Little Hawkeye Conference rivals Pella and Oskaloosa will battle tonight in the Tulip City for a berth in the class 3-A state tournament.

Osklaoosa beat a pair of South Central Conference teams, Centerville and Chariton, to win the district 12 championship, while the Little Dutch knocked off two Southeast Conference squads, Fort Madison and Fairfield, to earn the district 11 title. In those games, Pella did not allow a run, and coach Jesse Jablonski says that to win tonight’s sub-state, his team needs to just keep doing what it’s be doing.

“We just need to continue swinging the bats well, and play good defense,” Jablonski tells KNIA/KRLS Sports. “We’ve now played two playoff games and I don’t believe we made an error in either game.”

“As long as the pitching and defense continues to be there, I like our chances.”

The Little Dutch won all three regular season games against Oskaloosa, including a doubleheader sweep a week-and-a-half ago to clinch the Little Hawkeye Conference championship. First pitch tonight is at 7:00 at Pella High School, and our coverage will begin with pregame at 6:45, following a shortened Marion County PM Sports Page on 92.1 KRLS.