OTTUMWA — After a 40-game season, the postseason has finally arrived for the eighth-ranked Ottumwa softball team.

“This is the time of year you play for,”  Ottumwa head coach Frank Huston said. Huston’s ballclub will start postseason play on the field bearing his namesake. And their opponent will be a team they are extremely familiar with. 

The Bulldogs square off against CIML Metro rival Des Moines Lincoln today in the semifinals of Class 5A Regionals at Huston Field in what could aptly described as a rubber match.

If Ottumwa defeats the Railsplitters, it will face the winner of today’s game between seventh-ranked Waukee (32-8) and Urbandale in Waukee. Bulldogs didn’t play either of these teams during the regular season.

The Bulldogs’ semifinal showdown with the Railsplitters (23-16) will not only decide which team gets to continue their season, it will also decide which of the two teams is superior. Though Lincoln’s record doesn’t  match up to the Ottumwa’s 30-plus win season, the Railsplitters have proven they are more than capable of not just hanging with, but beating Huston’s formidable squad.

After all, it was Lincoln who handed the Bulldogs their first two losses of the season on June 4 by sweeping them — 4-1, 4-1 — on their home field. Ottumwa gained a measure of revenge on June 21 when they swept the Railsplitters — 5-4, 5-2 — in Des Moines.

The two conference rivals know each other quite well, which will make it difficult for either team to conjure up some strategy likely to surprise the other.

“The two teams are very familiar with each other since they have played four times in the season,” Huston said.

Ottumwa first baseman Nicole Peyton and leadoff hitter Sammy Garrett have been the Bulldogs’ most consistent hitters against Lincoln. Garrett, who leads the team with a .512 batting average and a .575 on-base percentage, is 8-for-16 against Lincoln’s pitchers this season and Peyton is 6-for-12. Garrett had tremendous day at the plate the last time the two teams faced off, going 3-for-4 with a home run.

Peyton got five or her six hits during the doubleheader at Huston Field — a day where only a few Bulldogs contributed much offensively. Ottumwa shortstop Paige Schreiner and power hitter Katie Sammons have also experienced a considerable amount of success against Railsplitter pitching. Sammons is 4-for-12 against Lincoln pitching. However, The Bulldogs star shortstop has four hits, including a home run; in her last eight at bats against the Railsplitters. Sammons’s story is much the same. She is 5-for-13 at the plate against Lincoln, but she is batting .500 against the team in her last eight at bats.

Railsplitter pitchers Natalie Vasquez and Missy Goodrich have proven they have the capacity to pitch effectively against Ottumwa’s high-powered offense — an offense with seemingly no weaknesses.

Goodrich has given up an average of three runs per game in her two pitching outings against the Bulldogs and she boasts an earned run average that is even lower than that, at two runs per game. Vasquez has allowed an average of three runs per game in her two starts against Ottumwa and her earned run average sits at an impressive and 1.50 runs per game.

Ottumwa’s ace pitcher Mandi Moore (17-5) sports a 1-1 record against the Railsplitters. She suffered her first loss of the season when Lincoln beat Ottumwa 4-1 top half of the doubleheader at Huston Field.

Though she only gave up four runs in the loss, Moore had trouble finding the strike zone, walking seven batters. By contrast, despite allowing only one less hit than in her previous outing against the Railsplitters, Moore only walked two batters in the Bulldogs’ 5-2 win over Lincoln in the first half of the doubleheader at Des Moines. 

Though the Railsplitters have proven they can get hits off of Moore, the contrasting results of the two games show their chances of putting up runs is much lower when they are not given free bases.

“For her to be successful, she has to pitch ahead and throw a lot of strikes,” Huston said about Moore. “As long as you don’t couple walks, hits and errors together you’re usually in business.”

Ottumwa’s No. 2 pitcher, Brittni Vogt, picked up the victory in the bottom of half of the doubleheader against Lincoln. Vogt’s eventual victory looked like it might be a loss earlier in the contest. Ottumwa trailed 4-1 before ticking off four runs in the last two innings on its way to pulling out a 5-4 victory. Much to Vogt’s credit, only one of the four runs she allowed was earned.

Vasquez has been the Railsplitters hottest hitter against Ottumwa — she is 7-for-11 against the Bulldog pitching staff. Other Lincoln hitters that have experienced a considerable degree of success against Ottumwa include Bailey Zepeda (5-for-13), Rachel Guessford (6-for-13), and Daniele Ogren (5-for-8).