Pirates go deep in Johnson's return

This is why Kevin Johnson came back."I said no for two months, and life went on for me (last year) without softball," Johnson said. "But I'd been close to a lot of these kids."I came back for them."Johnson, who coached Alburnett to state championships in 1999 and 2005, left after the 2006 season. He coached at Center Point-Urbana for four years, then took 2011 off completely.The position opened after Marv Porter stepped down, and after those initial rejections, Johnson finally caved.And now, after a relatively slow start, Alburnett is an upset win away from returning to the state tournament. The Pirates (29-13) face No. 2 Durant (29-5) in a Class 2A regional final Monday at Mount Vernon."One thing Coach always tells us, is to be cool cucumbers," said Kaitlyn Boline. "Always play together, and believe we can do it."Alburnett-Durant is one of five regional finals Monday featuring area teams.In Class 3A, top-ranked Solon (34-6) hosts Independence (17-20), No. 4 Mid-Prairie (29-11) meets No. 8 Clarke (28-5) at Oskaloosa and long shots Dyersville Beckman (15-26) and Waukon (13-17) collide at West Union.Speaking of long shots, they don't get much longer than Springville. The Orioles (9-25), who finished eighth in the Tri-Rivers Conference, take on No. 8 Mason City Newman (24-11) in a 1A encounter at Charles City.The first portion of Johnson's comeback season was unremarkable. The Pirates were 9-9 when Johnson sent a reassuring e-mail to the school's softball community."I told the parents, 'We'll be OK,' " Johnson said. "Twenty-and-four later, we're OK."Alburnett sidelined defending 2A state champion Iowa City Regina, 3-1, in the regional semifinals.Regional finals in 4A and 5A are Tuesday.

MONDAY'S REGIONAL SOFTBALL FINALS

WAUKON vs. DYERSVILLE BECKMAN (Class 3A Region 4)

When & where -- 7 p.m., at West Union

Records & rankings -- Waukon is 13-17; Beckman is 15-26. Both teams are unranked.

Notable -- Cinderella, meet Cinderella. Beckman pulled off an improbable upset of No. 6 Monticello in the regional semifinals, scoring two runs in the top of the seventh to tie it, then tallying in the 11th to win, 3-2. The Blazers preceded that with a 3-0 surprise of Cascade in the quarterfinals. Waukon toppled No. 15 Crestwood 6-0 in Round 1 before edging Osage 6-5 in the semis Friday. The Indians haven't been to state since 1996; Beckman has never been there at all. Claire Willenbring hits .472 for the Blazers.

INDEPENDENCE vs. SOLON (Class 3A Region 5)

When & where -- 7 p.m., at Solon

Records & rankings -- Independence (17-20) is unranked; Solon is 34-6 and No. 1.

Notable -- Solon's top-ranked express almost went off the tracks Tuesday. The Spartans were an out away from a monumental upset loss to Mount Vernon, but scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win it, 7-6. It was back to normal in the semifinals, an 11-1 rout of Northeast. Kara Misel is enjoying a mammoth season at the plate, hitting .538 with 15 doubles and 11 home runs, leading the team in runs (51) and RBIs (49). Sophomore-dominated Indee has scored 23 runs in its first two postseason games. A win would put Solon at state for the eighth time in 10 years.

MID-PRAIRIE vs. CLARKE (Class 3A Region 7)

When & where -- 7 p.m., at Oskaloosa

Records & rankings -- Mid-Prairie (29-11) is ranked No. 4; Clarke (28-5) is No. 8.

Notable -- Mid-Prairie is favored to advance to Fort Dodge for the sixth time in eight years. To do so, the Golden Hawks must solve Clarke pitcher Libby Bemis (17-2), who shut out Albia and Centerville in the first two regional games. Mid-Prairie pulled off a stunner in last year's regional final, scoring five runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to knock off Durant, 5-4. Nearly all the components of that team -- which finished third in 2A at state -- are back, led by pitcher Olivia Lugar (22-8) and Mallory McArtor (.466, 40 RBIs).

ALBURNETT vs. DURANT (Class 2A Region 4)

When & where -- 7 p.m., at Mount Vernon

Records & rankings -- Unranked Alburnett is 29-13; Durant (29-5) is No. 2.

Notable -- With the regional-semifinal exit of No. 1 North Union, Durant becomes the team to beat in 2A. The Wildcats were champions of the Cedar Valley Conference and racked up 26 runs in their two previous regional games. Alburnett brings back two key figures of past success: Kevin Johnson is the head coach after five years away; he coached the Pirates to state titles in 1999 and 2005. Amy (Rowe) Rawson is the pitching coach; she pitched the Pirates to the '99 title. Alburnett has won 20 of its last 24 games, including a 3-1 win over defending champion Iowa City Regina in the regional semis. Durant's Mackenzie Snowbarger is hitting .600 with 20 doubles and seven homers.

SPRINGVILLE vs. MASON CITY NEWMAN (Class 1A Region 3)

When & where -- 7 p.m., at Charles City

Records & rankings -- Springville is 9-25 and unranked; Newman is 24-11 and No. 8.

Notable -- With single-digit wins, Springville might be the least likely regional finalist in the state. The Orioles emerged from a foursome that entered tournament play with a combined record of 20-119, then gained credibility with a 3-0 regional-semifinal upset of Clarksville. Heading into tournaments, the Orioles did not have a home run. Daisha Hall is hitting .386. Newman is a light-hitting outfit as well, with just two regulars above .300. But with Elli Ruen in the circle, the Knights don't need a lot of offense. Ruen has struck out 153 batters and owns a 1.72 ERA.