FIRING STRIKES — Ace pitcher Emily Meyer will guide the North Union softball team against Central Springs in today’s 3:30 p.m. Class AA state third-place game at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge, Iowa. (Photo by Greg Abel)

SWEA CITY — The rematch.

The No. 2-seeded North Union Warriors (33-4) will square off against the No. 1-seeded Central Springs Panthers (32-2) in today’s 3:30 p.m. third-place game of the Iowa Class 2A state softball tournament at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Ironically, North Union and Central Springs went head-to-head during a regular-season contest on June 23 in Swea City, but Warriors’ head coach Kim Price pulled junior ace right-hander Emily Meyer after one time through Central Springs’ batting order.

While the Panthers went on to post a 10-0 victory 29 days ago, Meyer will look to pitch the distance inside the chalked circle in this afternoon’s bronze-medal showdown in Fort Dodge.

Meyer enters today’s postseason finale with a 33-4 record, a miniscule 0.88 ERA and the No. 2 strikeout total — 315 — in all Iowa classes in 190 2/3 innings of work.

Right-hander Cooper Klaahsen will most likely get the starting nod for the Panthers after compiling a 24-1 mark and scant 0.65 ERA on the strength of 240 strikeouts in 150 frames pitched.

Left-hander Kaylea Fessler also will be available for Central Springs after producing a 7-1 record and 3.83 ERA in 42 innings of work. Fessler has tallied 43 strikeouts prior to today’s game.

Fessler, Madisyn Kelley and Ashlyn Hoeft will provide power at the plate for the Panthers after combining for 25 of the batting order’s 38 home runs this summer.

Fessler tops the team with nine HRs, 46 RBIs and a .543 batting average. She has scored 46 runs, reaches base at a .611 clip and slugs at an impressive .943 rate.

Kelley and Hoeft have each belted eight HRs, with Kelley generating 33 RBIs and Hoeft at 28. Kelley slugs at an .840 rate to complement a .447 batting average, while Hoeft hits .440 with a .770 slugging percentage.

Meyer and leadoff batter Sam Nielsen spearhead North Union’s potent offense that hits at a .391 clip and has produced 355 runs through 37 games.

Meyer supplies the power for the Warriors with a team-leading eight HRs and 60 RBIs via a .423 batting average. Meyer slugs deliveries at a .763 clip and reaches base at .548.

The fleet-footed Nielsen has slapped her way to a .511 batting average on the strength of 68 hits and has crossed the plate an incredible 61 times so far. The left-handed hitter reaches base at a .542 clip and slugs at .579.

No. 4-seeded Iowa City Regina (23-11) faces No. 6-seeded Wilton (28-6) in today’s 5 p.m. Class 2A state championship game.

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Tennis, anyone?

Legendary St. James Area head boys and girls tennis coach Les Zellmann will be honored from 6-8 p.m. Saturday night at the Eagles Club in St. James for netting a national award.

Zellmann, who has guided his Saint tennis programs to 16 state team appearances and an incredible 1,121 dual-meet victories during his four-decade coaching tenure, was named the 2022 National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s tennis coach of the year at the end of June.

Zellmann also will be coordinating this summer’s St. James Area Tennis Open that runs today through Sunday.

Both the boys and girls ages 14-16 and the 13 & under boys and girls tournaments will hit the St. James courts at 8:30 a.m. this morning.

Saturday’s competition will consist of a male division and a female division starting at 8:30 a.m. The open singles brackets will be comprised of advanced-skill players, with intermediate netters competing in the ‘A’ singles bracket.

A mixed doubles tournament will cap the three-day event, starting at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. There will be two divisions — 16 and over, and 15 and under.

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Toughest opponent.

Friends of the Matt Plumhoff family will be playing host to a benefit supper from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at the Welcome American Legion located at 112 N. Dugan St. in Welcome.

Proceeds from the pork chop dinner will go to help Plumhoff and his family in their fight against cancer.

The cost of the dinner will be a free-will donation, with matching funds up to $8,000.

Matt was diagnosed with Stage 4 renal cancer in December of 2021, and is currently undergoing treatments to combat the disease.

The Plumhoff family is attempting to purchase a motorized wheelchair to increase Matt’s mobility.

Matt, a former Martin County West High School baseball standout, went on to produce an outstanding four-year collegiate baseball career at Augustana University.

Plumhoff closed out his diamond playing days with a .325 batting average, five HRs, 34 RBIs, a .403 on-base clip and a .500 slugging rate at the Sioux Falls-based university.

For more general information, contact Matt Prunty at 507-848-5363. To make a donation, contact Justin Borchardt at 507-236-1536.