March 28, 2024

Area 1A, 2A, 3A softball teams learn pairings

Colfax-Mingo, Lynnville-Sully and Baxter open the 2018 softball postseason at home while Prairie City-Monroe has a road opener to its playoffs.

These four area high school softball teams learned their regional brackets and pairings for postseason play on Monday.

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the 2018 playoff brackets for Classes 1A, 2A and 3A on Monday. The brackets for 4A and 5A are expected to be announced on Friday.

Playoffs for 1A and 2A begin July 2. The 3A regionals get underway on July 3.

Lynnville-Sully, which is 14-9 as of Thursday, earned a first-round bye in 1A Region 5. The Hawks await the winner of the July 2 game between Winfield-Mount Union and Iowa Valley.

Lynnville-Sully will host the winner of that game at 7 p.m. on July 3 in Sully. The winner advances to a Region 5 semifinal on July 6 in Sully.

The Hawks and Iowa Valley are among nine of the 12 South Iowa Cedar League conference teams in the 1A Region 5 tournament. North Mahaska has a first-round bye. It will host the winner of Lone Tree and Iowa Mennonite on July 3. The winner is in the semifinal in Sully.

Another SICL team, 1A No. 7 Sigourney, is the top seed in Region 5 and has the other first-round bye. Two SICL teams — Tri-County and Keota play each other on July 2 and the winner plays at Sigourney on July 3.

SICL team English Valleys plays at New London on July 2. Montezuma and HLV, both SICL teams, play each other in Montezuma on July 2.

The winners of those two games play each other on July 3 in New London. Sigourney hosts the other semifinal game at 7 p.m. on July 6.

The 1A Region 5 championship game will be played at the highest ranked team remaining in the tournament on July 9.

Baxter is in the 1A Region 7 tournament with fellow Iowa Star Conference member Collins-Maxwell, which is No. 2 ranked and is the top seed in the regional. There are five teams out of the Rolling Valley Conference in the tournament.

Baxter’s Bolts, who are 9-9 as of Thursday, hosts Audubon, which is out of the Western Iowa Conference, at 7 p.m. on July 2 in Baxter. The winner takes on the winner of Coon-Rapids-Bayard and Orient-Macksburg on July 3.

That quarterfinal game will be at 7 p.m. and the location determined by winning teams. The winner of the quarterfinal probably will play Collins-Maxwell at 7 p.m. July 2 in Collins.

Collins-Maxwell awaits its quarterfinal opponent for a 7 p.m. game on July 3 at Collins. It will be the winer of the July 2 game between CAM and Stanton.

On the other side of the 1A Region 7 bracket, opening-round games on July 2 will be: Southwest Valley at Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton, Ar-We-Va at Glidden-Ralston and East Union at Griswold.

The winner of the Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton and Southwest Valley game plays at Grand View Christian at 5:30 p.m. on July 3 in Des Moines. The other quarterfinal game is slated for 5:30 p.m. in Glidden. The semifinal game is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Grand View Christian.

The 1A Region 7 championship game is at noon on July 9 at the highest ranked team remaining in the tournament.

Colfax-Mingo opens 2A Region 4 tournament action at 7 p.m. on July 3 at home against Interstate 35. It is a quarterfinal game in Colfax.

The 2A Region 4 features two ranked teams in No. 3 Des Moines Christian and No. 12 Van Meter. Colfax-Mingo’s Tigerhawks, who are 12-10 as of Thursday, could face Des Moines Christian if the Tigerhawks win their opener.

Des Moines Christian plays the winner of a July 2 game between Cardinal and Van Buren on July 3. The semifinal game is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Des Moines Christian.

Van Meter awaits the winner of Madrid and Pella Christian, who play on July 2, for a 7 p.m. game on July 3. Pleasantville hosts Pekin in the other quarterfinal on July 3. The quarterfinal winners play at 7 p.m. on July 6 at Van Meter.

The 2A Region 4 championship game is at 5:30 p.m. on July 9 at the highest ranked team remaining in the tournament.

PCM’s Mustangs, who are 2-8 as of Thursday, are on the road in their 3A Region 4 opener. They play in quarterfinal action at 7 p.m. on July 3 against host Clarke in Osceola.

The other quarterfinal game in PCM’s half of the regional bracket has Chariton playing at Centerville. The two quarterfinal winners play at 7 p.m. on July 6 at Osceola.

Class 3A eighth-ranked Atlantic is the top seed in the 3A Region 4 tournament. Atlantic hosts Shenandoah on July 3. Also on July 3, Red Oak hosts Creston. The quarterfinal winners play at 7 p.m. on July 6 at Atlantic.

The 3A Region 4 title game is set for 7 p.m. on July 9 at the highest ranked team remaining in the tournament.

All regional champions advance to the 2019 IGHSAU state softball tournaments, which run July 16-20 in Fort Dodge.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com