The road to the 2017 Iowa high school softball tournaments start at home for four of the area softball teams.
Pairings for Class 1A, 2A and 3A softball regional tournaments were announced Monday by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Pairings and brackets for 4A, which includes Newton, and 5A will be released on Thursday.
In 1A, 11th-ranked Colfax-Mingo is in Region 8 and 12th-ranked Lynnville-Sully is in Region 3. Collins-Maxwell/Baxter, which is ranked No. 5 in 2A is in the 2A Region 3. Prairie City-Monroe was assigned to 3A’s Region 7.
All four area teams host their first regional games and three will host semifinal games. If they are the highest-seeded team going into their respective regional championship games, they could be playing at home on July 10 for state tournament berths.
Colfax-Mingo will play at 7 p.m. on July 5 in Colfax against the winner of East Union and Griswold, which play on July 3 in Afton. If the Tigerhawks win on July 5, they will host a semifinal regional game at 7 p.m. on July 7.
Also in Colfax-Mingo’s half of the regional bracket, Riverside plays Orient-Macksburg on July 3.
The winner takes on Grand View Christian on July 5 at 5:30 p.m. in Colfax. The winner of that game plays in the semifinal game in Colfax on July 7.
In the top half of the 1A Region 8 bracket is 1A 10th-ranked Murray, which awaits the winner of the July 3 game between Essex and Bedford.
Two other opening-round games on July 3 are Diagonal at Mount Ayr and Stanton at Lenox. Mount Ayr will host the two July 5 quarterfinal games, at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., on July 5 and host the semifinal game on July 7.
The 1A Region 8 championship game will be played at 7 p.m. on July 10 at the highest remaining seeded team.
Lynnville-Sully, which is ranked No. 12 in 1A, fourth-ranked Newell-Fonda and North Mahaska were awarded first-round byes in the 1A Region 3 tournament.
All three will host quarterfinal games at 7 p.m. July 5.
Lynnville-Sully will play the winner of Colo-NESCO and GMG, which play at 7 p.m. on July 3, in Sully on July 5. North Mahaska hosts the winner of the July 3 game between Montezuma and Tri-County at New Sharon on July 5.
The winners of the two July 5 quarterfinal games play in a 7 p.m. semifinal game on July 7 at Sully.
In the top part of the 1A Region 3 bracket, St. Edmond plays Coon Rapids-Bayard on July 3 and the winner takes on Newell-Fonda on July 5. Newell-Fonda hosts the semifinal game at 7 p.m. on July 7.
The other opening-round games have Glidden-Ralston playing Audubon and Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton playing CAM. The winners play each other in a quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. in Glidden on July 5. The quarterfinal victor plays in the semifinal game at Fonda on July 7.
The 1A Region 3 championship game will be played at 7 p.m. on July 10 at the highest remaining seeded team.
CMB’s Raiders are ranked No. 5 in Class 2A and earned a first-round bye in the 2A Region 3 tournament. The winner of July 3’s Grundy Center and Dike-New Hartford game plays CMB at 7 p.m. July 5 at Collins.
Ogden and Madrid play at Ogden on July 5 in a quarterfinal. The winner advances to the semifinal game against the winner of the CMB quarterfinal contest at 7 p.m. July 7 in Collins.
Saint Ansgar hosts Aplington-Parkersburg in a first-round game on July 3 in the other half of the 2A Region 3 bracket. The winner moves on to face 2A No. 15 BCLUW at 7 p.m. July 5 at Conrad. BCLUW will host a semifinal game at 7 p.m. July 7. The other quarterfinal game has West Fork playing at South Hamilton on July 5.
The 2A Region 3 championship game will be played at 7 p.m. on July 10 at the highest remaining seeded team.
PCM is in the Class 3A Region 7 tournament along with 3A No. 5 Solon and No. 14 Albia. There are no byes in the eight-team regional.
PCM hosts Chariton at 7 p.m. July 5 in Monroe in quarterfinal play while Solon hosts Mid-Prairie. The winners of the two quarterfinal games play at 7 p.m. July 7 in Solon.
Albia hosts Central Decatur and Centerville plays at Clarke in Osceola on July 5 in the other two quarterfinals in the 3A Region 7 tournament. The winners play at 7 p.m. July 7 in Albia.
The 3A Region 7 championship game will be played at 7 p.m. on July 10 at the highest remaining seeded team.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com