The Greene County High School softball team will play fourth ranked Sioux Center in Battle Creek at 5:30 p.m. today for the Class 3A Region 1 title and a trip to the July 21-25 State Tournament north of Ft. Dodge at Rogers Sports Complex. The 26-7 Rams and 26-3 Warriors meet for what is believed to be the first time. Both were conference runners-up; the Rams in the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference and the Warriors in the Siouxland Conference.

Greene County will be looking for its first trip to a state softball tournament. The Rams have won 14 of their last 16 games and they’ll be playing some distance from their home diamond in Jefferson for a third straight postseason game. The Rams opened the Region 1 trail on July 8 in Wall Lake on the home diamond of the  eleventh ranked East Sac County Raiders and won 10-0 by the 10-run rule in six innings. Greene County went even farther west to Sergeant Bluff on July 11 and defeated number 10 Sergeant Bluff-Lyton 14-2, again in six innings by the 10-run rule.

Sioux Center has won 17 of its last 18 and they are getting on a bus for the first time in the post season after winning twice in Sioux Center. The Warriors won the regional quarterfinal 5-2 over MOC-Floyd Valley, and then blanked Cherokee 10-0 in six innings in a semifinal. Both the Warriors’ previous tournament opponents have losing records.

Today’s contest was originally scheduled to be held in Le Mars, but it was moved to Battle Creek by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Play-by-play of the Region 1 final can be heard on KG98 with coverage beginning at 5:25 p.m.