Demons to meet Fort Madison or Keokuk in the postseason

When the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released its postseason softball pairings on Monday afternoon, Washington head coach Angie Shrader had mixed feelings.

She was pleased to see that her 14

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-ranked Demons, who are 18-8 on the season, will get a first-round bye before hosting a regional semifinal game. But she?s not looking forward to facing the winner of a game between Keokuk (13-12) and Fort Madison (6-17) in that regional semifinal on July 13.

?I would rather go play anybody but conference schools,? Shrader said.

The Demons have split four games with Keokuk on the season. Washington lost 4-1 and won 10-0 at Keokuk on June 3. Then, when the two teams squared off in Washington last night, the Demons rallied to win the first game 6-5 before falling to the Chiefs 9-5 in the nightcap.

Washington also split a pair of games with Fort Madison at home on June 13. The Demons lost the opener 8-6 in 12 innings, but came back to win the second game 7-5. The two teams will play another Southeast Conference doubleheader in Fort Madison on July 8.

?Do I have a preference between Fort Madison and Keokuk? No,? Shrader said.

Should the Demons get past the Chiefs or the Bloodhounds, they would face one of three tough teams on the other side of the Region 4 bracket in the regional final at Cedar Rapids Xavier on July 16. North Scott (17-10) will face Davenport North (16-11) in a regional quarterfinal on July 11, with the winner taking on seventh-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier (20-6) on July 13.

The Demons defeated both Davenport North and North Scott on their way to the state tournament last season. Washington defeated Davenport North 19-7 in the regional semifinals, and then the Demons topped North Scott 4-1 in the regional final to earn their first trip to the state tournament since 1998.

Washington also split a doubleheader at Cedar Rapids Xavier last season.

But Shrader isn?t looking past her team?s semifinal matchup with Keokuk or Fort Madison.

?We can?t overlook that first game,? she said. ?Both teams would be a good, tough matchup for us. Obviously you can look at tonight and see that it?s anybody?s ballgame. You can jump up to a 5-0 lead and lose 6-5. We jumped up to a 3-0 lead and lost 9-5. Against either one of those teams, we have to be ready to play and we have to play our best ball.?

In Class 3A, third-ranked Mid-Prairie (21-7) and Columbus (10-18), a pair of area schools, will meet in the regional quarterfinals in Kalona on July 9. The winner will advance to the regional semifinal on July 12 in Kalona and face the winner of a game between Mount Vernon (17-10) and Williamsburg (8-22).

Highland, the fifth-ranked team in Class 2A, received a first-round bye. The Huskies (24-2) will face the winner of a game between Cardinal (14-10) and Van Buren (6-11) in a regional quarterfinal game at Highland on July 10.

IMS (10-10) also received a first-round bye, and will face the winner of a game between Lone Tree (7-13) and Tri-County (7-15) in a Class 1A regional quarterfinal at IMS on July 10.

WACO received a first-round bye, and will face the winner of a game between Danville (5-17) and Winfield-Mt. Union (4-11) in a Class 1A regional quarterfinal in Wayland on July 10.

Keota (1-16) will face English Valleys (6-14) in a Class 1A first-round regional game in North English on July 8. If the Eagles can get past the Bears, they will face No. 6 Lynnville-Sully (24-4) in a regional quarterfinal in Sully on July 10.