Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

FORT DODGE – Another day, another win for red-hot Regina at the state softball tournament.

And on Tuesday it was a couple different Regals that stepped into the spotlight.

Junior Naoni Davisson had four hits and drove in three runs and Keegan Kleppe had the go-ahead double as ninth-ranked Regina rallied for a 6-2 win over Cardinal (17-11) in a Class 2A semifinal at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

“It couldn’t be better,” Kleppe said. “We worked in the offseason so much to get here and now we are here and everyone is clicking and it couldn’t be better.”

The second 6-2 win in as many days puts Regina in the drivers seat in the double elimination tournament.

Regina (23-10) will play on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. against the winner of Tuesday evening’s elimination game between Cardinal and top-seed Grand View Christian (28-4).

“This game was big for a lot of different reasons,” Regina coach Angela Kessler said. “For our rest period and our recovery time and not having to play two games in one day it’s super important but also for our mental state it’s big just to know we are still on top. I think right now this team can do anything.”

It was senior Harper Erwin and junior Lily Nibaur that starred in a 6-2 quarterfinal win on Monday.

On Tuesday it was Kleppe and Davisson that came up big for the Regals.

Davisson went 4-for-4 with two doubles and Kleppe had two hits, drove in a run and scored a run as Regina became the first team in the 2A field to get to 2-0.

“It feels amazing and this was super important,” Davisson said. “We need to get out of this heat, go get some ice cream and have some fun with our team.”

For the first time in five postseason games Regina had to come from behind on Tuesday.

Cardinal took a 2-0 lead on a two-run double by Sophia Brown in the top of the third inning.

Regina immediately answered back when Davisson hit a two-run double to deep center field that tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning.

“It felt amazing,” Davisson said. “All of our base runners left on I was getting a little nervous but I knew our team could hit,” Davisson said. “I knew we were eventually going to score those runs.”

Regina took its first lead of the game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Maggie White led off the sixth with a single and following a sacrifice bunt by Nibaur scored on Kleppe’s double to left field.

“I know my team has my back so I went up there with a lot of confidence,” Kleppe said. “My coach trusted me and told me to hit it on the ground and I hit it in the air but it worked and it felt good to do it for my team.”

Lexi Gaffey added a double in the four-run sixth and Davisson plated a run with an RBI single.

“I looked at yesterday and every girl on the team got a hit except of Naoni and she sac bunted twice and today it’s Naoni hitting like crazy,” Kessler said. “That’s this team picking each other up when they have to and they know that. They play for each other.”

Nibaur took care of the rest working around a lead off single to post a scoreless seventh.

The junior right hander allowed just one hit and two base runners over the final four innings.

“She is a smart pitcher, she’s a disciplined pitcher and she’s a workhorse,” Kessler said. “She outworks everybody. She is that good.”

Six different Regals had a hit on Tuesday and five different players scored a run for Regina.

Brooklyn Armentrout had a hit and scored two runs, Jordee Klein had a hit and White had a hit and scored a run.

“This team is peaking right at the right time,” Kessler said. “Everybody is picking each other up. We are doing all the right stuff on the field, we are being patient and disciplined in the batters box which is amazing and that’s what I ask of them.”

Cardinal                    002  000  0  –  2   6   1

Regina                        002  004  x  –  6  10  2

W – Lily Nibaur                     L – Maclain Hickenbottom

2B – ICR: Naoni Davisson (2), Keegan Kleppe. CAR: Summer LaRue, Sophia Brown,

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating