The Oskaloosa softball team completed their first goal of the season by qualifying for the state softball tournament in Fort Dodge with their 6-0 victory over Mount Pleasant Tuesday night.

But the journey will not end there for the Indians. Osky is going to have a legitimate chance to bring home the Class 4A state championship, as they are the second-highest ranked team to make it into the bracket.

The #6 Indians (27-7) draw #15 Perry (24-12), who ended Dallas Center-Grimes’ season Tuesday night, ending their three-year run as Class 4A state champs. In the other quarterfinal on that half of the Class 4A bracket, #9 Fairfield (27-11), the only other area team to qualify for state, will face #14 Creston (24-11).

In the top half of the bracket, top-ranked Carlisle (36-6) will face unranked Charles City (24-10), while #12 Boone (26-9) will face #13 Bishop Heelan (26-10).

The top half gets the bracket started on Tuesday, July 19^th at 1:30 PM on Mittera Field at Harlan Rogers Park in Fort Dodge. Osky will be playing around 7:30 PM on that same field in the last game of the day.

Here is the full Class 4A bracket:

All the state action begins Monday, July 18^th, however, as Class 1A, 2A, and 5A will begin play with Class 3A and 4A playing Tuesday. The lower three classes were not nearly as chaotic with upsets as Class 4A and 5A, as they all have four of their top five ranked teams all in the state bracket.

In Class 1A, top-ranked Akron-Westfield should be considered a heavy favorite. The perennial powerhouse will have plenty of top competition to play, but get their start against unranked West Harrison. Belle Plaine will be a sizeable underdog after dispatching Montezuma in the regional final, as they face #2 Kee. #5 New London, who beat Sigourney to get to state, faces #9 Newell-Fonda.

Here is the full Class 1A bracket:

In Class 2A, #1 Durant is the headliner in the only bracket of the five classes that has all eight spots occupied by ranked teams. #13 BCLUW is their first opponent. #6 Van Meter, who defeated Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the regional final, will face #5 Interstate-35 in a good matchup in the quarterfinals. #7 Iowa City Regina, who walked off with a 2-1 win over Pella Christian in the regional final round, will play #4 North Union in the quarters.

The entire Class 2A bracket looks like this:

In Class 3A, the bracket is loaded with four of the top contenders in the state still alive. #1 Benton Community will face unranked Estherville-LC in a favorable first round matchup. #2 Davenport Assumption, who took out Albia in the regional final, will face #15 Atlantic in the quarterfinals. #3 Solon and #5 Mount Vernon also will be tough outs in a load bracket.

Here is what Class 3A looks like as a whole:

Finally, Class 5A saw some unexpected upsets, as #1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy was upset by unranked Cedar Rapids Prairie, 2-1, at home Tuesday night. CR Prairie now draws the top team left, #2 West Des Moines Valley, who should be a big favorite to advance. #14 Fort Dodge could be a dark horse to make a deep run, as they upset Waukee in the regional semifinals to eliminate the defending champs. Fort Dodge would then get a 10-run victory over Sioux City East to punch their ticket to state. Future Little Hawkeye Conference team Indianola, who is ranked #12 coming into the state tournament, will face #7 Urbandale in the quarterfinals.

Here is what the Class 5A bracket looks like:

We will have full coverage from Fort Dodge with the Oskaloosa Indians, and you can hear their games live on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com, with the pregame show starting around 7:15 PM for their quarterfinal matchup against Perry.

The State Softball Tournament in Fort Dodge begins next Monday, and small schools in the listening area are looking to punch tickets tonight.

In Class 1A Region 4, Montezuma looks for one more improbable win to somehow book a trip to the state tourney. They’ll face Belle Plaine on the road tonight at 7 PM. In their lone meeting this year, BP got the win, 11-4, back on June 10^th. BP enters the game at 19-10 while Montezuma is 15-13.

In Class 1A Region 5, Sigourney is on the road facing New London after upsetting Calamus-Wheatland on the road last Friday. That game begins at 7 PM, and New London should be a heavy favorite. NL defeated Sigourney in last year’s regional final via a walk-off home run for a 2-1 victory. The Savages would be looking to avenge that loss.

In Class 2A Region 3, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont is on the road to challenge
Van Meter for a slot at state. EBF is only two spots lower in the rankings, which is why they have to make the trek to the hometown of pitching legend Bob Feller. That game is at 7 PM, and you can hear the broadcast on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com starting around 6:45 this evening.

