A softball Murderer’s Row in Oxford

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 team batting average of .428. It is averaging 8.4 runs per game — more than 1.4 runs per inning.

And here’s the real kicker: Four of the state’s top 10 run-scorers are Clippers. Ashley Akers leads the state with 50. Katy Sexton is second with 47. Melissa Walls is fifth with 36, freshman Caitlin Wnek is eighth with 34.

“We’ve put up some runs, that’s for sure,” White said. “The nice thing about our lineup is that kids in our 6, 7 and 8 spots can drive in runs.”

Wnek, a second baseman, has moved into the clean-up spot. She is batting .560, her 44 RBIs is a state-high and she has struck out only three times in 91 at bats.

“We knew what we had in her last year,” White said. “We probably got her into the lineup a little too late. She’s very good offensively, and she plays a very good second base.”

Six Clippers are hitting .400-plus. Sexton (.519) leads the state with 23 doubles.

Metro showdown

Tuesday’s Mississippi Valley Conference double-header at Cedar Rapids Xavier is a battle between divisional leaders.

Class 4A No. 3 Cedar Rapids Jefferson (21-3 overall, 13-3 MVC) has won 19 consecutive 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.

Warriors win one

Cedar Rapids Washington’s first win of the season came in dramatic fashion.

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.

Tags: Ashley Akers, Caitlin Wnek, Clear Creek Amana, Jim White, Katy Sexton, prep softball