Regional softball: Fairfield out, Ottumwa, L&M and Wapello to state

The state tournaments in softball are set, from Class 1A to Class 5A, and while no Henry County teams were playing in the regional finals, plenty of area schools played for their chance to head north next week.

Mt. Pleasant's region was predictably tight, but the top seed from North Scott advanced with a 3-0 win over Fairfield on Tuesday night. The Trojans had a shot, down one with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the fifth inning, but North Scott wiggled out of the inning and a two-run homer in the bottom half put the low-scoring game away. North Scott will play a familiar Southeast Iowa opponent, Oskaloosa, in the No. 2 vs. No. 7 game on Tuesday, July 23.

In Class 5A, Ottumwa won a wild regional final over Muscatine, advancing to state 12-9. They earned the No. 8 seed and will play Waukee on Tuesday evening.

The SEISC North Division will be represented in two different classes. Louisa-Muscatine, the queens of the North in 2019, grinded out their second-straight 1-0 win on Monday night. They defeated Williamsburg just days after knocking out Centerville by the same score, 1-0. L&M pitcher Hailey Sadners did not allow a single run in the regional tournament. The Falcons earned the No. 2 seed and will play on Tuesday morning.

In an exciting Class 2A final between SEISC foes Wapello and Pekin, it was the Wapello Arrows who came out on top. They defeated the Pantehrs 4-3 to earn the No. 8 seed. They'll be playing on Monday, July 22, against North Linn.

Another regional final loser for the area was West Burlington-Notre Dame. The Falcons were defeated 11-1 by Davenport Assumption on Monday. The Knights will be playing next Monday as the No. 1 seed in Class 3A, playing Algona.