Class 2A Region 5 has Pella Christian taking on Iowa City Regina for a trip to state. When the brackets came out, Regina was ranked #1 in the state, but has since fallen to #7. PC is ranked 10^th, and if they get a good pitching outing from starter Emma Schnell, could find a way to pull the road upset tonight and get to state.

Finally, in Class 3A Region 4, Albia finds themselves one win away from state. The Lady Dees are facing #2 Davenport Assumption on the road after surviving in extra innings against Davis County, 2-1, last Friday.

All games are at 7 PM, and you can hear updates from the action on our airwaves during the EBF-Van Meter regional final on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com.

Autumn McDanel had another stellar performance offensively and defensively striking out 13 and Moravia pulled off another late come-from-behind victory, defeating Cardinal 2-1 to advance to Friday’s Class 1A Region 5 Semifinal.  Cardinal struck first in the top of the first inning scoring on a double by Cassidy McMartin and an RBI single from Shelby Smith.

The Comets defense retired the first six batters faced before Moravia started the third with back-to-back singles but were unable to produce a run.  Cardinal maintained their 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth when McDanel blasted a solo home run over the left center field fence to tie the game, her second homer of the season.

After retiring Cardinal in order to start the seventh inning, Moravia came to the plate looking to end the game and did just that as Emma Cochran led off beating out an infield bunt, then Jessica Self ripped a walk off RBI double scoring Cochran to win the game.

Maddie Cloke led Cardinal at the plate going 2 for 3 with a double and a single as the Comets finish their season 15-17 overall.  McDanel led Moravia’s offense going 2 for 3 with a single and homerun.  Peyton Rogers and Emily Moore also each had a hit.

Erika Ash took the loss for Cardinal striking out two while walking none and allowing six hits while McDanel got the win striking out 13, which gives her 31 K’s in the past two games, walking two and allowing just four hits.  Moravia improved to 19-9, has won six of their last seven games and advances to Friday’s Regional Semifinal in New London where they will face New London who beat Danville 10-0 last night.

You can hear that broadcast live on radiokmzn.com starting just before 7 PM Friday night.

Story provided by Jamie Brockman

The baseball brackets for Class 3A and 4A are out, and a trio of area teams get at least two home games on their road to state.

In Class 3A District 9, Washington will have to go on the road to face Solon, who is the top seed and the host site for all of District 9. The other district semifinal is Mount Vernon vs. Clear Creek-Amana, which kicks off the doubleheader at 5 PM on July 15^th.

In that sister district, District 10, Fairfield will be hosting their way through district play if they continue to win. The Trojans face Fort Madison in the semifinals, with the other semi being Mount Pleasant vs. Keokuk in an All-Southeast Conference district bracket. Mount Pleasant and Keokuk will play at 5 PM to start the double-dip on the 15^th. District finals will be played on July 18^th at 7 PM.

The winners of those two districts will meet in Washington on July 20^th at 7 PM with a trip to state on the line.

In Class 3A District 11, Oskaloosa is the top team, and they will host Grinnell in the finale of a doubleheader in Osky on July 15^th. The first semifinal will be Williamsburg vs. South Tama County. Oskaloosa will host the district final on July 18^th at 7 PM regardless of who will be playing.

That sister district features #5 Pella, who faces Newton in their first district game in the back end of that doubleheader. Knoxville and Chariton square off in the first game at 5 PM on July 15^th. The district final is at 7 PM on July 18^th.

This potentially sets up a rematch in the Substate 6 Final on the very same field that Pella and Osky battled for state last year. Pella was the victor in that contest, and will have the home-field advantage if they make it to the substate final. Winner of that game, as they did last year, will qualify for the state baseball tournament at Principal Park in Des Moines. That game is on July 20^th at 7 PM. Pella is 2-1 against Oskaloosa this season, but have not thrown ace Grant Judkins in any of the three games.

Ottumwa is the lone Class 4A team in the area, and they have to go on the road to face Indianola in the first round of Substate 6. That game is on July 15^th at 7 PM. After the three substate games, the highest seeded team will receive a bye, and the other two will battle on a field to be determined to get to the substate final.

We will have continuing coverage of all of the area’s score on radiokmzn.com, and will be broadcasting the Oskaloosa baseball games on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com.

Wednesday night was a big night for postseason softball with several area teams advancing to their region’s semifinals.

