‘Cage rat’ Lindsey Culver makes a day of it in Dubuque

You've heard of gym rats. They spend hours in the gymnasium, shooting baskets, honing their craft.

Brian Erbe has a term for Lindsey Culver.

'She's a cage rat,' said Erbe, softball coach at Cedar Rapids Jefferson. 'She's happy to get a batting tee or take some soft-toss, and hit and hit and hit until it's time to go.'

Tuesday night, Culver was uncaged, untamed and unstoppable.

The sophomore hit four home runs and drove in 10 runs as the J-Hawks swept Dubuque Wahlert 12-0 and 16-0 in a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader in Dubuque.

'The first time, I popped up. But after that, I got my timing right,' said Culver, a South Dakota State commit.

Three of the home runs, including a grand slam, came in the first game, in which she knocked in eight runs.

'All of them were well over 225 feet,' Erbe said. 'She saw the ball really well.'

Tuesday's power surge sent Culver's homer total to 13 this season, a school record. She has driven in 49 runs.

And that 'cage rat' reference? Guilty as charged, Culver said.

'I'm always in the cage,' she said. 'Whether it's with my dad or with Erbe, it helps me work out the bugs.'

Jefferson is 24-3 overall, 18-0 in the MVC.

REVISED REGIONALS

An oversight by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union in a sharing agreement between Columbus Community and WACO was caught Wednesday, and the result is some redrawn regional brackets in Eastern Iowa in Class 2A and 3A.

Columbus-WACO is a 3A combined program. Dyersville Beckman, which has been classified in 3A, moves down to 2A and instantly becomes a major player in that class.

The impact is major for a number of the area's top teams in those classes:

* Beckman replaces Waterloo Columbus in 2A-4, a region that also features Iowa City Regina.

* Center Point-Urbana replaces Beckman in 3A-4, a region that also features West Delaware.

* CPU's exit from 3A-5 makes a smoother road for Mount Vernon, now the only ranked team in that region.

SWEET 16-TEAMER

Six ranked squads are among the 16-team field in this weekend's Linn-Mar/Alburnett Invitational.

First-round action begins at 11 a.m. Friday at both sites. There is one opening-round contest featuring two ranked teams — 3A No. 8 Mount Vernon against 2A No. 4 Durant.

Semifinals are scheduled for 11:45 a.m. Saturday at Linn-Mar, with the championship game at 3:15 p.m.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com