A blowout. An extra-inning thriller.
A doubleheader split.
Class 4A third-ranked Cedar Rapids Jefferson exploded for 15 hits in a 13-3 laugher in the opener, then Susanne Scieszinski handcuffed the J-Hawks as No. 14 Cedar Rapids Xavier claimed the nightcap, 2-1, in eight innings in a Mississippi Valley Conference softball doubleheader last night at Bob Erusha Field.
The J-Hawks (22-4 overall, 14-4 MVC) saw a 20-game win streak come to an end.
“We knew a split would be a lot better than getting swept,” Scieszinski said. “We made sure we came back out and …

The honor, Jade Grimm said, was cool.
But the title was cooler.
Grimm, who led Cedar Rapids Kennedy to four trips to the Class 2A state final — including a championship last month — has been named the state’s player of the year by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
Kennedy finished 20-0.
“(The championship), that was the most important thing,” said Grimm, who scored a career-high 39 goals this season. “It was so cool. We had a great coach, and I had great teammates.”
Two of them — Jenny Martin and Rachel Spellerberg …

Jim White isn’t a big fan of QuikStats Iowa.
He isn’t wild about the public seeing his team’s statistics on the Internet. And he certainly isn’t crazy about his players viewing them.
“I’m a team-first guy,” said White, head softball coach at Clear Creek Amana. “I’m just kind of concerned about kids being too concerned about their batting averages.”
Here, in a nutshell, is what viewers will find: The Clippers can hit. A lot.
Class 3A No. 1 CCA, which improved to 30-0 after winning a 16-team tournament last weekend at Oxford, has a …

Cedar Rapids Washington’s first win of the season was dramatic.
Marion Epperson hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Warriors a 7-6 win over Ballard at the Linn-Mar/Alburnett Invitational Tournament on Friday at Alburnett.
The Warriors were 0-22 before Friday’s triumph.

Tonight’s Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at Cedar Rapids Xavier is a battle of divisional leaders.
Class 4A No. 3 Cedar Rapids Jefferson (21-3 overall, 13-3 MVC) has won 19 straight games and leads the Valley Division by three games. No. 14 Xavier (19-6, 12-4) has moved into a first-place tie with Dubuque Wahlert in the Mississippi Division. First pitch is at
5:30 p.m. at Bob Erusha Field.

Jon Keller might be the next one.
That’s as in the next baseball player from Cedar Rapids Xavier to play professionally. It’s a ways off, and a lot could happen, but you don’t have to squint to see the junior pitcher has “it.”
“That’s the goal,” Keller said after he threw a two-hit shutout at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 7-0, in the first game of a doubleheader last night at Kennedy. “We’ll see. I’m working hard toward that.”
A 6-foot-5 right-hander, Keller’s fastball was clocked as high as 91 miles per hour by a …