Women's Summer Collegiate Fast-Pitch Softball League

New softball league making history

The new Iowa Women's Softball League has made history this summer in Cedar Rapids as the only summer collegiate program in Iowa.

Now the History Center in Cedar Rapids plans to make the league part of its permanent exhibit.

The players and coaches for Emil's Hideaway and Construction Materials gladly posed for pictures Sunday following their doubleheader at Coe College for the History Center exhibit. Next Sunday, the teams from Ironside Apparel and Hawkeye Convenience Stores will post for similar pictures following their twinbill at Coe.

Team jerseys, league stories, schedule cards and other artifacts also will be part of the exhibit. It's all thanks to Margaret O'Banion, the Metro Sports Report photographer who is making it all happen with her friends at the History Center.

There were interesting developments on the fields Sunday. Emil's Hideaway swept a doubleheader from Construction Materials, 9-2 and  5-4, in their games at Coe.

Over at Kirkwood, Hawkeye Convenience Stores swept a doubleheader from Ironside Apparel, 11-5 and 6-5.

Ironside Apparel, which clinched the league title last week, fell to 11-5 for the season. Emil's Hideaway and Hawkeye Convenience Stores squared their records at 8-8, while Construction Materials fell to 5-11.

The historic season will end next Sunday with doubleheaders at Coe and Kirkwood at 2 p.m.

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Ironside Apparel clinches league title

Ironside Apparel has played at a high level all season in the new Iowa Women's Softball League and has received important contributions from everyone on the ballclub.

Now Ironside Apparel has the distinction of being the first champion in league history.

Ironside Apparel swept a doubleheader from Construction Materials, 8-1 and 9-1, at the Kirkwood field Sunday to take a five-game lead in the standings with only four games left in the campaign.

Ironside Apparel raised its record to 11-3 with the clean sweep. Emil's Hideaway and Hawkeye Convenience Stores are tied for second place with a 6-8 record and Construction Materials is fourth at 5-9.

Marissa Promes of Indian Hills pitched a complete game for Ironside Apparel in the 8-1 victory in the first game and DoniRae Mayhew of Kirkwood also tossed a complete game for Ironside in the 9-1 triumph.

Morgan Smith of Southeastern Community College went 3-for-3 for Ironside Apparel in Game 1 with two doubles and an RBI. Maddy Ryan of Coe also went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

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Craig, Aikey sparkle for Emil's

Strong pitching was the name of the game for Emil's Hideaway in the Iowa Women's Softball League Sunday.

Brooke Craig from UNI and Kelsey Aikey from Western Kentucky tossed a pair of gems as Emil's Hideaway swept a doubleheader from Construction  Materials at Coe.

Craig spun a three-hit shutout with seven strikeouts as Emil's Hideaway took the first game, 13-0, in five innings.

Aikey tossed a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts as Emil's rallied for a 3-1 verdict in the nightcap. The only run against Aikey was unearned.

The sweep lifted Emil's Hideaway to 6-6 for the campaign and moved them into second place in the standings behind Ironside Apparel, which  has a three-game lead at 9-3.

Adara Opiola of UNI went 2-for-4 for Emil's in the first game with a triple and two RBIs. Mallory McArtor of Coe had two hits and Taylor Bell of Waldorf scored three runs.

Alyssa Wiebel of Illinois State went 2-for-2 with a double for Construction Materials in the first game.

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Promes tosses 2-hitter for Ironside Apparel

Marissa Promes gladly makes the 2 1/2-hour drive from Jefferson in western Iowa each Sunday so she can play in the Iowa Women's Softball League in Cedar Rapids.

It turned out to be an especially happy drive back to Jefferson Sunday evening.

Promes tossed a two-hitter as Ironside Apparel topped Emil's Hideaway, 5-2, in the first game of their doubleheader at Coe College Sunday in  a game televised live by KCRG 9.2.

Promes, who helped Indian Hills Community College reach the NJCAA Division I World Series this year, struck out seven batters and allowed only one earned run.

Emil's Hideaway rebounded with a 4-2 victory in Game 2 as Taylor Kurtz from the University of Dubuque pitched a complete game.

Ironside Apparel scored four runs in the sixth inning of the opener to break a 1-1 tie. Erin Kuba of Indian Hills and Hannah Onken of Wartburg had RBI singles in the game for Ironside Apparel, while Morgan Smith of Southeastern and Promes had RBI grounders.

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