On the softball side, we now know the regional pairings in all classes to start postseason play.
In Class 4A Region 5, Oskaloosa will have an interested journey back to the state tournament, but will have the opportunity to do so on their home diamond. The Indians will face the winner of Fairfield and Washington, who will play on Thursday, July 9th in Fairfield. On the other side of the bracket, some unfamiliar foes are lurking, including North Scott, who received the other bye in the six-team bracket. North Scott is ranked #15 in the most recent rankings. Clear Creek-Amana and Maquoketa will play for the right to face North Scott in the semifinals. Those semis will occur on Saturday, July 11th, at 7 PM.
In Class 4A Region 6, Knoxville and Pella will meet in Knoxville for the right to face #2 Indianola in the first round. Grinnell will have to go through Ballard to reach #5 Winterset in Class 4A Region 7. Newton will face Des Moines Hoover to advance against Norwalk, the #7 team in the state, in one of the tougher regions.
In Class 1A, there are a few area teams in Region 5. Cardinal and Sigourney got byes on the opposite side of the bracket, which consist of 13 teams each. Sigourney is awaiting the winner of Tri-County and Moulton-Udell, which will be played in the first round on July 6th. North Mahaska plays Twin Cedars on the 6th in New Sharon, with the winner facing either Moravia or Seymour. In the other half, Cardinal is waiting on either Van Buren or Winfield-Mount Union. Keota plays Harmony in the first round, and if they win, will face #5 New London in Eldon as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday, July 8th.
In Class 1A Region 6, Lynnville-Sully, ranked 7th, is the headlining team. They’ll face either Montezuma or Melcher-Dallas on the 8th.
In Class 2A, Region 6 is led by #2 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont. The Rockets could have two home games in the bracket, and will play either Pekin or Danville on July 8th. #6 Pella Christian is in Class 2A Region 7, and will play Van Meter in the quarterfinals. That takes place July 8th in Pella.
In Class 3A Region 5, Albia gets a tough draw against Bondurant-Farrar in the first round of the eight-team brackets. Should they win there, they’ll face either conference foe Davis County, or a very tough Prairie City-Monroe team, who took Oskaloosa to extras last weekend. The first round in Class 3A is on July 8th.
Finally, in Class 5A Region 7, Ottumwa looks to bounce back from a fairly disappointing year by winning at home in the first round against Des Moines North on July 9th. Usually, Ottumwa is in a position to only win two games to get to state, but this year will have to win three times in the five-team bracket. First against North, then against #8 Urbandale. 9th ranked Dowling Catholic of West Des Moines is on the other half of the bracket, playing Des Moines Roosevelt in the semifinals on Saturday, July 11th.
To view the full brackets click here http://ighsau.org/2015/06/23/2015-regional-softball-pairings/, check out the link on our website at kboeradio.com or on our Facebook page, Mahaska Zone Network.
Photo Provided By Bob Ballard
