Clippers open title defense (where else?) at home

Clear Creek Amana hits -- and runs -- with frequency.The Clippers (33-5) are hitting a fat .405 and are averaging about 9 runs per game as they begin defense of their Class 3A state softball championship Saturday.No. 2 CCA opens at home against South Tama, and -- as is usually the case -- gets its entire regional path at Oxford."I do like our offense," said CCA Coach Jim White. "I think the move (of the pitcher's rubber) to 43 feet is a reason."But not the only reason.Three players -- Caitlin Wnek, Fran Strub and Katy Sexton -- are hitting better than .500. And when the Clippers aren't slugging the ball, they're swiping bases. Five different players have more than 20 steals.Before a 2-0 loss to Independence on Thursday, the Clippers had been held under three runs only once all season.The Clippers don't have the burden of an unbeaten season that they carried successfully last year. And they're finally fully healthy. Pitchers Maliah Fligg (broken arm) and Miranda Hochstetler (hip surgery) are back after missing a good chunk of the season.Still, White is jittery."I'm always pretty paranoid," he said. "There's a lot of good teams in Eastern Iowa, and they're spread through three regions. But the other two seem (more difficult) than ours."CCA is the lone rated team in Region 6.Region 5 contains ninth-ranked Maquoketa (which opens at home against Dubuque Wahlert) and No. 10 West Delaware (which hosts Union).Class 4A regionals also open Saturday, but 14 of the 15 ranked teams have first-round byes and open with semifinal games on Monday.The lone exception is No. 11 Dubuque Hempstead, which plays at Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Saturday.In other 4A quarterfinals of local interest, Cedar Rapids Washington plays Linn-Mar at Cedar Rapids Jefferson while Cedar Rapids Prairie hosts Dubuque Senior and Iowa City High is at Oskaloosa.

SATURDAY'S CLASS 4A REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

(7 p.m. unless noted)

Region 5Dubuque Senior at Cedar Rapids PrairieCedar Rapids Xavier, byeDubuque Hempstead at Cedar Rapids KennedyIowa City West, bye

Region 6Cedar Rapids Washington vs. Linn-Mar, at C.R. JeffersonCedar Rapids Jefferson, byeClinton at Davenport WestMuscatine, bye

Region 8Indianola at NewtonSoutheast Polk, byeIowa City High at OskaloosaOttumwa, bye

SATURDAY'S CLASS 3A REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

(7 p.m. unless noted)

Region 3Waukon at CrestwoodDecorah at New HamptonForest City at Clear LakeCharles City at Waverly-Shell Rock

Region 5Oelwein at IndependenceUnion at West DelawareCenter Point-Urbana at Western DubuqueDubuque Wahlert at Maquoketa

Region 6Anamosa at Davenport AssumptionMarion at DeWitt CentralVinton-Shellsburg at Benton CommunitySouth Tama at Clear Creek Amana

Region 7Williamsburg at WashingtonMount Pleasant at Fort MadisonPella at CentervilleFairfield at Keokuk