FORT DODGE – The Webster City softball program has never backed away from tough competition and sometimes that leads to a difficult stretch.

The two-day Fort Dodge Invitational unfortunately fell into that category.

Facing a pair of ranked teams on Friday, the Lynx struggled and were unable to recover on Saturday as they finished 0 for 4 and at the back of the 16-team field that was littered with some of the state’s best squads.

Top-ranked (Class 4A) Winterset won the championship with a 6-0 victory over No. 7-ranked (5A) Ankeny Saturday night.

Ankeny opened its tournament by throttling WCHS, 13-0 in 5 innings, Friday morning. The Lynx also fell to No. 3 (2A) North Union, 8-3, on the opening day. They dropped consolation contests to Harlan, 8-3, and Jesup, 4-1, on Saturday.

Despite the four losses that dropped its record to 7-14 overall on the season, WCHS opted to focus on the positives.

“You’ve got to play non-conference games that are going to get you ready for postseason play, and games like this will definitely help get us ready,” WCHS head coach Jess Howard said. “In most of the games, we were able to get runners in scoring position and that was a plus, but scoring them is just going to be something we continue to work on.”

Ankeny all-state pitcher and future Iowa Hawkeye Allison Doocy gave the Lynx nothing though, as she tossed a perfect game and struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced. Doocy also went 3 for 3 at the plate with two doubles and three RBI.

“Against Ankeny, that was definitely a learning experience,” Howard said. “(Doocy) had a ton of movement on the ball, plus it was coming in hard. But it was good to see what a Division I pitcher looks like.”

Gabbi Hoversten bashed a fifth-inning solo home run, her first of the year, and Taylor Schnathorst went 2 for 2 with a double and RBI in the loss to North Union. Allie Flaws, Chelsey Wagoner and Cassidy Nerland all added singles.

North Union piled up six runs in the third inning to take control. Maddie Rolling drove in three runs for her team.

Harlan out hit WCHS 14-5, highlighted by a 4 for 4 performance from Brenda Hopkins. She laced a double, triple and plated three runs. Anna Ahrenholtz added two RBI.

Taylor McKinney lashed a pair of hits at the top of the Lynx order. Hoversten found the gap for a double, Courtney Lampman roped a RBI single and Flaws slapped a base hit.

Four errors cost WCHS in the three-run loss to Jesup.

Schnathorst had two hits, one of them a double, and Wagoner also smacked a double in the Lynx tournament finale. McKinney produced a RBI single and Hoversten added a base knock.

Hoversten and Erin Bahrenfuss platooned in the pitcher’s circle. Hoversten stuck out five batters in her two games against North Union and Harlan. Bahrenfuss registered three strikeouts against Ankeny and Jesup.

WCHS will return to its home diamond this evening to take on North Central Conference rival Hampton-Dumont at 7:15 p.m.