Perhaps the biggest upset involving an area team was in Class 1A Region 4 as Montezuma defeated #3 Alburnett, 6-5, in a 10-inning thriller. That game turned the entire bracket on its head, as Monte faces North Tama, who also pulled a road upset, beating Don Bosco, 5-2. That game will be in Alburnett on Friday at 7 PM.

In the bottom half of that bracket, Lisbon was the top seed, and they were upset as well, falling at home to Marquette Catholic, 5-2. Belle Plaine was the only home team in the entire region to win in the quarterfinals, and they’ll face Marquette Catholic in Lisbon on Friday at 7 PM.

None of those teams are ranked, setting up an unlikely Cinderella team to qualify for the state tournament in Fort Dodge.

In Class 1A Region 5, the opposite was true, as all four home teams got wins to advance to the regional semifinals. #5 New London got a 10-0 win over Danville and they’ll face area team Moravia, who beat Cardinal 2-1 in walk-off fashion. That game is in New London on Friday at 7 PM. You can hear the broadcast on our website on radiokmzn.com.

In the bottom half of that bracket, Sigourney got themselves a 15-5 win over Tri-County, and now they’ll face #6 Calamus-Wheatland. That game is in Calamus on Friday at 7 PM.

Class 1A Region 6 action saw Lynnville-Sully’s season come to a close in an 8-4 loss to Colfax-Mingo. The Hawks end their campaign 16-17.

In Class 2A Region 3, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont held off a stiff challenge from North Mahaska at home, 5-2. EBF is ranked #8 in the state, and didn’t play their cleanest game, but found a way to get the win. They will host Des Moines Christian on Friday at 7 PM. DMC got a 7-1 victory over Pleasantville on the road Wednesday night. Pleasantville ends their season at 15-12. #6 Van Meter and Ogden are in the other semifinal in the region.

You can hear the EBF vs. DMC game on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN app, and radiokmzn.com, starting at 6:45 Friday night.

Pella Christian stayed alive in Class 2A Region 5. The 10^th ranked Eagles beat Madrid at home, 11-4. They’ll play South Hamilton at home on Friday at 7 PM. South Hamilton pulled a 5-4 upset on Woodward-Granger on the road Wednesday night. #7 Iowa City Regina and Maquoketa Valley are playing in the other Region 5 Semifinal.

In Class 2A Region 6, Pekin’s season came to an end, as they lost 4-2 to Highland on the road. The Panthers’ season ends with a record of 11-14.

In Class 3A Region 4, a quartet of area teams faced off in the quarterfinal round. Davis County pulled an upset over Centerville on the road, 6-5, to move to 6-2 in their last 8 games. Even with that recent hot stretch, the Mustangs are just 13-17 on the season. They’ll have a chance to win another game, however, as they’ll face conference foe Albia. The Lady Dees got past Mid-Prairie at home, 5-4. Despite knowing each other well, Albia manhandled DC in both meetings this year between the teams, outscoring the Mustangs 23-0. Davis County has beaten three opponents with better records than them in their last three games, so expect a closer contest Friday in Centerville. First pitch is at 7 PM.

In the other half of that bracket, #2 Davenport Assumption will host West Burlington/Notre Dame, as both of those teams got comfortable home wins in the quarterfinals.

Finally in Class 3A Region 7, PCM’s season ended at the hands of CMB, 14-4. CMB will now play Saydel and should be the favorites to make it to state, as the top seed in the region, Clarke of Osceola, fell to Bondurant-Farrar in a home upset, 2-1. PCM’s final record is 11-18.

Stay locked in to radiokmzn.com for more information about all the happenings in postseason softball as all small schools are two wins away from qualifying for the state tournament in Fort Dodge.

The Oskaloosa Indian softball team has had a fantastic season and will be looking to qualify for the state softball tournament for the second time ever in Class 4A Region 5.

This bracket is intriguing from a lot of standpoints. In the first round, Clear Creek-Amana (18-21), who has a winning pedigree and has found ways to get back to Fort Dodge and the state tournament time and time again, will host Marion (12-21) in Oxford on Thursday, July 7^th.

This matchup is a rematch from a doubleheader earlier in the season, where CCA got wins by scores of 2-1 and 4-1 in Oxford. That was over a month ago and a lot has changed. For the Clippers of CCA, they have had a roller coaster season, and are in a low valley at the moment. After starting the season 6-6 following the sweep of Marion, the Clippers lost 8 of their next 10 games. That was immediately followed by a 10-game winning streak, where they allowed more than two runs only once in that span. Since that streak ended on June 25^th, CCA has lost 7 of their last 8 to finish the regular season.

