W’burg routs Albia in state quarterfinal action

FORT DODGE — Adam Berte’s philosophy on the bunt game?

“Do it until they stop it,” he said.

Albia couldn’t stop it.

Top-ranked Williamsburg mixed in a big dose of small ball with its capable cast of sluggers and routed No. 12 Albia, 11-1, in a six-inning Class 3A quarterfinal at the state softball tournament Monday night at the Rogers Sports Complex.

“It kind of depends on the pitcher, and where the defense is playing,” Shannon Finn said. “We see how they field it first.”

The Raiders (34-9) advanced to the semifinal round for the fourth consecutive year. They’ll face No. 5 Estherville-Lincoln Central (32-3) at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

ELC knocked off No. 4 Davis County, 11-3, Monday.

You wouldn’t know it by the final score, but there was a crossroads in this game.

Williamsburg led 4-1 in the top of the third inning, but Albia (21-9) had the bases loaded with no outs.

Berte, the Raiders’ coach, went out to talk to the team. Jersey Metz warmed up in the bullpen.

“You don’t want to take somebody like Peyton (Driscoll) out, and I probably wouldn’t have done it unless (Albia) took the lead,” Berte said. “She wasn’t hitting her spots.”

Driscoll (17-3) regained her mojo after the mound visit, retiring the next three batters (two via strikeout), and she went on to set down the final 12 hitters she faced.

“I told myself, ‘no more runners,’” said Driscoll, who surrendered four early hits and finished with nine strikeouts and one walk. “I had so much adrenaline from that point on.”

Albia scored first, on Ashley Beary’s solo home run with two outs in the top of the first inning.

Williamsburg answered quickly.

Finn singled, then stole second and third. Carly Rich knocked her in with a base hit.

Jenna Thurm’s sacrifice bunt scored Rich with the second run, and a bunt single by Alley Gorsh tallied the third. Then it was Driscoll’s RBI single for a 4-1 Raiders advantage.

Williamsburg tacked on five more runs, with the bunt the big weapon, in the fourth. Five straight batters bunted in the inning with positive results, and Jenna Thurm chipped in an RBI double.

A RBI double by Rich and run-scoring single by Gorsh ended the game in the sixth.

Rich and Finn, the top two hitters in the Raiders’ lineup, both went 3-for-4 and scored three runs. Rich also had three RBI.

Thurm and Gorsh each drove in two runs and Williamsburg totaled 13 hits as a team.

Four straight trips to the 3A semifinals

“It’s a testament to the girls,” Berte said. “They invest a lot of time. To do this four years in a row, without slipping up, that’s impressive.”

But the Raiders didn’t come this far, just to come this far.

“See you Friday,” Driscoll said, referring to the date of the 3A championship game.