Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Junior pitcher Lily Nibaur felt ninth-ranked Regina was a tiny bit ‘off’ in its regional semifinal on Friday evening.

Even a little bit off Nibaur and the Regals were good enough to be moving on.

Nibaur spun a one-hitter as Regina (20-10) downed Van Buren 4-1 in a Class 2A, Region 3 semifinal in Iowa City.

“I know we can do better, we were a little off our game today but we still kept with it, we kept working as hard as we could and we battled it out,” Nibaur said. “I am really proud of our team.”

Nibaur struck out 10 and allowed just one hit, a two-out single in the sixth as Regina advanced to the Region 3 title game.

Regina will travel to fourth-ranked Louisa-Muscatine (28-6) on Monday seeking to secure a spot at the state tournament.

“I think our team is just really into it this year,” Nibaur said. “We have the team culture and we have the drive. This year we really want to go to state, that’s our goal and that has been the goal from the start and we are so ready to go and take that.”

Thunderstorms in the area pushed back the start of Friday’s game back an hour to 8 p.m.

Once the game got rolling Regina too control almost immediately.

Nibaur escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the top of the first inning and Regina took the lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by eighth-grader Brooklyn Armentrout.

Regina added to its lead with two more runs in the second inning.

Nibaur doubled to score Margaret White and Regina added a second run on a Van Buren throwing error.

“I think the way we were off is we weren’t as patient at the plate as we should have been, we were too anxious to get a hit and that just comes with our age, we are a younger team, so that’s probably what I would say is we didn’t play our best,” Regina coach Angela Kessler said. “We were a little flat but we still held the standard.”

The early runs were more than enough for Nibaur who allowed just one single and didn’t walk a batter over the final four innings.

The junior right-hander retired the side in order in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

“A lot of inside was working,” Nibaur said. “You have to go with what they are calling so I really worked on that inside and tried to mix in a few pitches. They were under all my rise balls so I kept with that was working.”

Nibaur improved to 18-7 on the season with the win and has now allowed two hits and fanned 20 in 12 postseason innings this season.

“I told her she was just going to have to work for it tonight and she did that,” Kessler said. “She’s a workhorse.”

Regina will be seeking its first state tournament appearance since 2023 when it faces No. 4 Louisa-Muscatine on Monday.

The Falcons defeated Lisbon 10-0 in a Region 3 semifinal on Friday.

“I am pleased with our situation,” Kessler said. “I think we are on the way up and we are starting to peak which is where you want to be right now. I am just looking forward to the challenge.”

Van Buren                 000  001  0  –   1  1  4

Regina                        120  100  x  –   4  7  2

W – Lily Nibaur                     L – Lizzie Camp

2B – ICH: Lily Nibaur

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