Softball tournament winds down with only four more games to be played

Four champions will be crowned at the state softball tournament in Fort Dodge today. In Class 4A, top-ranked Cedar Rapids Jefferson plays Dowling Catholic. Dowling pitcher Stephanie Ackerson has thrown a no-hitter and a perfect game in the tournament. In the Class 3A championship, third-ranked Spirit Lake plays Waukee. Waukee’s a surprise entrant, as at one point in the season Waukee lost 10 of 12 games. Coach Jen Slauson says they turned the corner late in the season. Slauson says it’s a very young team that had to learn they could win and now “they’re seasoned veterans now.”‘ In class 2A, Woodward-Granger returns to the championship game for the first time in five years with a matchup against fourth-rated Clear Creek-Amana. In Class 1A, Cardinal played Woodbury Central.