Friday’s best: 5 area Iowa high school softball regional games to watch

You’ve got a rated-vs.-rated Class 2A showdown at Cascade.

There’s a No. 1, defending champion rolling along at Iowa City Regina.

In Iowa Valley and Tri-County, you’ve got a pair of South Iowa Cedar League upstarts still roaming around. And an SICL giant in Sigourney.

The regional-semifinal round for 2A and 1A is Friday, with winners advancing to play in regional finals Monday, at which point state-tournament berths will be determined.

Here are five of Friday’s best matchups involving area teams:

Alburnett (25-11) at No. 4 Lisbon (32-7)

Class 2A Region 6

Lisbon has won 12 straight in this series, including a sweep (17-7 and 4-1) June 12 at Alburnett. The Lions have their eyes on a sixth straight state-tournament appearance, but this would be their first as a 2A contestant. Peyton Robinson leads 2A in hits (64), is third in runs (55) and hasn’t been caught in 34 steal attempts, and Ryleigh Allgood (20-4) owns a 1.92 ERA and a .480 batting average. Savannah Caves is hitting .418 with seven home runs for Alburnett. Both teams rolled in the quarterfinals via shutout.

No. 12 Northeast (20-11) at No. 7 Cascade (27-9)

Class 2A Region 8

Three ranked teams reside in 2A Region 8, and the winner of this game is likely to face No. 9 Wilton in a regional final. The Cougars and the Rebels split a River Valley Conference North Division doubleheader May 25. You’ll find Cascade’s Devin Simon all over the 2A statistical leader board. The future Iowa Hawkeye leads the class in home runs (10), doubles (21), triples (five), total bases (120) and slugging percentage (1.143). The Cougars have won 14 of their last 15 games; Northeast is on a seven-game win streak.

Edgewood-Colesburg (27-14) at No. 2 North Linn (34-6)

Class 1A Region 7

North Linn went 24-0 in Tri-Rivers Conference play (including 12-2 and 6-5 verdicts against Ed-Co on June 12), and if the Lynx can get past two more league foes in the postseason, they’ll reach the state tournament for the fifth consecutive year. Ellie Flanagan is the 2A RBIs leader with 73, and is just as effective in the circle, where she has amassed a 22-3 record, 1.52 ERA and 226 strikeouts. Ed-Co won’t be anybody’s pushover; the Vikings have won six straight games of nine of their last 11. Freshman pitcher Rachel Eglseder is 16-7 and has driven in 35 runs.

Calamus-Wheatland (26-15) at Central City (30-11)

Class 1A Region 7

With six consecutive non-COVID seasons of 30-plus wins, Central City has been a model of consistency lately. The next step is to reach a state tournament, and the Wildcats have a good chance of making a regional final. They captured two of three regular-season contests against the Warriors. Central City hits .431 as a team and averages 7.6 runs per game, with three players above 40 runs this season. Freshman Avery Wise struck out 10 and walked none in an 8-2 regional-quarterfinal win over Springville. Cal-Wheat got past Maquoketa Valley, 8-5, in the previous round.

Wapello (22-9) at No. 8 Sigourney (23-4)

Class 1A Region 8

Two league champions collide: Wapello was crowned the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division champ; Sigourney ran the table in the South Iowa Cedar League. Lockdown pitcher Carly Goodwin (20-2) gives the Savages a legitimate shot against anybody; she has posted a 0.24 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk count of 273 to 3, and has shut out eight consecutive opponents. Josephine Moore is hitting .541 with 42 RBIs. Wapello advanced with a 3-2 victory over Highland, scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tatum Wolford’s two-run single won it.

Friday’s complete area schedule

CLASS 2A REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

(All games, 7 p.m.)

Region 6

Alburnett (25-11) at No. 4 Lisbon (32-7)

South Winneshiek (20-14) at No. 15 Wapsie Valley (22-7)

Region 7

Cardinal (14-15) at No. 1 Iowa City Regina (25-8)

East Marshall (20-12) at Eddyville EBF (17-17)

Region 8

No. 12 Northeast (20-11) at No. 7 Cascade (27-9)

Louisa-Muscatine (15-13) at No. 9 Wilton (28-8)

CLASS 1A REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

(All games, 7 p.m.)

Region 5

Iowa Valley (12-13) at No. 1 Martensdale-St. Marys (23-6)

Collins-Maxwell (20-6) at No. 11 Earlham (31-9)

Region 7

Edgewood-Colesburg (27-14) at No. 2 North Linn (34-6)

Calamus-Wheatland (26-15) at Central City (30-11)

Region 8

Wapello (22-9) at No. 8 Sigourney (23-4)

Tri-County (12-9) at No. 12 Twin Cedars (20-5)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com