Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Bre Anderson of North Union tags Regina’s Mary Graff on Monday at Rogers Park. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

Jon Prottsman was a little nervous as Iowa City Regina’s first-round game progressed, but after the sixth inning, that feeling quickly evaporated.

Prottsman saw his Regals explode for five runs in the sixth and move into the Class 2A state softball semifinals with an 8-1 win over North Union (30-7 overall).

“I was scared to death,” Prottsman said. “We weren’t swinging the bats well, but then we came around.”

The eighth-ranked Regals (28-11) will now face No. 2 Durant (32-7) Thursday at 3 p.m. on Buena Vista University Field.

Both pitchers were dealing through the first three innings, as Regina senior Sarah Lehman and North Union’s Anna Ingalls didn’t allow a run. Lehman (14-6), who had 222 strikeouts entering the tournament fanned 14 Warrior batters, walking zero and allowing only three hits. She has 73 strikeouts in Fort Dodge over the last three seasons.

The Regals, who play in the River Valley Conference, have lost nine times to ranked teams, and to seven more times to 5A schools.

Lehman has helped guide the Regals to the title game the past two seasons, winning the championship in 2015 and finishing second last season. She has been on the all-state tournament team for the past two years, including clinching captain status two years ago.

“Everything wasn’t working for me, and it wasn’t my best game,” Lehman said. “It was nice to get going early in the tournament.”

Lehman also did damage at the plate, recording a double and driving in two runs.

Regina’s Kate Bracken opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the fourth.

“It was right down the middle,” Bracken said. “It was nice to get ahead and we wanted to push them.

“We want redemption (at Rogers Park) after losing in the title game (in 2016).”

Bracken finished the contest 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBI. Emma Corkery had two hits.

North Union’s Kate Anderson cut the deficit in half with a solo blast off the center fielder’s glove on the fence in the fourth.

“I had a good at bat and I adjusted,” Anderson said. “I just wanted to make contact, but I jumped on it and went off her glove and over the fence.

“They had that big inning in the sixth and we just couldn’t bounce back. Their pitcher was very good and she had good movement. Her curveball was good and her change up was down.”

The Warroirs, who struggled at the plate, also committed five errors in the contest.

Ingalls (23-4) had a strong day in the circle, striking out nine batters.

North Union will play Logan-Magnolia (31-4) on Wednesday on Dodger Diamond at 10 a.m.

IOWA CITY REGINA 8, NORTH UNION 1

IC Regina 000 205 1 – 8 8 3

North Union 000 100 0 – 1 3 4

Sarah Lehman (W 7IP, 3 hits, 1ER, 0BB, 14SO); Anna Ingalls (L, 7IP, 8 hits, 5ER, 2BB, 9SO); 2B-ICR: Sarah ICR: Lehman, Emma Corkery, Paisley Gardner; HR-ICR: Katie Bracken; NU: Kate Anderson; HBP-ICR: Jess Hunter; SACB-ICR: Taylor O’Conner, Sarah Lehman, Maeve Dunne, Jesse Hunter; SB-NU: Maddie Rolling, Bre Anderson; LOB-ICR 4, NU 4.