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Harper Erwin homered and Lily Nibaur spun a one-hitter to lead ninth-ranked Iowa City Regina to a 6-2 victory over No. 10 Hinton in Class 2A state softball tournament action here on Monday.
Erwin, a senior, picked the perfect time for her first long ball. She finished 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI for the Regals (22-10 overall), who will play Cinderella Cardinal on Tuesday on Hy-Vee Field at 12:15 p.m.
Seven other Iowa City Regina players each recorded a single, as Keegan Kleppe, Lexi Gaffey and Brooklyn Armentrout all scored. Jordee Klein and Chloe Rogers both drove in a run.
Nibaur did not walk a batter. Hinton (26-5) was able to take advantage of three errors.
Nibaur is now 20-7 on the season. She will try to lead the Regals to the sixth state title in program history, with the most recent being in 2023.
Iowa City Regina has now won seven in a row since a 3-2 loss to 4A No. 2 and fellow state qualifier Carlisle. Among the 10 losses they have suffered this season, six total have come at the hands of state qualifiers.
For the Blackhawks, who will play Grand View Christian on Tuesday at 10 a.m., Cailin Badar and Kaydence Smith each drove in a run. This is the first state tournament appearance for Hinton since 2010.
IOWA CITY REGINA 6, HINTON 2
Hinton 010 100 0 -- 2 1 1
Regina 300 111 x -- 6 10 3
WP--Lily Nibaur (20-7, 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 0 BB). LP--Kayla Sypersma (15-4, 6 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 K, 0 BB).
HR--ICR: Harper Erwin. RBI--H: Cailin Badar, Kaydence Smith; ICR: Harper Erwin (3), Jordee Klein, Chloe Rogers.