The Iowa Falls-Alden softball team will try to win its first playoff game since 2021 when it visits Benton for a 3A Region 2 first round game Thursday. It’ll air on 99 The Wave.
At 10-11 overall, the Cadets continued a .500 trend by going 2-2 in the final week of the regular season. Having found success using small-ball tactics, they’ll go for a road win against a Bobcat team that’s looking to advance to its third straight state tournament. Head Coach Emily Banken on the importance of a confident mindset.
“I think a team that plays clean defense and hits the ball wins almost all the time,” Banken says. “So if we’re able to do that, that’ll help us out. But just being confident and not going in there, having ourselves already beat, we’ve done that in years past because we get some tough draws for the first round. But I think the girls think that they can do it, think that they can at least compete, and stranger things have happened. So we’ll see how it goes.”
Benton (17-14) went 3-2 in the final week of the regular season, including a doubleheader sweep of Solon. With an impressive team batting average of .353, Hannah Greiner leads the WaMaC-West at .554 with only four strikeouts.
Pregame coverage will start at 6:40 p.m., followed by the first pitch at 7:00. The winner will advance to Saturday’s regional semifinal against either Vinton-Shellsburg or #2 (3A) Williamsburg.
