RECAP: Scores, highlights from Iowa Class 5A & 4A state championship softball games

The best of the best in Iowa high school softball will descend upon Fort Dodge this week for the 2023 Iowa high school softball tournament.

Two new state champions were crowned Thursday night, one in Class 5A and another in Class 4A.

More: How to watch the 2023 Iowa high school state softball tournament

Check out who was able to claim the state championship on Thursday night. And remember, there are three more state title trophies to be handed out in Fort Dodge on Friday, so be sure to come back to Desmoinesregister.com for more coverage.

No. 7 Winterset 5, No. 8 North Scott 3

Winterset goes back to back in 2023 with a win over North Scott in the state title game.

The game was tied up at 2 in the fifth inning and then the Huskies added on two more runs. They added another in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

No. 1 Ankeny Centennial 11, No. 6 Pleasant Valley 0

The Jaguars capped off a 36-win season with the program's first-ever state championship.

Centennial scored six runs in the opening frame to put pressure on the Spartans, who just couldn't respond.

Mariah Belzer drilled a 3-run home run in the fourth inning to bring the score to 11-0, which ultimately ended the game after PV failed to score in the top of the fifth.

Thursday's 4A and 5A championship game schedule

CLASS 5A

No. 1 Ankeny Centennial (35-5) vs. No. 6 Pleasant Valley (32-9), 5 p.m.

CLASS 4A

No. 7 Winterset (27-12) vs. No. 8 North Scott (28-11), 7:30 p.m.

More: Here are the top 10 Iowa high school softball recruits at the 2023 state tournament

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Live scores, updates from Iowa state softball tournament title games