Ridge View faces 32-1 Pleasantville in state softball quarterfinal
Pleasantville brought a 32-1 record and one bad inning into a Class 2A quarterfinal, forcing Ridge View to win with clean defense and manufactured runs.
Ridge View drew a Class 2A state quarterfinal against Pleasantville, a 32-1 team that arrived with stout pitching and even better hitting. Pleasantville had only one bad inning all season, the kind of résumé that left little room for error at Rogers Park in Fort Dodge.
That record made the matchup a measuring stick for Ridge View. The Raptors could not rely on a sloppy game from a powerhouse that usually controlled innings from the circle and at the plate. Every out mattered against a Pleasantville staff that had made opponents earn everything, and every defensive lapse carried extra weight in a game that had the feel of a one-run test from the start.
For Ridge View, the path had to run through discipline. The Raptors needed clean gloves, sure throws and no giveaways on the bases, because Pleasantville’s balance meant one mistake could quickly become a crooked number. Offensively, Ridge View had to manufacture runs instead of waiting for a big swing, stringing together baserunners, moving them into scoring position and turning a few quality at-bats into pressure on a team that had not given many opponents openings.
The stage only sharpened the stakes. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has held its state softball tournament at Rogers Park since 1970, and Iowa remains the only state in the nation that plays softball in the summer. The 2025 tournament schedule again placed the event at Rogers Park in Fort Dodge from July 21-25, underscoring how established the setting has become for Iowa’s postseason bracket.
The matchup also drew statewide visibility, with Ridge View and Pleasantville listed on the NFHS Network schedule for July 22, 2026. For Buena Vista County, that meant another Ridge View postseason game carried beyond local interest and into a wider spotlight.
Pleasantville’s 32-1 mark, paired with its pitching and hitting, made the Trojans the kind of opponent that exposed every weakness. Ridge View’s response, in a quarterfinal like this, showed whether the Raptors could stay composed, avoid empty possessions and keep a heavyweight close long enough for one inning to decide it.
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