Marion has never really got going this year, but played CCA close enough in their meetings earlier this season to feel like they have a good shot at pulling the upset on the road.

The winner of that game faces #4 Oskaloosa (25-7) in Osky. The Indians have been plagued with injuries as the season has worn on, with pitchers Alexis Groet and Kylee Silliman both missing time due to physical issues. Head Coach Jay Harms has worked Josie Bunnell and Anna Jones into the rotation, but their inexperience would be a challenge in a postseason setting.

Oskaloosa’s schedule was not easy as the season wound to a close, and that in addition to the injuries saw the Indians finish the regular slate with four straight losses after just three the first 28 games of the year.

If Osky were to even get one of their pitchers back for Saturday’s semifinal against either Marion or CCA, they would have to feel confident in their prospects.

That would send Osky to the Region 5 Final in Class 4A.

The first round matchup on that side is Maquoketa (13-23) hosting Washington (11-23). Neither of those teams seems to have championship pedigree, so #9 Mount Pleasant (27-9) should get a fairly easy matchup on their home field on Saturday in their semifinal.

That seems to set up a collision course for Oskaloosa and Mount Pleasant to square off in the regional final on Tuesday, July 12^th. That game would be on the home field of the higher seed, and with the final rankings not released yet, there’s no guarantee that the game would be played in Oskaloosa. As mentioned, Osky lost their last four, while Mt. Pleasant won 6 of their last 7, so there is a chance the Panthers could hop the Indians in the final rankings.

Regardless of where the game is played, this would be a case of how Osky does against junior Bailey Johnson. Johnson is 16-2 in the pitching circle with a team best 2.45 ERA, and opponents hitting just .194 against her. She has struck out 97 in 120 innings with 53 walks. The Panther #2 pitcher is junior Cali Liechty, who is 9-6 on the season, but with a similar ERA at 2.68, and a similar opponents’ batting average against at .199. The strikeouts are where Liechty has excelled, with 100 in 83.2 innings with just 46 walks. That gives Head Coach Troy Mears a second option in the circle if he needs to get strikeouts or if Johnson struggles.

Johnson is also one of the premier hitters in the stated, as she finished the year hitting right at .500, with a .614 on-base percentage. Her power numbers are unbelievable, with 15 home runs and 64 RBI. Those are both among the state leaders.

Oskaloosa’s pitcher, whoever that may be, will need to be careful with the rest of this lineup, because when they reach base, they wreak havoc, stealing 98 bases on 109 attempts in the regular year.

Osky will have to work for the victory, but if they are even close to full strength, they will be a very tough out in the tournament. While Mount Pleasant may be a challenging foe on paper, Osky’s record against perhaps the best conference in the state in the Little Hawkeye could give them that competitive advantage that they need.

You can hear all of the Oskaloosa softball broadcasts on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com. The semifinal game is Saturday, July 9^th, at 7 PM, with the pregame starting at 6:45.

The High School Softball Post Season got underway last night in Class 1A Region 5 on the Mahaska Zone Network as Twin Cedars travelled to Moravia.  Coming in Twin Cedars was the heavy underdog after a regular season record of just 3-20 and a 9-0 loss a couple weeks ago to 17-9 Moravia, however the Sabers gave the Lady Mohawks everything they could handle before a 6^th inning rally gave Moravia the 3-2 win and a trip to tonight’s regional quarterfinals at home versus Cardinal who was a 17-1 winner over Moulton-Udell last night.  Moravia pitcher Autumn McDanel was phenomenal striking out 18 of the 28 batters she faced, but early on Twin Cedars took advantage of a few rare miscues in the Lady Mohawks defense.

The Sabers plated two runs in the 2^nd inning after a leadoff walk and a hit batsmen then an RBI single by Kelly Spaur and a wild pitch. Holding a 2-1 lead, Twin Cedars wasted a leadoff double and a walk and couldn’t score in the sixth, then Moravia answered with a two-out rally in the bottom half of the sixth. Cheyenne Maddy led off with a single, then with two outs Peyton Rogers singled and Emily Moore became the hero ripping a stand up double to the center field  fence that scored two and put the Lady Mohawks in front 3-2. McDanel then did her job and struck out the side in the seventh to secure the win for Moravia. Jensen Hastings suffered the loss allowing seven hits with no strikeouts or walks while the Sabers defense committed a couple costly errors and Twin Cedars finishes the season at 3-21. McDanel allowed just 3 hits while striking out 18 and walking 3 and hitting one batter.

