Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Mackenzie Mcllrath of Fort Dodge connects for a hit against Waterloo East on Monday at Rogers Park.

The dress rehearsal leading up to this week’s main events went as planned for the Fort Dodge softball team on Monday at Rogers Park.

The Dodgers were told of their No. 3 ranking in Class 4A a few hours before their twinbill with Waterloo East. Head coach Andi Adams’s squad responded with a pair of methodical mercy-rule victories, posting 12-0 and 15-0 shutouts — both in just three innings — to begin Iowa Alliance Conference Northern Division play.

Now comes the hard part: Fort Dodge heads to fourth-rated (4A) Dallas Center-Grimes on Tuesday, followed by a single varsity contest on Friday at home versus No. 3 (5A) West Des Moines Valley.

“We did what we needed to do,” Adams said of Monday’s performance. “Was it perfect? No. Do we need to be perfect in May? No. But do we need to be better than this to compete against the likes of DC-G and Valley? Absolutely.

“It’s good to get this under our belt. The kids were focused and brought great energy. But you tend to see little things that can slip on days like this that we won’t be able to get away with when facing elite competition. So we’ll either do that (for the rest of the week), or learn a lesson the hard way.”

All-state freshman Hope Alstott had two hits — including a double — and scored twice in the opener, with junior Meah McCaleb tripling and driving in a run. The Dodgers took advantage of erratic East pitching, walking eight times while drawing three hit-by-pitches. The Trojans also had three wild pitches and four passed balls.

“We didn’t have that many great plate appearances, to be honest,” Adams said of game one. “But we were patient for the most part and ran the bases well.”

Junior ace Lucy Porter did the rest, shaking off a hit batter to open the contest by retiring the next nine East batters in order — eight via strikeout.

McCaleb also stole a pair of bases, with courtesy runner Maddie Hoshaw scoring three times with three steals.

Fort Dodge’s bats were much more efficient in the nightcap. Alstott drilled a home run over the second fence in left field and went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs. McCaleb was 2-for-3 with three runs, contributing a double and her second triple of the night.

Freshman Ellie Doster also had two hits — including a double — and sophomore Maeleena Meyer drove in a pair.

Eighth-grader Aubrey Alstott made her pitching debut, firing three shutout innings and striking out six.

“We did a better job of adjusting to the speed of the pitching (in Game 2),” Adams said. “It took us longer than it should have, but we got our timing down better.

“Lucy and Aubrey missed a few spots here and there, but for the first time out, they both did a great job. We were able to get two wins, but also, talk to the kids about things they need to work on (from a game standpoint rather than practice). So now we’ll see what happens the rest of the week.”

The program hosted a “Pink Out” night to recognize those who have fought or are currently battling breast cancer. Stephanie Dahlgren-Brown, the mother of Dodger senior Macy Brown, was honored first.

BreAnn (Van Deer) Drees, a former all-state pitcher and champion at Webster City, then threw out the ceremonial first pitch with all FDSH softball and baseball players behind her in a semicircle around the infield.

“We wanted Bre to know how much she means to us and that we care about her,” said Adams, an ex-Webster City star herself. “She does so much not just for our program and our kids, but all Dodger athletes. She’s not fighting alone, and neither is Steph. This was all about them and for them, as well as the countless others who have gone through the cancer battle.”

The Dodgers take on the Mustangs for a single varsity tilt — weather permitting — at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Valley contest on Friday will also be at 7 inside Rogers Park.

FORT DODGE 12, WATERLOO EAST 0 (3)

Waterloo East 000 — 0 0 2

Fort Dodge 381 — 12 6 0

WP–Lucy Porter (1-0; 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). 2B–FD: Hope Alstott. 3B–FD: Meah McCaleb. SB–FD: Maddie Hoshaw 3, Meah McCaleb 2.

FORT DODGE 15, WATERLOO EAST 0 (3)

Waterloo East 000 — 0 2 4

Fort Dodge 5(10)x — 15 8 0

WP–Aubrey Alstott (1-0; 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K). 2B–FD: Maeleena Meyer, Hope Alstott, Meah McCaleb, Ellie Doster, Mackenzie McIlrath; WE: Kaelyn Raney. 3B–FD: Meah McCaleb. HR–FD: Hope Alstott. SB–FD: Hope Alstott, Macy Brown, Kam Gochee, Maddie Hoshaw, Mackenzie McIlrath.