Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – After early postseason exits each of the last two seasons third-ranked Regina has its sights set on an extended playoff run this summer.

The Regals were razor sharp in their postseason opener on Tuesday.

Will Litton and Bennett Recker combined for a no-hitter and Regina hammered 13 hits in a 15-0 win over Winfield-Mount Union (8-16) in a Class 2A, District 8 semifinal win in Iowa City.

“The last few years we’ve been knocked out in the first round so it’s good to get that first one under our belt,” Regina junior Carter Carolan said. “We wanted to be sharp today and now we want to keep it going and keep rolling.”

Regina (26-3) batted around in each of the first two innings while scoring 13 runs in its first two trips to the plate.

That was more than enough support for Litton and Recker who combined to strike out five in four hitless innings.

Regina will host Mediapolis (15-9) in the District 8 title game on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Mediapolis defeated Mid-Prairie 2-0 in a District 8 semifinal on Tuesday at Regina.

“It’s one game at a time but honestly it’s the same game, it’s the same game we played game one, it’s just another game,” Litton said. “We know what is at stake but we play like it’s the same game.”

Litton retired Winfield-Mount Union in order in the top of the first inning and the Regal offense went right to work in the bottom of the inning.

Regina sent 11 batters to the plate and hammered seven hits in a six-run first inning that set the tone for the game.

“It really boosts your confidence when you see guys getting on base,” Carolan said. “Our goal was to put a lot of good swings on the ball and hit the ball hard early and that’s what we did.”

Kaleb Moeller had two singles in the six-run first-inning outburst while Litton had an RBI double.

Carolan and senior Emmett Burke each had RBI singles in the first inning.

“The heartbreak of last year fueled us in the off season and these guys worked so hard,” Regina coach Mark Roering said. “They were constantly working on cleaning up little things and trying to be better in every facet of the game. They are committed and they are a really tight group and I think that helps. Chemistry is huge in baseball.”

Regina kept rolling in the second.

The Regals sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on four hits in the second inning.

Carolan had a two-run double and Tate Wallace, Litton and Trey Streb all singled in the seven-run Regal second.

“Especially after last year it feels really good to win this game,” Litton said. “Even though we expected to win we just came out and played baseball and it felt good.”

Seven different Regals had hits on Tuesday led by Carolan who went 3-for-4 with four RBI and Moeller who was 2-for-4 and drove in three runs.

Litton, Streb and Wallace each had two hits and Burke scored three runs.

“Baseball can be so random, any team can beat anybody and we’ve fallen victim to that this year,” Carolan said. “We know that we can’t take any game for granted and we don’t want it to be our last so we are going to keep fighting as hard as we can.”

Litton fanned five in three perfect innings and Recker worked around a pair of walks in a scoreless fourth inning.

“I feel like my last couple of outings I haven’t been where I wanted to be,” Litton said. “I kind of used that as motivation and really just attacked the zone today.”

Regina will face Mediapolis for the second time in a little more than two weeks on Saturday.

The Regals defeated the Bulldogs 4-3 back on June 26 at Mount Mercy.

“I think Mediapolis is a good squad,” Roering said. “We played them in a tight game two or three weeks ago so it should be a fun game.”

Winfield-Mount Union     000  0  –   0    0   2

Regina                                       671  1  –  15  13  0

W – Will Litton                      L – Parker Wilson

2B – ICR: Carter Carolan, Will Litton

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