tie breaking 2 run HR in the bottom of the 6th to give Van Meter the win. This year as a freshman, Schnell is hitting .444, 3 HR and 36 RBI and is part of a dynamic line up that is hitting .421 as a team. It will be up to the Spartans Riley Miller to shut the bats down — Miller has only allowed one earned run in the first two regional games and Head Coach Tom Petersen says she is used to pressure packed games
Van Meter has four different pitchers during the season but Sophomore Jillian Wosmansky is the likely starter. She threw 2 innings against Kuemper Catholic in a 12-1 win and allowed 1 ER on 5 hits but came back against Interstate 35 in the regional semis and threw a 3 hit shutout. She will face a much improved offensive team in Exira EHK Audubon and Petersen says they just have to put the ball in play
For Exira EHK Audubon its another chance to play in the state tournament but its also a chance to get back at the team that beat them last year. Petersen kind of downplays that angle
Van Meter is 30-2, Exira EHK Audubon is 16-11, game time tonight is 7 pm, coverage starts at 6:45 on KS 95.
Complete Interview with Head Coach Tom Petersen
