Mustangs Bring Momentum to State | News, Sports, Jobs

A high-scoring offense, combined with a strong defense led by ace pitcher Morgan Neuroth, propels the Mustangs into the Class 2A quarterfinals against Lisbon on Tuesday in Fort Dodge.

East Marshall (32-4), the No. 4 seed in the 2A tournament, will face the fifth-seeded Lions (27-12) at 12:45 p.m. at Iowa Central Field at the Rogers Sports Complex.

The Mustangs outscored their regional tournament opponents 32-3, including an 11-1 five-inning win over Ogden, to reach their first state tournament since 2019.

“That says a lot about our offense,” East Marshall head coach Jary Hoskey said. “We struggled a little bit in the final stretch of the regular season with the bottom of our lineup getting hits, but lately we’ve had (Ashtyn) Wheater, (Libby) Atcher and (Makayla) Kerber setting the table for the guys at the top of our batting order to drive in more runs.”

Wheater, who is drafted No. 7 in the Mustangs’ lineup, hit a grand slam against Ogden and is tied with Peyton Grabenbauer and Bailey Grant for the team lead with four home runs each this season. All three are batting above .400 this summer, as are Rayne McIlrath (.410) and Neuroth (.425).

“This is what we’ve been working for,” McIlrath said. “Most of our entire lineup has been in the gym since December working on stuff, so we’ve really been working hard for this and I’m just glad it’s paying off.

“This is what the seniors have wanted to do for five years.”

As a team, East Marshall is the best team with a .351 batting average, behind West Monona (.383) among the 2A qualifiers. The Mustangs have also hit 95 doubles, which is the best of all classes.

“Our hitting and our defense was a big thing that improved from last year,” Kerber said. “And just seeing how we played together last year, we knew we had a shot this year.”

Neuroth’s offense serves to help its own cause in the pitching circle. The DMACC commit leads all pitchers on 2A state-qualifying teams with 271 strikeouts compared to just 23 walks and 37 earned runs allowed in 179 2/3 innings.

“She’s a gamer,” Hoskey said. “And she’s probably as hard on herself as she is on anybody, if she ever makes a bad pitch, she’ll say, ‘Hey, that’s my fault.’ … I like having her on the mound for us, let me put it that way. She’s one of the best pitchers in Central Iowa.”

Lisbon’s road to Fort Dodge included victories over Denver (7-0), Jesup (12-1) and a narrow 4-2 win over Osage in the regional final.

The Lions, in their first season since the departure of legendary head coach Bob Bunting, lost six seniors from last year’s squad, but are now back in the state tournament for a seventh straight season.

They’re a hard-hitting squad with 25 home runs as a team this season, second only to Northeast (32) among 2A qualifiers. Addi Petersen has seven of those round-trippers with a .348 average; Sarah Dietsch adds six homers with 28 RBI and a .367 average.

“I think we have a shot against any team we play as long as we go in with the same mentality that we’ve had the last few games,” East Marshall senior Ava Bringmann said. “We just have to carry that momentum into the state tournament and I think if we keep that mentality that we’ve had, we’ll be A-OK.”

Lisbon eighth-grader Kyla Kahl has thrown 163 1/3 innings with 136 strikeouts, 84 walks and 73 earned runs, which on paper would indicate a statistical advantage in the circle for the Mustangs.

But when you’re dealing with a team that knows the ropes of the state tournament like Lisbon, chances are you won’t win.

Last year, the Lions finished tied for fifth; Lisbon is hoping for its first opening-round state win since 2021, when it finished second.

“Lisbon is good, that’s why they’re at the state level,” Hoskey said. “We’re going to have to play incredibly well to compete with them.”

This week will be filled with moments worth remembering, regardless of the final score, Hoskey said. Neuroth, McIlrath, Kerber and Bringmann are the four seniors who will end their high school careers at the state tournament.

“I think all the girls just have to absorb everything, the aura of being at the state tournament,” Hoskey added. “The magnitude of it is something they can never forget — I know my daughters never forgot it, it just sticks with you. … These four seniors have gotten us where we need to go. They’ve been coming in on the weekends since January and they’ve been there the whole time. They’ve set an example of what it takes to be successful and reinforced that.

“Even the younger girls have to take this in and know that they’re one of the top eight 2A teams in Iowa and this is something they can take with them and build on after the season is over.”