Jeff Linder

Area softball Super Ten and standings (July 3): Linn-Mar has narrowed the gap, but Cedar Rapids Xavier remains at No. 1.

High school softball: Hayden Gookin’s 10-strikeout three-hitter pushed Mount Vernon to the Wamac Conference East Division championship.

High school softball: Mallory Wulf is perfect through 6 2/3 innings, finishes with a no-hitter in West Liberty’s RVC South-clinching win over Durant.

Women’s basketball: Forget the position numbers. Iowa’s Ava Heiden wants to be ‘interchangeable’ as a power forward and as a center.

High school softball: Class 4A No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 5A No. 2 Linn-Mar split an important Mississippi Valley Conference twinbill.

High school softball: IGHSAU has released regional pairings. The postseason begins July 7.

High school softball: Cedar Rapids Prairie ends a nine-game losing streak, pushing past Iowa City Liberty, 11-6.

Iowa women’s basketball: Summer practice has begun at Iowa, and with that comes the first steps of ‘melding’ a roster that features sixth-year Kylie Feuerbach and five ‘newbies.’

High school softball: Dubuque Wahlert’s Julia Roth delivers a pair of clutch hits in the opener, and the 3A top-ranked Golden Eagles go on to sweep 5A No. 2 Linn-Mar.

High school softball notes: With 10 wins in their last 11 games, the Beckman Blazers are closing in on a River Valley Conference North Division softball title.

Get to know Gazette sports reporter Jeff Linder

Women’s basketball: Iowa will face Baylor (Nov. 20) and Miami (Nov. 22) in Orlando.

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union will release high school softball postseason pairings later this week for the tournament series, which begins July 7. For now, here are the The Gazette’s mock pairings.

Area softball Super Ten and standings (June 23): Unbeaten Cedar Rapids Xavier remains a clear No. 1; Linn-Mar continues its season-long climb, all the way up to No. 2.

High school softball: With a win over Vinton-Shellsburg on Monday, South Tama ended an 80-game losing streak and a 151-game Wamac slump.