Rain knocks out Tuesday's state softball schedule

FORT DODGE — A five-hour rainstorm soaked the Rogers Sports Complex and postponed action at the state softball tournament Tuesday.

Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union officials met around noon, and moved the tournament back to Wednesday.

'We want the state championship to be championship-quality,' new IGHSAU executive director Jean Berger said. 'There's a lot of water out there, a lot of standing water in the outfields.'

Rain began around 7:45 a.m. and lasted around five hours. And even though both of the main fields were tarped Monday night, the outfields were deemed unplayable.

The Fort Dodge Regional Airport, across the street from Rogers, took more than 3 inches of rain in about five hours.

The Girls Union released a new schedule for the remainder of the week. Assuming there is no more rain, no games will be cancelled, and the tournament will end on time Friday.

'If I'm a softball player, I come to Fort Dodge thinking I'm going to play three games,' Berger said. 'In this arrangement, that is still the case.'

Wednesdays are generally consolation days, but all of Tuesday's previously scheduled quarterfinals (two in 2A, four each in 3A and 4A) were moved back 24 hours.

That includes four games involving area teams. Defending champion Iowa City Regina faces North Union in a 2A contest at 11:30 a.m. In Class 3A, Solon meets Baxter CMB at 3 p.m., Mount Vernon meets Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley at 5 p.m. and Benton Community tangles with Estherville-Lincoln Central at 7.

Thursday's semifinals and Friday's championship games are as previously scheduled.

The status of all consolation games is dependent on the Rogers grounds crew getting the fields ready Wednesday.

'We're working with a lot of veteran people with a lot of knowledge,' Berger said. 'The grounds-crew people think we have a decent shot at getting those games in, and we'll take them at their word.'

The weather is expected to turn hot starting Wednesday, with highs in the 90s the rest of the week.

WEDNESDAY

Class 1A Consolation Semifinals

10 a.m. — West Harrison (18-13) vs. New London (24-11)

10 a.m. — Charter Oak-Ute (25-13) vs. Belle Plaine (20-11)

Class 5A Consolation Semifinals

Noon — Cedar Rapids Prairie (26-15) vs. Davenport West (30-13)

Noon — Indianola (32-10) vs. Fort Dodge (28-15)

Class 1A Consolation 5th Place

2 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal winners

Class 1A Consolation 7th Place

2 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal losers

Class 5A Consolation 5th Place

4 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal winners

Class 5A Consolation 7th Place

4 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal losers

Class 2A Quarterfinals

11 a.m. — Logan-Magnolia (32-2) vs. Central Springs (34-3)

11:30 a.m. — North Union (32-4) vs. Iowa City Regina (26-17)

Class 3A Quarterfinals

1 p.m. — Davenport Assumption (39-4) vs. Atlantic (26-14)

3 p.m. — Solon (32-9) vs. Baxter CMB (25-8)

5 p.m. — Mount Vernon (29-13) vs. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (25-7)

7 p.m. — Benton Community (40-2) vs. Estherville ELC (19-15)

Class 4A Quarterfinals

1:30 p.m. — Carlisle (36-6) vs. Charles City (24-10)

3:30 p.m. — Boone (26-9) vs. Sioux City Heelan (26-10)

5:30 p.m. — Fairfield (27-11) vs. Creston (24-11)

7:30 p.m. — Oskaloosa (27-7) vs. Perry (24-12)

THURSDAY

Class 2A Consolation Semifinals

10 a.m. — Durant (35-5) vs. Interstate 35 (27-4)

10 a.m. — Bottom bracket

Class 2A 5th Place

2 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal winners

Class 2A 7th Place

2 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal losers

Class 3A Consolation Semifinals

Noon — Top bracket

Noon — Bottom bracket

Class 3A 5th Place

4 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal winners

Class 3A 7th Place

4 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal losers

Class 4A Consolation Semifinals

10 a.m. — Top bracket

Noon — Bottom bracket

Class 4A 7th Place

2 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal losers

Class 4A 5th Place

4 p.m. — Consolation-semifinal winners

Class 4A Semifinals

11 a.m. — Top bracket

1 p.m. — Bottom bracket

Class 3A Semifinals

11:30 a.m. — Top bracket

1:30 p.m. — Bottom bracket

Class 1A Semifinals

3 p.m. — Akron-Westfield (34-2) vs. Newell-Fonda (29-13)

5 p.m. — Martensdale-St. Marys (33-6) vs. Lansing Kee (37-6)

Class 2A Semifinals

3:30 p.m. — Conrad BCLUW (30-8) vs. Van Meter (31-7)

5:30 p.m. — Bottom bracket

Class 5A Semifinals

7 p.m. — West Des Moines Valley (40-3) vs. Pleasant Valley (35-8)

7:30 p.m. — Urbandale (34-9) vs. Johnston (39-4)

FRIDAY

Class 3A 3rd Place

9:30 a.m. — Semifinal losers

Class 3A Championship

10:10 a.m. — Semifinal winners

Class 4A 3rd Place

11:30 a.m. — Semifinal losers

Class 4A Championship

12:27 p.m. — Semifinal winners

Class 5A 3rd Place

1:30 p.m. — Semifinal losers

Class 5A Championship

2:39 p.m. — Semifinal winners

Class 1A 3rd Place

3:30 p.m. — Semifinal losers

Class 1A Championship

4:55 p.m. — Semifinal winners

Class 2A 3rd Place

5:30 p.m. — Semifinal losers

Class 2A Championship

7:09 p.m. — Semifinal winners

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