State softball: Kennedy Preston’s walk-off home run lifts Carlisle into Class 4A title game
Cody GoodwinFORT DODGE, Ia. — One swing of the bat from Kennedy Preston kept the Carlisle softball team’s state championship dream alive.
Her two-run, two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the top-seeded Wildcats past West Delaware 7-6 on Wednesday in the Class 4A semifinals here on Iowa Central Field.
A wild, back-and-forth contest ended with the junior’s fifth blast of the season, but this one was undoubtedly the most important.
“This is the best feeling I’ve ever had,” Preston said. “We put in work after last season. We choked last year, I’m not going to lie. Now, we’re back in that championship game, and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
“I thought I was going to puke. I couldn’t breathe.”
This contest was a battle, featuring three ties and four lead changes. At one point, Carlisle looked like it might cruise into the finals. At another, West Delaware, now 31-11, came back and looked poised to secure the upset.
The Wildcats led 4-1 after three complete. Delaney Schnathorst singled home Isabelle Noring, then scored on a Allyx Lee single in the first. In the third, a Meredith Hoffman double brought home Schnathorst and Alyvia Dubois.
For much of the game, that was more than enough. After allowing a first-inning run, Carlisle starter Molly Hoekstra retired 14 straight batters into the sixth. She ultimately fanned seven and allowed seven hits and six runs (four earned) over eight innings.
West Delaware charged back in that sixth inning. With the bases loaded, Claire Demmer smacked a double to the wall to tie the game at 4-all. She ultimately reached third on an error, then gave the Hawks a 5-4 lead on a passed ball.
Carlisle bounced right back in the bottom of the frame. Schnathorst singled home Reagan Roling to tie the game again. West Delaware retook the lead in the top of the first extra inning when Alissa Holtz scored from third on Demmer's sacrifice fly to deep right.
In the bottom of the eighth, Noring reached second as a pinch-runner after Kennady Prenosil notched a single. With Carlisle down to its last out, up came Preston, who smacked the game-winner over the center-field wall and sent the Wildcats' contingent into hysterics.
“I hogged the plate, and figured I’d have to take it to the right side, where it’s pitched,” Preston said. “Kept my hands up, and she sent me one right down in the middle. I took a cut, it hit the center of my bat, and it just flew.
“It’s an awesome feeling. Knowing all the work you’ve put in came down to what could be your final at-bat, and man — it’s nerve-racking with all those fans, but it’s one of the best feelings I’ve had in a long time.”
Carlisle hasn’t won a state softball title since 2010 but has come incredibly close in recent years. The Wildcats were in the finals in both 2016 and 2013, but lost to Oskaloosa and Dallas Center-Grimes, respectively. They also finished fifth in both 2017 and 2012, third in 2014, and fourth in 2011.
These Wildcats will have a chance to end that drought Friday afternoon, thanks to one monster swing from Preston. She smiled at the thought, even as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.
“I was a courtesy runner as an eighth-grader in 2016, and when we lost that, it hurt,” she said. “We’ve worked all this time. All we have to do is play Carlisle softball, and we should be fine. We’re pretty good.”
Carlisle (37-3), advances to Friday’s title game against either No. 2 North Scott or No. 3 Charles City at 5:45 p.m.
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
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