Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

FORT DODGE – New year, new game, same result for Regina in its state opener against North Union.

Regina upended North Union in the Class 2A quarterfinals for the second straight season on Monday, using a five-run fifth inning to secure an 8-1 win at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

Katie Bracken hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs as eighth-ranked Regina (28-11) advanced to the state semifinals for the third straight season.

“It was a new season a new game, so we didn’t even really think about last year’s game at all,” Bracken said. “We knew we had to come out to play because they would be ready.”

Sarah Lehman struck out 14 in a complete game three-hitter as Regina moved one win away from a third consecutive 2A title game appearance.

Regina will face second-ranked Durant (32-7) in an all-River Valley Conference semifinal on Thursday at 3 p.m. 

Durant swept Regina in a regular season doubleheader last month and advanced to the semifinals with a 9-0 win over No. 11 Logan-Magnolia on Monday.

“It goes both ways,” Regina senior Emma Corkery said when asked if she was excited for another shot at Durant. “We know that they are going to be tough but we definitely wanted another shot to play them. We know we have to beat them to win it all so we are excited.”

Bracken, Lehman and the rest of the Regals made sure they took care of business against No. 6 North Union (30-7) on Monday.

Regina scored all eight runs in the final four innings in a game that followed a strikingly similar path to last season’s 7-3 quarterfinal win over North Union.

“We really just opened it up with hits,” Bracken said. “We struggled in the first three innings but got some hits and were able to keep it going.”

Just like last year’s win over the Warriors, Regina broke a scoreless tie on a two-run home run

and never trailed.

Last season it was departed senior Kennedy Brown that got Regina on the board with a long ball.

This time it was Bracken, who hammered a two-run shot to left field that put Regina up 2-0 in the fourth.

“I just wanted to get one in the outfield, I was hoping to get it in the gap and try to score a run,” Bracken said. “I had the feeling off the bat that it was going out.”

The fifth home run of the season for Bracken upped her team-leading RBI total to 31 and gave Regina an early 2-0 cushion.

“It was nice to have her get that because it took a little pressure off us,” Regina coach Jon Prottsman said. “It was nice to have two runs and a little cushion to begin with.”

Eight runs were more than enough for Lehman as the senior right-hander improved her career postseason record to 15-1.

Lehman limited the Warriors to three hits, the only runs for the Warriors coming on a solo home run by Kate Anderson that cut the Regina lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning.

“She had 14 strikeouts, no walks no hit batters and three hits, that’s pretty good,” Prottsman said. “The home run she gave up she got a ball up in the air, she got a rise ball that didn’t do anything.”

Bre Anderson followed the home run with a single to right but Lehman retired the final 12 batters she faced, eight by strikeout.

“Some of my pitches weren’t working and I was just kind of off this game but once we settled in and got some hits I knew I could do it,” Lehman said. “I just wanted to get through this game.”

While Lehman settled in the Regina offense put the game out of reach.

Regina broke things open with a five-run sixth inning that started with a double by Corkery and featured RBI doubles by Lehman and Paisley Gardner.

Bracken added an RBI single in the five-run sixth inning that put Regina up 7-1.

“I knew we just had to get momentum rolling because that’s big here,” Corkery said. “Once we get that first hit they start falling so that was really important.”

Bracken finished 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored while Corkery had two hits and scored a run.

“It definitely gives us momentum going into the next game,” Bracken said. “We feel good about how we are hitting.”

Regina            000  205  1  –  8  8  3

North Union    000  100  1  –  1  3  5

W – Sarah Lehman                 L – Anna Ingalls

2B – ICR: Emma Corkery, Sarah Lehman, Paisley Gardner

HR – ICR: Katie Bracken. NU: Kate Anderson