Iowa high school softball: Van Meter's Macy Blomgren throws another no-hitter for regional title
One of Class 2A's best pitchers tossed another gem on Monday night to ensure her team reached the state softball tournament.
Macy Blomgren, a Van Meter junior, led the Bulldogs to a 5-0 win over Grundy Center in the Region 2 final. Blomgren was terrific: 11 strikeouts and no hits allowed in a complete-game shutout.
Van Meter will head to Fort Dodge next week as the No. 5 overall seed, drawing 4-seeded Iowa City Regina in the opening round next Tuesday. But with Blomgren in the circle, the Bulldogs, now 30-9 overall, have a real shot at going the distance.
Blomgren’s ERA dropped to a 2A-best 0.36 after Monday night. She has allowed 10 hits and 3 runs, total, in 10 pitching appearances this summer. She has struck out 66 of the 126 batters she’s faced. Opponents are hitting .079 against her.
The road only gets tougher for Blomgren and Van Meter. Regina’s defense is stingy, so the Bulldogs will need to be at their best. A win next Tuesday likely means Van Meter will see top-ranked Central Springs, owners of 2A’s best offense, in the semifinals.
Elite pitching is almost a requirement when it comes to championship softball, and Van Meter has one of the state’s best in Macy Blomgren. She can cap a spectacular junior season next week in Fort Dodge.
Class 2A softball regional final results
Van Meter's win over Grundy Center was one of eight Class 2A regional final games on Monday night — and 16 total when you include Class 1A, too (more on them in a moment). All the winners advanced to the 2A state tournament, set for next week in Fort Dodge.
Here's a rundown of the other results and highlights:
Region 1: #2 North Union 9, #14 Ridge View 4 — North Union junior Emily Meyer went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and 6 RBI.
Region 3: #3 Logan-Magnolia 6, #9 West Monona 5 — the Panthers scored 3 in the first and hung on when West Monona scored 3 in the seventh.
Region 4: Mount Ayr 5, West Central Valley 1 — Mount Ayr senior Addy Reynolds scored three runs and allowed just five hits and struck out three as the Raiderettes reached the state tournament for the third time in the last four years.
Region 5: #1 Central Springs 10, #13 Osage 0 — Central Springs junior Cooper Klaahsen struck out 11 of the 15 batters she faced while the Panther offense rolled with 10 hits in 20 at-bats.
Region 6: #4 Iowa City Regina 1, #12 East Marshall 0 — Emma Nibaur struck out 9 in a 3-hit shutout to send the Regals to the state tournament for the second consecutive year.
Region 7: #8 Louisa-Muscatine 2, #15 Cardinal 0 — Louisa-Muscatine senior Piper Brant struck out 14 in a complete-game shutout and also belted her third home run of the year.
Region 8: #7 Wilton 10, Cascade 7 — senior Peyton Souhrada and junior Hayley Madlock both hit homers and Wilton rallied from down 7-3 with a 7-run sixth-inning. Wilton rallied in the regional semifinal, too, from down 2-0 to win 12-3 over Beckman Catholic.
Class 2A state softball pairings
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the Class 2A state softball pairings on Monday night.
Here's the full schedule:
Quarterfinals
#2 North Union (32-3) vs. #7 Louisa-Muscatine (25-8), Tuesday, July 19, 1 p.m.
#3 Logan-Magnolia (28-0) vs. #6 Wilton (26-6), Tuesday, July 19, 1:30 p.m.
#1 Central Springs (31-1) vs. #8 Mount Ayr (17-9), Tuesday, July 19, 3 p.m.
#4 Iowa City Regina (21-11) vs. #5 Van Meter (30-9), Tuesday, July 19, 3:30 p.m.
Semifinals: Wednesday, July 20, 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Finals: Friday, July 22, 5 p.m.
Class 1A softball regional final results
The Class 1A softball regional finals also unfolded Monday night, setting the stage for next week's state tournament in Fort Dodge.
Here's a rundown of results and highlights from each regional final:
Region 1: #5 Remsen St. Mary’s 6, #12 Akron-Westfield 2 — Remsen struck early with a 4-run first inning to secure a second-straight state tournament appearance.
Region 2: #2 Newell-Fonda 4, Woodbine 0 — sophomore Kierra Jungers threw a 3-hit, complete-game shutout and struck out 14 for the Mustangs.
Region 3: #6 Southeast Warren 3, #13 Exira-EHK 0 — Alivia Ruble struck out 13 and allowed just 3 hits in a complete-game effort to lead the Warhawks to the state tournament.
Region 4: Newman Catholic 4, #4 Collins-Maxwell 2 — Senior Emma Weiner and freshman Avah Hanig both drove in two runs while junior Macy Kellar struck out seven in Newman’s stunning upset.
Region 5: #8 Martensdale St. Marys 2, #10 Wayne 1 (8 inn.) — Jackie Kleve hit a two-out, walk-off double for the Blue Devils, which came after Hadley Pearson hit a solo shot in the sixth to tie the game at 1-1. Campbell German struck out 12 and allowed just 3 hits and 1 run over eight innings in the circle.
Region 6: #3 Lisbon 4, #9 Clarksville 1 — Lisbon's Ryleigh Allgood drove in two runs at the plate and allowed just two hits and struck out seven in the circle.
Region 7: #1 North Linn 9, #15 Central City 4 — Senior Jill Smith and junior Ellie Flanagan both clubbed home runs as the top-ranked Lynx cruised.
Region 8: #7 Twin Cedars 7, #11 Sigourney 6 — The Sabers win via walk-off and will head to the state tournament for the first time since 1978 and just the second time ever.
Class 1A state softball pairings
The IGHSAU released the Class 1A state softball pairings on Monday night.
Here's the full schedule:
Quarterfinals
#1 North Linn (32-8) vs. #8 Newman Catholic (25-9), Tuesday, July 19, 5 p.m.
#4 Remsen St. Mary's (27-2) vs. #5 Southeast Warren (23-4), Tuesday, July 19, 5:30 p.m.
#2 Newell-Fonda (35-4) vs. #7 Martensdale-St. Marys (24-3), Tuesday, July 19, 7 p.m.
#3 Lisbon (35-4) vs. #6 Twin Cedars (30-9), Tuesday, July 19, 7:30 p.m.
Semifinals: Wednesday, July 20, 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Finals: Friday, July 22, 5 p.m.
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Softball: Van Meter's Blomgren stars again in regional championship
