The high school softball playoffs begin across the state of Iowa tonight, and local teams like Highland, Lone Tree, Winfield-Mount Union and Keota are hoping their time in the big dance is extended into next week’s Class 1A Region 8 quarterfinals.
Southeast Iowa Super Conference rivals are colliding in the first round in Region 8 when the fifth-seeded Highland Huskies welcome the Lone Tree Lions to Riverside. After a slow start to the season, Highland has rounded into form, winning 14 of their last 20 games to improve to 17-10.
The Huskies possess a dynamic lineup. Junior Sarah Burton has scored 38 runs and stolen 29 bases from the lead-off spot, with sophomore Lilly Barre scoring 42 runs and posting a .408 batting average in the two spot.
The middle of the order is just as fierce, as senior Abbi Stransky has hammered six doubles and three home runs and has a team-high 28 runs batted in. Two all-state level talents have been veteran leaders for Highland. Junior Peyton Brun is batting .422 with 11 extra-base hits and 26 RBI, while senior pitcher Jessica Kraus has a 13-5 record and 114 strikeouts.
The Huskies won both meetings in the regular season with Lone Tree, who come into tonight with a record of 10-15. Sophomore Vivian Zaruba has hit .403 and scored 37 runs for the Lions while also piling up 30 stolen bases. Junior Lila Bell is batting .333 and leads the Lone Tree lineup with 23 RBI.
It will be the challenge for Winfield-Mount Union to take down the champions of the Super Conference North when they travel to face fourth-seeded Wapello tonight. Senior Anna Anderson is hitting .545 for the Wolves with six doubles, a homer and 14 RBI, while fellow senior Keely Malone is batting .400 and has 21 runs driven in, but WMU comes into play with just a 4-15 record.
Keota will try to upend seventh-seeded Moravia and get their first win of the season in the process. Despite a solid debut season from eighth-grader Maya Dalton at the plate, the Eagles are winless in 2023. First pitch for all postseason games this evening is 7 o’clock.