Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

FORT DODGE – Just like it has all season Regina kept the energy level up from the opening inning to the final pitch in its state tournament opener on Monday.

Even after a missed opportunity early, a four-run North Linn inning and a late deficit the Regals never stopped believing.

“We kept the same energy throughout the entire game,” Regina senior Annie Gahan said. “That is something that we always do really well no matter how much we are up or down by we always keep the energy up.”

Only this time the late rally never came.

Second-ranked North Linn escaped a first-inning jam and used a four-run third inning to down No. 14 Regina 5-2 in a Class 2A state quarterfinal at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

Regina dropped to 19-13 while North Linn (40-6) advanced to the 2A semifinals for the third consecutive season and will face No. 5 Central Springs (30-6) on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

The Regals overcame a two-run deficit in a regional semifinal upset of third-ranked Louisa-Muscatine and rallied from three runs down in the seventh inning of a regional final win over Cardinal.

On Monday the Regals could get no closer than two runs after falling into an early 4-1 hole.

“A lot of these big games we somehow pull it out in the end so I wasn’t really worried after the first few innings,” Gahan said. “We were just staying calm and hoping that we could pull it out in the end.”

Regina had an opportunity to take control early when it loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning.

Emma Nibaur drew a leadoff walk, Emma Sueppel reached on a fielding error on her sacrifice bunt attempt and Courtney Kessler walked to load the bases.

North Linn sophomore Ellie Flanagan escaped the jam getting Gahan to pop to second, Bayloee O’Connor to ground to third and striking out Abby Clark.

“I just had to relax,” Flanagan said. “Once I was able to relax it was pretty fun. I just kept pushing and I knew I would get it together.”
Regina eventually would strike first.

The Regals took a 1-0 run in the third when Nibaur drew a leadoff walk and scored on a live drive RBI double to the right center field gap by Kessler.

The Lynx wasted no time responding.

North Linn scored four runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning with Flanagan providing a big two-out RBI double to center field.

“I knew I had to get a hit for the team and I did,” Flanagan said. “That felt pretty nice.”
Regina cut the lead to 4-2 when Gahan lined a solo home run over the left field fence with one out in the sixth.

It was the team-leading fourth homer of the season for Gahan and her first in four career games at the state tournament.

“It was first pitch and I just knew I had to go up there and swing because my first two at bats I had popped up,” Gahan said. “I knew it was going to be there because both of those first two at bats were right there and I went up there swinging.”

That was all the Regals would must off Flanagan who allowed just two hits and struck out five while walking three in the complete game.

Flanagan (22-2) retired 14 of the final 15 batters she faced.

“I think we laid off her rise really well,” Gahan said. “That was one thing we really worked on because we knew she had a good rise and our coach was giving us rise ball after rise ball just so we would lay off of them and I think that showed but it just comes down to being disciplined and waiting for those good pitches.”

Regina is making its first state tournament appearance since 2018 and will face Underwood (26-4) in a consolation game on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

“It’s great getting back to state senior year after not being here for a couple of years,” Gahan said. “I just hope we can pull out a win tomorrow.”

Regina                       001  001  0  –  2    2    0

North Linn                 004  001  x  –  5   10   1

W – Ellie Flanagan                             L – Emma Nibaur

2B – ICR: Courtney Kessler. NL: Jill Smith, Ellie Flanagan

HR – ICR: Annie Gahan

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