Jeff Linder

The nation’s winningest high school softball coach, Larry Niemeyer died Thursday night at age 84. He won three softball state championships and one in girls’ basketball at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

As assistant coach Summer Brand wages a battle on Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Mount Vernon chases a 3A state softball championship Friday.

Southeast Warren upset No. 1 North Linn in a Class 1A state softball semifinal game.

One run and one hit was enough for Davenport Assumption in a Class 3A state softball semifinal win over Williamsburg.

Jenna Sprague faced the minimum against Saydel and Mount Vernon is returning to the Class 3A state softball championship game.

Grace Bailey pitched a four-hit shutout and hit the game-winning home run in the eighth inning as Twin Cedars outlasted Lisbon in the Class 1A state softball quarterfinals.

Down 4-0, Iowa City Regina rallied past Van Meter, 6-5, in a Class 2A state softball quarterfinal.

Peyton Driscoll struck out 14 and Williamsburg struck for three first-inning runs in a 5-1 Class 3A state softball quarterfinal win over Sioux Center.

Mount Vernon topped Dubuque Wahlert and its six eighth-grade starters in a Class 3A state softball quarterfinal.

Linn-Mar suffered its first shutout loss of the season at the hands of Waukee Northwest in a Class 5A state softball quarterfinal.

Four distinct personalities mesh into one cohesive unit on Linn-Mar’s all-senior infield heading into the state softball tournament.

The Gazette’s championship predictions for the 2022 state softball tournament: Fort Dodge, ADM, Williamsburg, Central Springs and North Linn.

Capsules on the Gazette-area’s six qualifiers for the 2022 Iowa high school state softball tournament.

Rylee Vercande lit the fuse with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning, pitcher Peyton Driscoll spun a 13-strikeout, two-hit shutout and third-ranked Williamsburg hit the ball hard all game in a 7-0 Class 3A regional softball final rout of Atlantic.

Top-ranked North Linn held off Central City in a Class 1A regional final to return to the state softball tournament for the fourth straight year.