Susan Harman

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Freshman Gabby Sueppel slid home with the winning run in the bottom of the 11^th inning to propel Regina to a 5-4 victory over Cardinal in a 2A Regional softball final Tuesday at Regina.

The winning run scored on a wild pitch with two out.

“I wasn’t really expecting it, so I was kind of like once I saw it I thought ‘I’ve got to get home; this is the last opportunity,’” Sueppel said. “So I went for all of it. It scared me so much, but I felt really good afterward.”

Regina (19-12) advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2018 and will play second-ranked North Linn (39-6) in a quarterfinal on Monday at 5 p.m. in Fort Dodge.

Cardinal finished 17-14.

This was a game of evenly matched teams, neither of which was supposed to be here.

But here they were, both after upsetting higher seeds, fighting for the chance to go to the state tournament.

The game was not a perfectly tuned Stradivarius but rather a lively but off-key tuba your uncle Bob found in the attic.

“You never know with Regina softball,” senior Kate Milder said. “It happens all the time. You just gotta have faith in it, work through it. We just gotta get someone there and push through.”

The teams were tied 1-1 going to the sixth when the Comets put the first three batters on base with a single, an error and a sacrifice that turned into a fielders choice because of indecision by the Regal fielder.

A sacrifice fly knocked in one run, and with two out eighth-grader Madison Dively tripled down the right-field line just out of the reach of a diving Avery Kies.

Regina had two hits in its half of the sixth but couldn’t score. The Comets had two hits in the seventh but couldn’t extend their lead.

The Regals went to the bottom of the seventh trailing 4-1 and with the bottom three in the order up.

“The seventh inning, I have to admit, I wasn’t feeling the best,” Regal pitcher Emma Nibauer said. “But I kind of had the feeling we were going to pull through.”

“It’s kind of funny because against (third-ranked Louisa-Muscatine) the bottom of the order is what started our rally,” Regina coach Angela Kessler said. “When one of our girls is up, no matter where in the order, I know she’s going to do her job. They’re just gritty.”

Milder was up first.

“Just get on base; that’s all I’ve got to do,” Milder said of her mindset. “Help the team. There has to be one person on base at least to get it started. That was my one goal. I’m very picky in the batter’s box and I wasn’t getting anything.”

She drew a four-pitch walk.

Sueppel singled to center. Jaelynn Ernst singled to right to drive in a run, and the Comet right fielder inadvertently kicked the ball enabling Ernst to reach second.

Nibauer’s fielder’s choice scored a second run, and the third and tying run scored on an error.

The Regals had come all the way back and were headed to extra innings.

This is where Nibauer grabbed the game by the throat.

Having given up four runs through six, she retired 13 of her last 14 hitters.

“Everything was working as it had in the beginning (of the game),” Nibauer said. “I think our defense, the mental aspect started to kick in, and it was the realization that we could do this and we could win.”

Milder singled with one out in the 11^th.

Sueppel’s grounder to first was thrown into left field as the Comets tried to get the lead runner. Instead, the Regals had runners at second and third with one out.

The Comets handled Ernst’s bunt attempt cleanly and got an out at the plate with Sueppel advancing to third.

With an 0-1 count Comet pitcher Nicoa McClure unleashed the wild pitch, and Sueppel made it home.

“We just knew we had to wear them down,” Milder said.

And that they did.

Cardinal         000  013  000  00  –  4  10  2

Regina            000  100  300  01   –  5  12  2

W – Emma Nibauer                L – Nicoa McClure

2B – ICR: Annie Gahan

3B – CAR: Madison Dively

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