Fairfield aims for upset in regional final

WINTERSET — As they say, it all comes down to this.

After a pair of dominant wins over the weekend, No. 13 Fairfield has just one game left in its road to the state softball tournament, and what a game it should be. The red-hot Trojans take on Winterset, the No. 1 team in all of Class 4A, in the Region 5 final.

If Fairfield wins, the Trojans will be back in the state tournament for the first time since the 2020 season. Fairfield is a perennial regional finalist, but the Trojans were knocked out by Carlisle 8-0 in the game before state last season.

The Trojans were a state quarterfinalists in 2020. Seven of the 10 players played in Fort Dodge are still on the team in 2022.

And who were the state champions in 2020? The Winterset Huskies.

Winterset beat Carlisle 4-3 in the 2020 state championship. The Huskies had a number of underclassmen on that team, including pitcher Thea Banning, who is one of the best in Southeast Iowa.

The Huskies were actually favored to go back-to-back last season. Winterset lost with the No. 1 seed, dropping a 4-2 game against Boone in the semifinals.

Fairfield comes into Tuesday’s game with a 29-9 record. The Trojans went 15-4 in the Southeast Conference, finishing second place.

Fairfield has scored 26 runs in its two postseason games so far. The Trojans beat Mt. Pleasant 13-0 at home before traveling to knock out No. 12 Knoxville 10-2 in the regional semifinals.

Junior ace Coty Engle is 20-3 on the year with a 2.17 ERA. Her 20 wins are second best in Class 4A. She has struck out 179 batters on the year, fourth-best in the class.

Senior first baseman Hannah Simpson bats .514 with 10 home runs, 13 doubles, one triple and 50 RBIs, which trails only Winterset’s Jena Young for tops in the class.

Fairfield has seven starters who hit .300 or better. Payton McCabe is the only other Trojan over .400, sporting an ERA of .413.

Five different Trojans have knocked in over 20 runs. Along with Simpson’s 50, Jenna Norris and Emersyn Manley each have 32 RBIs. Engle has 29, and Danielle Breen has 24.

Winterset boasts a 33-4 record. The Huskies finished second in the Raccoon River Standings this season with a 14-1 mark.

The Huskies had a bye in the first round of the regional tournament after getting the top seed. In the semifinals, Winterset knocked out Pella, 9-2.

Winterset’s Banning has a 27-3 record in the circle this season. She is the leader in wins for Class 4A. She sports a 1.88 ERA with 168 strikeouts.

The Huskies also have one of the best hitters in all of Iowa. Young hits a ridiculous .628, the top mark in Class 4A. She also leads the class with 76 hits, 19 home runs, 20 doubles, and 52 RBIs.

The Huskies have eight starters hitting over .330. Their only other starter over .400 is Lauren Carter, who hits .405. She has also hit nine home runs and is second on the team with 38 RBIs.

Fairfield and Winterset have only played one time in the past 10 seasons. The Huskies knocked off the Trojans 7-2 in the 2013 state tournament.

The game will take place at Winterset High School, starting at 7 p.m. The winner, along with seven other regional champions, will be thrust into the Class 4A state tournament bracket.