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

The round of byes has passed.

Now, for the small schools, it’s all aboard for the regional softball series.

The survivor pool will dwindle from 64 teams to 32 in Class 2A and Class 1A after Wednesday’s regional quarterfinals.

Among the area heavyweights are Iowa City Regina (ranked No. 1 in 2A), Lisbon (No. 4 in 2A) and North Linn (No. 2 in 1A). All are heavily favored Wednesday, and moving forward all the way to state.

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

Hudson (19-16) at Jesup (23-10)

Class 2A Region 5

Hudson rolled past Grundy Center, 13-3, in a first-round game while this is Jesup’s postseason debut. The J-Hawks are on a six-game winning streak and own a 12-2 victory over the Pirates on June 16. Jesup displays uncanny balance up and down the order, with nine players hitting in excess of .300, led by freshman Haeden Kresser (.406, 36 RBIs, 12 doubles).

South Winneshiek (19-14) at No. 13 Osage (25-8)

Class 2A Region 6

Last time it was in action, South Winneshiek swept a doubleheader from Lansing Kee, securing a share of the Upper Iowa Conference championship. The Warriors have won 13 of 18 after a 6-9 start, sporting a balanced hitting attack and a steady pitcher in Morgan Kleve (18-14, 2.19 ERA). Osage is prolific offensively, hitting .439 as a team with 23 home runs and averaging 9.2 runs per game.

Iowa Valley (11-13) at BGM (14-10)

Class 1A Region 5

To the winner goes a likely trip to No. 1 Martensdale-St. Marys in the regional-semifinal round Friday. Iowa Valley pulled a minor upset in Round 1, 9-8 over HLV. The Tigers rallied from an early 4-0 deficit, scoring six times in the top of the third. BGM rolled past Belle Plaine in its postseason opener, 11-1, and has a bona fide slugger in sophomore Karagyn Minnaert (.443); 18 of her 31 hits this season were for extra bases.

Springville (14-21) at Central City (29-11)

Class 1A Region 7

Central City is one win away from securing its sixth straight non-COVID 30-win season. You’d have figured that the Wildcats would take a step back after the graduation of all-state pitcher Sara Reid, but a productive offense (.430 team BA, 7.8 runs per game) has kept this program humming. Bailee Weber (.523) has hit six home runs, scored 45 runs and knocked in 41. The Wildcats swept Springville, 9-6 and 5-0, June 1. Springville has won four in a row, including a 7-3 first-round win over North Cedar.

Highland (18-10) at Wapello (20-9)

Class 1A Region 8

These teams finished first and second in the Southeast Iowa Conference North Division, with Wapello claiming the title with a 14-0 league record. Highland defeated Lone Tree for the third time this season, 9-3, in the first round, while the Arrows awaited the winner. Lilly Barre and Sarah Burton provide the speed for the Huskies, combining for 84 runs and 61 stolen bases. Wapello downed Highland in the regular season by verdicts of 4-1 and 3-1.

Wednesday’s complete area schedule

CLASS 2A REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

(All games, 7 p.m.)

Region 5

Belmond-Klemme (11-13) at No. 3 Central Springs (22-5)

Emmetsburg (10-12) at Lake Mills (9-11)

Hudson (19-16) at Jesup (23-10)

Dike-New Hartford (22-7) at No. 14 Waterloo Columbus (24-11)

Region 6

Clayton Ridge (9-21) at No. 4 Lisbon (31-7)

East Buchanan (6-18) at Alburnett (24-11)

Denver (11-21) at No. 15 Wapsie Valley (21-7)

South Winneshiek (19-14) at No. 13 Osage (25-8)

Region 7

Pekin (1-19) at No. 1 Iowa City Regina (24-8)

West Branch (7-24) at Cardinal (13-15)

Eddyville EBF (16-17) at Van Buren County (19-7)

Colfax-Mingo (15-11) at East Marshall (19-12)

Region 8

Dyersville Beckman (11-18) at No. 7 Cascade (26-9)

Bellevue Marquette (11-18) at No. 12 Northeast (19-11)

Durant (11-25) at No. 9 Wilton (27-8)

Mediapolis (7-11) at Louisa-Muscatine (14-13)

CLASS 1A REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

(All games, 7 p.m.)

Region 5

Montezuma (13-12) at No. 1 Martensdale-St. Marys (22-6)

Iowa Valley (11-13) at BGM (14-10)

Lynnville-Sully (9-17) at No. 11 Earlham (30-9)

Colo-Nesco (11-14) at Collins-Maxwell (19-6)

Region 7

Turkey Valley (13-19) at No. 2 North Linn (33-6)

West Central (6-23) at Edgewood-Colesburg (26-14)

Springville (14-21) at Central City (29-11)

Maquoketa Valley (15-15) at Calamus-Wheatland (24-15)

Region 8

Fort Madison Holy Trinity (11-11) at No. 8 Sigourney (22-4)

Highland (18-10) at Wapello (21-9)

Moravia (12-21) at No. 12 Twin Cedars (19-5)

Tri-County (11-9) at English Valleys (16-6)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com