IOWA FALLS – It was quick and relatively clean, a throwback to the days of softball when runs were hard to come by and evening games ended when the sun was still shining.

The outcome left a little to be desired though, at least inside the Webster City dugout.

After clawing back from a 2-0 deficit with two runs in the sixth inning, WCHS was forced to watch Iowa Falls-Alden celebrate a 3-2 walk-off victory courtesy of a Lindsay Aldinger RBI single to right field on Monday.

Looking to remain all alone in second place in the North Central Conference behind leader Humboldt, the Lynx (6-8, 5-2 NCC) were unable to knock off the 14th-ranked (Class 3A) Cadets (7-6, 4-2 NCC) for the second time this season.

“Obviously we didn’t have it end the way we wanted, but it was a good softball game to watch,” WCHS head coach Jess Howard said. “People were putting the ball in play and girls were making the plays.”

A WCHS throwing error, just the team’s second miscue of the contest, put the wheels in motion for IF-A in the seventh. Gabby Evans reached second base to lead-off the inning and then tagged out for pinch-runner Lauren Juhl, who raced home on Aldinger’s hard single.

The Cadets finished with eight hits off WCHS senior right-handed pitcher Gabbi Hoversten, including a second-inning RBI double to right-center by Lauren Keane. Karli Olberding followed with a RBI base hit to give IF-A the early 2-0 lead.

Hoversten struck out five and walked two.

“She was pitching with confidence and her change-up was working really well for her,” Howard said of Hoversten.

A RBI base hit with two aboard by Cassidy Nerland closed the gap to 2-1 in the sixth, and one batter later Courtney Lampman knotted the game at 2 with a RBI ground-out.

Kali Dawson and Taylor Schnathorst both went 1 for 3 and scored a run in the loss. Chelsey Wagoner and Erin Bahrenfuss added base knocks.

Cadets’ starting hurler Ashley Bicknese went the distance to earn the win. She fanned six.

WCHS was at Boone last night and will return home this evening to take on Clarion-Goldfield-Dows at 7:15 p.m.