FORT DODGE - Clear Creek Amana senior Sam Sheeley said she found out Monday morning that she was pitching in the state softball tournament quarterfinal.

"You never know," she said. "(Coach Jim White) lets us kind of wonder. He lets us both get ready to pitch."

Clear Creek Amana’s Kelsey Kahler steals second base as Eagle Grove shortstop Caitlin Jeske leaps during the fifth inning Monday. Des Moines Register/Bill Neibergall

That's the luxury of having two tournament-ready pitchers. Sheeley tossed a one-hit shutout and the No. 4-ranked Clippers scratched out two late runs for a 2-0 victory over unranked Eagle Grove. CCA will play conference rival Solon at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Class 2A semifinal.

"I was ready. I was nervous, you know, all those feelings," Sheeley said.

Shallyn Duffy, also a senior, has a 26-3 record, while Sheeley's is 12-6, but their earned run averages are almost identical.

"I had tape on them and I just thought it was a better matchup for us to throw Sheeley," White said. "Her record is pretty deceiving. She pitched against a lot of the 4A teams."

The Eagles' biggest threat came in the fourth inning when they had runners at second and third with just one out by virtue of a walk and an error.

Sheeley was facing the Eagles' No. 5 hitter, pitcher Sheri Bachel.

"What we know about her is that she's real aggressive," Sheeley said. "She hit my riseball pretty far foul, which is surprising because usually you pop it up."

She struck out Bachel on a dropball and a drop-dead changeup. Bachel never offered a bunt in the at-bat. Sheeley then struck out Nichole Stuckey to end the inning.

"I thought (Sheeley) looked better the fourth (inning) on," White said.

Clear Creek Amana finally broke open a scoreless game with a run in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Kelsey Kahler walked and went to second on a wild pitch from Bachel. Taylor Leichsenring hit a grounder up the middle for a single and advanced to second when the center fielder threw home to keep Kahler from scoring.

Laura Wright hit a sharp grounder to shortstop Monica Lindstrom, who threw Wright out at first, allowing the run to score. It appeared that Lindstrom, who was playing in, had time to throw home, but she never looked that way.

Kahler ran on contact.

"We always do that," Kahler said. "I did (think she'd go home). We run that play a lot, so we were ready."

"It looked like there was a play there," White said. "I know their coach was disappointed. He told her that's why they moved her up, that he wanted her to go home with it."

The Clippers added a key second run in the sixth on a single by Angela Ganschow, a wild pitch and a two-out single up the middle by Danyl Spivey.

Kahler said there was no panic as the game stretched into the later innings with no score.

"We all know that games are won in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, so we knew we could do it," Kahler said. "That's the hardest part about it is that it's state. So you are kind of tight when you go up to bat. I think we were ready for her. We just needed to kind of relax when we got up to bat."

Sheeley struck out 12, and the sole hit came in the seventh inning.

Kahler was on base three of four times with walks. Leichsenring had two singles for the Clippers.

White said he knew who he would pitch against the top-ranked Spartans on Thursday but wasn't going to tell. Solon swept the season series from Clear Creek Amana, 1-0 and 16-4.

"I would like to pitch anytime he wants me too," Sheeley volunteered. "I'm just ready to come back and show what we've got. That game was just a fluke, I think."

Eagle Grove            000 000 0 - 0 1 0
Clear Creek Amana 000 011 x - 2 5 1

Sheri Bachel and Jenna Burres; Sam Sheeley and Molly Ruth. W - Sheeley (12-6). L - Bachel (13-13).