2022 state softball: What could have been

FORT DODGE — The 2022 state softball tournament wrapped up in Fort Dodge over the weekend, and although the Union coverage area was shut out from the big dance this season, some familiar faces were able to push their way through the brackets.

The most significant happenings as far as the Union area may have been the Class 4A bracket, where top-seeded Winterset shined through.

Readers may remember, No. 1 Winterset had to battle tooth and nail to escape Fairfield in the regional final. The Trojans nearly knocked off the Huskies after a two-and-a-half hour drive to Winterset’s home field. The Huskies escaped 4-3 to end Fairfield’s season.

After getting past the Trojans, Winterset had a breeze in its first two state tournament games.

The Huskies rolled Southeast Conference’s own Burlington Grayhounds, moving on with a 10-2 quarterfinal victory. Two days later, they blasted No. 5 seed Carlisle 7-1.

Winterset was finally challenged by No. 3 seed Dallas Center-Grimes in the Class 4A championship on Thursday night. The Huskies won that game 3-1.

Over the entirety of Winterset’s championship run, the regional final game against Fairfield was the toughest game all postseason.

Another familiar team to the Union area was Twin Cedars, a squad that knocked off Highland 4-1 in the regional semifinals. The Sabres parlayed that momentum into a regional final win and three victories in the Class 1A bracket.

Twin Cedars came into the state tournament as the No. 6 seed. After shutting down No. 3 seed Lisbon in the quarterfinals, the Sabres blistered No. 7 seed Martensdale-St. Mary’s, 7-2, in the semifinals. Twin Cedars then knocked off No. 5 seed Southeast Warren, 6-3, in the Class 1A championship.

Louisa-Muscatine earned their way to the Class 2A state tournament by knocking off a pair of Union area teams. The Falcons beat Van Buren County 15-6 in the regional semifinals before knocking off Cardinal 2-0 in the finals.

Once at the state tournament, the Falcons were given the No. 7 seed and they nearly pulled a big upset, taking No. 2 North Union down to the wire before falling 4-3. Louisa-Muscatine did win a consolation game, beating No. 3 seed Logan-Magnolia 7-2.

Class 2A was eventually won by No. 4 seed Iowa City Regina, which upended No. 6 seed Wilton in the championship on Friday. The Regals were making a return trip to Fort Dodge after clipping Cardinal in the 2021 regional finals.

Regina’s Dani Laughlin, a former Highland standout, went 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in the championship game. She was named to the All-Tournament team.

In Class 3A, No. 1 seed Mount Vernon beat No. 2 seed Davenport Assumption in the state championship. In Class 5A, No. 3 seed Waukee Northwest defeated No. 1 Fort Dodge 2-0.