Moore finished 2 for 3 at the plate with two doubles and 2 RBI while Cheyenne Maddy was 2 for 2 at the plate for Moravia who improved to 18-9 overall and now hosts Cardinal tonight at 7 PM in a 1A Region 5 quarterfinal.  You can hear tonight’s game with Jamie Brockman on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com with the pre-game starting at 645pm.

Story provided by  Jamie Brockman

Postseason play is around the corner in the summer sports season, and we now take a look at one of the more interesting regions in softball involving area teams: Class 2A Region 3.

Three area teams are in this region, and all are in the bottom half. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, North Mahaska, and Pleasantville will be looking to beat up on each other and get to the regional final. This region is wide open, and with one upset, a team can put themselves in position for a shot at the state tournament in Fort Dodge.

Looking at the bracket, there is only one first round matchup, and that is between Ogden (14-12) and Belmond-Klemme (7-18). Ogden has the advantage in nearly every statistic and should be considered the favorite on their home field. That game is on July 5^th at 7 PM in Ogden.

The winner of that game faces Eagle Grove (11-14) on the road. Eagle Grove has to feel good about getting a home game, as they are 2-5 in their last seven games, during which the pairings were released at the beginning of that stretch. Despite struggling to maintain any sort of consistency throughout the season, EG did beat Belmond-Klemme twice during North Iowa Conference play. If B-K falls as expected to Ogden, Eagle Grove absolutely needs to be on high alert because of Ogden’s high-powered offense. Ogden has caught fire at the same time EG has faltered, which makes this game very interesting record-wise. That contest will be July 6^th at 7 PM in Eagle Grove.

In the other top-half quarterfinal, Van Meter (25-7) will face Fort Dodge St. Edmond (4-20) in Van Meter. The home of pitching legend Bob Feller received the top seed in this region, despite currently being ranked one spot behind Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont. While the seeding process can be hotly debated, there’s no doubt that Van Meter earned an easy first round draw in Region 3. St. Edmond simply has been outmatched in most of their games this season, but they do have pitchers who can get outs. The question is, can the defense convert the outs? That’s been the biggest struggle for this team this year.

While it seems obvious that Van Meter should skate through to the semifinals, their opponent in that round is a question mark. Whether it is Eagle Grove or Ogden, there are issues that Van Meter must combat, especially how well Ogden has played the last couple of weeks. If everything holds serve, Van Meter will be hosting the top-half semifinal on July 8^th at 7 PM.

That action will be exciting, but the close-to-home bottom-half of this regional bracket should be every bit as interesting.

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (25-6) is currently ranked 8^th in the state, the highest ranking of any team in this bracket. They draw North Mahaska (10-16), a young, up-and-coming team out of the South Iowa Cedar League. For the Warhawks, their best player is Emma Deucore, a freshman who can make a difference in the pitching circle and at the plate. EBF has a team that seems just too strong for the youthful optimism that resides in New Sharon, and that was proven early in the season when the Rockets stomped North Mahaska 14-1. A full month has passed since that game, but EBF has just gotten stronger, and that would be the likely outcome.

The other quarterfinal matchup in the bottom-half is Pleasantville (15-10) hosting Des Moines Christian (11-16). There’s more to know about DMC than Pleasantville, mainly due to their youth and difficult schedule. Being a small school in a large area, DMC has had a lot of tough opponents to break in a group led by mostly underclassmen. This schedule can be blamed for the bloated pitching numbers from the young hurlers that the Lions have sent to the rubber. Pleasantville is in the middle of an underrated Pride of Iowa Conference, and has been playing their best softball of late, challenging and defeating some of the top competition in the league. These two teams haven’t seen each other yet, but smart money would be on the Trojans and their more consistent performances in recent weeks.

That sets up a bottom-half semifinal on July 8^th in Eddyville likely between the EBF Rockets and Pleasantville Trojans. While Pleasantville has been hot and is improving, their inexperience in the big games will hurt them against an Eddyville team looking to make it to state for the second time in three years. The Trojans didn’t see the Rockets in the regular season, but based on common opponents, it will take an extraordinary effort from their bats against EBF pitcher Randie Richmond and their pitcher, likely freshman Abby DeJoode, to pull an upset on the Rockets’ home field.

Then comes the Region 3 Final on Monday, July 11^th at 7 PM. The site will be the highest remaining seed, with Van Meter the top seed and EBF the second seed. If those two teams hold serve, the Rockets will have to trek an hour and a half to face a formidable foe for a trip to state.

