Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Muscatine celebrates a victory over West Des Moines Valley in the Class 5A quartfinals on Monday at Rogers Park. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

A new queen will be crowned in Class 5A after Muscatine knocked off defending state champion West Des Moines Valley here Monday afternoon, 3-1.

On a perfect day for softball, the Muskies used runs in the fifth and sixth to stun the Tigers at Rogers Park. Muscatine (19-2 overall) now faces Cedar Rapids Kennedy (24-1) on Wednesday at 11 a.m. on Veterans Diamond in the semifinals.

Kyleia Salyers got Muscatine going in the first, plating Olivia Harmon with a double with two outs. She helped the Muskies score the game-winning run in the sixth after the Tigers (23-5) tied it in the third.

Muscatine added an insurance run in the sixth in support of pitchers Maura Chalupa and Bree Seaman. Chalupa struck out two in just over four innings of work, with Seaman picking up three strikeouts in two-plus innings.

Harmon was 3-for-3 with a run scored, while Salyers, Aricka Ramser and Karly Ricketts had two hits each. Ramser and Malia Cook scored runs.

Muscatine, which ended a five-year drought from the state tournament with a win over Iowa City High in the regional final, won the Mississippi Athletic Conference title this past season. The league produced five state tournament teams in all.

Valley was making its eighth consecutive trip to state and in search of title No. 7 under head coach Tom Bakey. Alex Honnold, who is headed to Missouri to play softball, had two of the three hits for the Tigers and scored their lone run.

MUSCATINE 3, WDM VALLEY 1

Muscatine 100 011 0 — 3 11 0

WDM Valley 001 000 0 — 1 3 0

WP — Maura Chalupa (8-1, 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 4 BB); LP — Abigail White (12-2, 5.2 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 0 BB). 2B — M: Olivia Harmon, Kyleia Salyers. RBI — M: Kyleia Salyers (2). SB — M: Karly Ricketts. LOB — M: 9; V: 7.