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ANKENY — This game had it all. From dominant pitching to late inning heroics and everything in between, Pella Christian and No. 1 Van Meter clashed in an instant classic ....
It took a while but Van Meter eventually wore down Centerville on their way to claiming their 3rd straight State Championship. The Bulldogs trailed 2-1 entering the bottom 4th, Ike Speltz tied the game with a shot over the left field fence and that ignited the Bulldogs. They scored two more runs in the 4th, then blew the game open with a 6-run 6th inning. Jack Pettitt was the Bulldogs MVP, pitching a complete game and going 4-4 at the plate with a triple and 4 RBI. Van Meter out hit the Big Reds 14-4 and won the defensive battle with only 1 error to 2 for the Big Reds. ....
Van Meter looked like they may end this game early, getting out to an 8-0 lead after 2 innings but Davis County kept battling at the plate, chased the Bulldog starter in the 4th inning, and had a chance late to tie or take the lead, before the Bulldogs scored an insurance run. Van Meter moves into the semifinals against Unity Christian who beat Clarinda in the opening game of the day 6-2. Davis County opened the game with a base hit and an error, but Zach Pleggenkuhle got Van Meter out of trouble, though he was forced to throw a lot of pitches in the 1st inning. The Bulldogs offense was crisp early, Jacob Blomgren and Ike Speltz had RBI in the 1st inning, helping Van Meter score 4-runs on 3 hits. They added more in the 2nd when Blomgren hit a shot that cleared the left field fence and landed on the softball field next door, it rolled to the 3rd base dugout. The 2-run home run was the highlight of another 4-run inning, that started with an Austin Bauhmover walk, fo ....