That game will likely be a barnburner, with the team who gets out to the lead the quickest getting a big edge.

We will be following Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, North Mahaska, Pleasantville, and the rest of this bracket closely on radiokmzn.com. All EBF and/or North Mahaska games can be heard on the Mahaska Zone Network, either 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN or 104.9 FM KBOE. Check the website for listings prior to the games, beginning next Wednesday with the quarterfinal round.

Big thanks to Tri-County Body Shop for their support of coverage of EBF Softball and this regional preview.

The Oskaloosa and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont softball teams met for their annual non-conference matchup and as usual, the teams put on a classic performance. In the end of this one, however, Oskaloosa was able to get the win over the Rockets for the first time since 2012. The Indian seniors would lead the way on the night they celebrated Senior Night to get the 9-6 win.

The game was back and forth from the start as both offenses proved to be hot on a cool June night.

Oskaloosa would start sophomore Josie Bunnell in the pitching circle to give Kylee Silliman a rest in between conference starts. This being Bunnell’s second ever varsity start, there was little familiarity between the Rocket batters and Bunnell’s delivery, but it didn’t matter, as EBF would score quickly in the top of the 1^st on an RBI double by Haegen Boyer.

In the bottom of the 1^st, Osky would get right back at starter Randie Richmond and the Rockets by getting a couple of runners on for senior Alexis Vroegh. Vroegh would hit a fly ball to the wall in left field to plate two runs to give Osky the lead.

Both pitchers worked through quick second innings and that would bring the top of the Rocket order to the plate in the 3^rd. The Osky lead would disappear in a flash as Richmond would hit a two-run infield single to give EBF a 3-2 lead. Oskaloosa would not be able to score in the bottom of the 3^rd, and EBF got a couple more runs in the 4^th to stretch their lead to 5-2.

The bottom of the 4^th proved to be the big momentum swing in the game, as the Indians would get two clutch two-out hits. After an error allowed Ava VandeWall to reach base and senior Taylor Green bunted her into scoring position, Bunnell would help herself out by hitting her first extra base hit of the season, lacing a double over the right fielder’s head to knock in a run. Senior Kylee Silliman would follow her with her second home run of the season, a two-run bomb over the left field wall that would tie the game.

EBF would immediately retake the lead in the top of the 5th by taking advantage of some defensive misplays on the Indian infield to score one run to go ahead 6-5. Oskaloosa again would have the answer, as Alexis Westercamp would double to lead off the bottom of the 5^th and would score on a fielding error. With two runners on and two-outs, Bunnell would come through again with her second double of the game and of the season, this one into the left-centerfield gap. The go-ahead run would score, but another potential run was cut down at the plate on a fantastic relay from the Rocket defense.

Bunnell would retire the Rocket batters in order in the top of the 6^th, and Osky would tack on two more runs on RBI hits by Aubrey Miller and Ashley Kindley to take a 9-6 lead heading into the 7^th. Oskaloosa would bring in senior Kylee Silliman to finish the game in the pitching circle, and she would pitch a scoreless inning to record the save.

With the win, Oskaloosa is now 23-3 on the season with the end of the year in sight. Regional play begins for the Indians on July 9^th, so this is the best time of the year to be playing this kind of softball. EBF fell to 25-5, as the loss snapped a 14-game winning streak.

Oskaloosa is back in action on Wednesday night against Norwalk in the final conference matchup of the season. Osky clinched the outright Little Hawkeye Conference championship with their win over Newton on Monday, but they would love to keep this hot streak alive and improve their winning streak to 11 games.

You can hear that broadcast on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com with the pregame show beginning at 7:15 PM for the 7:30 first pitch in Oskaloosa.

(Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Longtime Iowa sports broadcaster Bob Brooks, whose career covering athletics of every kind spanned seven decades, has died. He was 89.

Brooks’ son, Rob Brooks, says his father died Saturday.

The Des Moines Register reports that Brooks was born in Cedar Rapids and graduated from the city’s Franklin High School in 1944. That was the same year he began his first broadcasting job at a local radio station, which he kept through his four years at the University of Iowa.

Affectionately known as “Brooksie,” he worked for a variety of Iowa radio and television stations throughout his career. For the last 15 years, he covered sports for Cedar Rapids radio station KMRY, until his recent illness.

Besides his son, Brooks is survived by his wife, Susie.