Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Iowa City Regina teammates Dani Laughlin (left) and Morgan Gahan celebrate their 2A state championship win over Wilton on Friday at Rogers Park. For more photos, visit CU.messengernews.net

For the fourth time in school history, Iowa City Regina has been crowned Class 2A state softball champion.

The Regals, battle-tested as they always are by the time they reach Rogers Park, knocked off Wilton here Friday night, 6-4.

Iowa City Regina (24-11 overall) also claimed titles in 2011, ’15 and ’17.

This one, though, is the first for second-year head coach Angela Kessler. After guiding the Regals to the state tourney last summer, the team was knocked off by eventual champion North Linn.

Nobody stood in the way this time.

Regina used a two-RBI single by Emma Nibaur to erase a 1-0 deficit in the first. During the regular season, the Regals earned wins over the likes of state qualifiers Williamsburg and Carlisle, along with a split vs. River Valley Conference rival Wilton (28-7).

Wilton tied it again in the third, but Regina quickly answered as Courtney Kessler drove in the go-ahead run. The Regals added another in the fourth, one in the fifth and another in the sixth.

Dani Laughlin was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, Emma Nibaur drove in two and earned the win inside the circle, and Courtney Kessler, Alli Clark and Jillian Panther each had an RBI.

“These are all just such good kids,” Kessler said. “I really don’t have to say much or do much because they just take care of it. When you have a group like this, that you know you have pushed and worked so hard, for them to get rewarded like this, that means so much.

“I’m not a crying person, but they got to me.”

Regina, the No. 4 seed and ranked fourth, survived with a 6-5 win over Van Meter in the quarterfinals before ousting pre-tourney favorite and No. 1 Central Springs in the semis, 7-4.

Wilton, ranked seventh, knocked off No. 3 Logan-Magnolia and second-ranked North Union to reach its first final. The Beavers reached the semifinals a year ago, falling to Earlham.

Taylor Drayfahl and Grace Madlock each had three hits, while Peyton Souhrada had a home run and a single.

IOWA CITY REGINA 6, WILTON 4

Wilton 101 000 2 — 4 11 2

IC Regina 201 111 x — 6 9 3

WP–Emma Nibaur (7 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 4 K, 2 BB). LP–Charlotte Brown (6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 3 BB).

HR–W: Peyton Souhrada. 3B–ICR: Dani Laughlin. 2B–W: Charlotte Brown, Payton Ganzer; ICR: Courtney Kessler. RBI–W: Grace Madlock, Peyton Souhrada, Madelyn Wade, Payton Ganzer; ICR: Emma Nibaur (2), Courtney Kessler, Jillian Panther, Kennedy Connor, Dani Laughlin.