Kee softball team sweeps final pair of UIC doubleheaders to claim share of first league title since the 2018 season
Taking a lead-off look ... Kee softball sophomore outfielder Jaylyn Walleser takes a lead off third base in the Hawks’ home doubleheader sweep of North Fayette Valley Wednesday, June 30. Photo courtesy of Maggy Weymiller. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.
An undefeated final week of the regular season for the Kee softball team landed the Lady Hawks atop the Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) once again, after finishes just outside that realm in each of the last two seasons. That final sweep included wins of 13-0 and 15-6 at South Winneshiek Monday, June 28 before a similar result at home over North Fayette Valley Wednesday, June 30 resulting in victorious Kee battles of 10-7 and 4-3.
That sweep of the final regular season competition wrapped up the Lady Hawks’ 2021 regular season at a 16-15 season record that includes a mark of 14-2 against Upper Iowa Conference foes, tying Turkey Valley for this season’s best UIC record and claiming a share of the UIC season championship for the first time since the 2018 season. Those two teams split in their only match-up this season in mid-June, Kee winning game one by an 8-5 count before falling in the nightcap, 4-1. The two squads also each suffered one other UIC loss, Turkey Valley falling to North Fayette Valley June 28 and the Lady Hawks falling to Central Elkader in a June 14 doubleheader split.
The one point of contention within those UIC championship standings is each team’s result against West Central, a team Turkey Valley swept in doubleheader competition in mid-June, prior to the Blue Devils prematurely ending their 2021 season at a 1-10 season record. According to published reports citing West Central head softball coach Nick Robinson, the Blue Devils canceled the remainder of their softball season because of a lack of players right after that loss to Turkey Valley. Kee was scheduled to play West Central a week later, June 21, but instead became one of several teams counting their canceled games with the Blue Devils as forfeit victories, leaving the Kee girls with their 14-2 UIC record.
The Lady Hawks are now scheduled to open postseason tournament play this Wednesday, July 7 at home against either Central Elkader or Edgewood-Colesburg at 7 p.m., with further details of Kee’s postseason possibilities printed elsewhere in the July 7, 2021 print edition and e-edition Sports pages.
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