A late, important introduction for Mustangs, Pointers

Same class. Same conference. Same county.

But, by some quirk of scheduling fate, Center Point-Urbana and Mount Vernon have not met on the softball diamond this season.

'Kind of strange, isn't it?” CPU Coach John Olachnovitch said. 'We weren't (Wamac Conference divisional) crossover partners. We didn't run into them at a tournament.

'It's just the way it's worked out.”

They'll make their acquaintances Monday, in the biggest game of the season.

The regional run reaches its climax in classes 3A, 2A and 1A, with state-tournament bids on the line.

Six games feature Gazette-area teams. No. 6 CPU (28-9) and No. 12 Mount Vernon (29-9) collide in a Class 3A matchup at Cedar Rapids Jefferson. That's the back end of a 2A/3A twinbill, at 7 p.m. In the 2A contest at 5:30, 14th-rated North Cedar (20-12) meets No. 15 Alburnett (25-12).

Benton Community (37-4), the top-ranked team in 3A, tests its 28-game winning streak against Mid-Prairie (24-10) at Iowa City West at 7.

In Class 2A, No. 1 Highland (30-1) faces Pella Christian (16-18) at Washington, Iowa. Class 1A games include HLV (15-10) against No. 2 Lynnville-Sully (33-1) at Oskaloosa, and Lansing Kee (31-9) opposite No. 12 Mason City Newman (24-6) at Cresco.

Winners advance to the state tournament next week at the Rogers Sports Complex, Fort Dodge.

No, Mount Vernon and CPU haven't met. But both coaches have done their homework.

'I've seen them a couple times, and we have some other people that have seen them as well,” said Mustangs Coach Robin Brand. 'Obviously, they hit well. They're aggressive on the basepaths. They're not afraid to take two bases on a bunt.”

Both teams advanced with 1-0 regional-semifinal wins, and both are on a tear. CPU has won 15 of its last 17 while Mount Vernon is on a 23-4 run.

'Our senior leadership has been really strong,” Brand said. 'They know what's expected, and all the kids are good about picking each other up.”

CPU, on the other hand, has been carried by youth (other than the pitcher/catcher battery of Samantha Croghan and Elizabeth Hearn). Of the starting 10 on Friday, seven were freshmen, one an eighth-grader.

Monday's schedule also features several regional semifinals in 4A and 5A that were postponed or suspended Saturday.

SOFTBALL REGIONAL FINALS: MONDAY'S CAPSULES

No. 6 CENTER POINT-URBANA (28-9) vs. No. 12 MOUNT VERNON (29-9), Class 3A Region 5

Time & site: 7 p.m., at Cedar Rapids Jefferson (Larry Niemeyer Field)

Notable: It's the first meeting of the season for these Wamac Conference sisters, who reside in opposite divisions. CPU was the West Division runner-up while Mount Vernon tied for second in the East. Both teams escaped their regional semifinals with 1-0 wins. CPU scored on a sixth-inning squeeze play while the Mount Vernon got a solo home run from Annie See. Junior Samantha Croghan has pitched two straight postseason shutouts for the Stormin' Pointers, who have an extremely young lineup (eight of their starters Friday were eighth- or ninth-graders). CPU has won 15 of its last 17 games; Mount Vernon is on a 23-of-27 tear, and its top two hitters (Libby Ryan and Alyssa Maddocks) are freshmen.

No. 1 BENTON COMMUNITY (37-4) vs. MID-PRAIRIE (24-10), Class 3A Region 6

Time & site: 7 p.m., at Iowa City West

Notable: Benton earned the top ranking 3A midway through the season, and the Bobcats have protected it fiercely. They're on a a 28-game winning streak. The last victory came hard, though, a 1-0 win over sub-.500 Camanche in the regional semifinals. Mid-Prairie will be anything but a walk in the park. The Golden Hawks are perennial postseason magicians who have advanced to state four straight years and seven times in the last nine years. They've rebuilt well after losing eight starters to graduation and their coach to Iowa City West. Sophomore Amber Kral is hitting .589 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs and the area's best slugging percentage (1.089). Benton counters with soph Alyssa Wiebel (.529, 14 home runs) and pitcher Amber Fiser (24-2, 0.31 ERA, 292 strikeouts).

No. 14 NORTH CEDAR (20-12) vs. No. 15 ALBURNETT (25-12), Class 2A Region 4

Time & site: 5:30 p.m., at Cedar Rapids Jefferson (Larry Niemeyer Field)

Notable: Both teams figured to be in coinflip regional semifinals; instead, both won convincingly. North Cedar ousted seventh-rated Durant 3-0 while Alburnett sidelined error-prone Iowa City Regina 10-4. The champion of the River Valley Conference North Division, North Cedar has never made a state tournament, nor have any of the schools that predated its arrival. Alburnett always seems to be in the mix, but is seeking its first state trip since 2008. The Pirates' offense is clicking with 60 runs in the past eight games (including seven wins). Eighth-grader Kayla Hospodarsky is batting .448 with five home runs. North Cedar junior Jordan Bendixen is one of the state's top run producers. She is batting .454 with 25 extra-base hits, scoring 40 runs and driving in 46.

No. 1 HIGHLAND (30-1) vs. PELLA CHRISTIAN (16-18), Class 2A Region 5

Time & site: 7 p.m., at Washington, Iowa

Notable: Highland had some anxious moments in its regional semifinal, trailing 1-0 and 3-1 before pulling away and getting past Wapello, 8-3 for its 23rd consecutive victory. Cheyann Adamson is hitting .583 for the Huskies and leads the team in runs (47) and RBIs (38). Junior pitcher Katie Springer is 26-1. She faces a Pella Christian lineup that features just one batter (Tessa Howerzyl) batting over .275. The Eagles have won four straight games, including two straight convincing victories in tournament play.

LANSING KEE (31-9) vs. No. 12 MASON CITY NEWMAN (24-6), Class 1A Region 2

Time & site: 7 p.m., at Cresco

Notable: Kee High captured the Upper Iowa Conference title, and the Hawks might be beginning a trend. Led by Kendra Cooper (eighth grade, 19-3) and Courtney Cooper (12-5), Kee has the pitching to lead them for the long haul. The younger Cooper leads Kee in hitting (.473) and RBIs (39). Kee won its first two postseason games by a composite margin of 23-1. Newman had a challenge in the regional semifinals, getting past Clarksville, 5-1 in eight innings.

HLV (15-10) vs. No. 2 LYNNVILLE-SULLY (33-1), Class 1A Region 5

Time & site: 7 p.m., at Oskaloosa

Notable: Lynnville-Sully handled HLV twice in the regular season by decisions of 10-0 and 9-1 on its way to the South Iowa Cedar League championship. The Hawks have won 29 straight games and have reached double figures in runs on 23 occasions. HLV is on a hot spell now, however, with seven wins in its last eight games. That includes impressive triumphs over North Mahaska and Sigourney in the last two rounds. Eighth-grader Emma Cheney leads HLV in hitting (.468) and RBIs (23).

MONDAY'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS (postponed/suspended from Saturday)

Class 5A Region 4: Davenport West (22-14) at Iowa City West (29-9), 5:30 p.m.; Pleasant Valley (28-8) at Cedar Rapids Prairie (25-13), 6 p.m.

Class 5A Region 5: Bettendorf (27-14) at Muscatine (35-4), 5:30 p.m.; Iowa City High (9-28) at Ottumwa (26-11), 5:30 p.m.

Class 4A Region 2: Western Dubuque (19-21) at West Delaware (28-7), 7 p.m.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@sourcemedia.net