After losing in the first round of its last state softball tournament appearance, No. 2 seed Louisa-Muscatine returned with a 5-2 opening round victory over West Monona on the Channel Seeds Field at Rogers Park Tuesday.

The Falcons, now 30-6, looked to be cruising with a 5-0 lead and pitcher Kamryn Taylor tossing a no-hitter through five innings, but it took some extra work to advance to the Class 2A semifinals tonight at 5:15 on the Iowa Central Field.

They’ll face No. 2 seed West Lyon, a 10-8 winner over Cascade in the opening round Tuesday.

West Monona chased Taylor in the sixth inning and scored two runs in the top of the 7th, but 8th grader Grace Hoopes worked out of the seventh inning after giving up two runs, leaving a runner at second base.

“I talked to Kam in the fourth or fifth inning and asked how she was doing. She said I’m good and let’s just let it play out,” said Louisa-Muscatine coach Bryan Butler. “We waited and they got the big hit from their leadoff hitter and we decided it was a good time.

“It put Grace in a little pressure situation, but she’s a really good pitcher and she’s the future of this program. I think the experience she gained was big. She’s been doing it all year for us, going into pressure situations.”

Taylor had a perfect game through four innings and after finally allowing a runner to reach in the fifth, she worked out of a jam leaving two runners on base.

West Monona (29-7) got two runners on in the sixth to chase Taylor, but Hoopes closed the door.

In the seventh, the Spartans plated two runs, but again Hoopes got out of the inning and ended the game on two straight ground outs.

Louisa-Muscatine got a two-run single from Taylor in the bottom of the first. Kiki Enriquez also drove home a run and another scored on an error.

The Falcons didn’t score again until the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Taylor, who will play for Mount Mercy next year.

“We kind of stalled out in the middle innings. We did get that insurance run with the sac fly, but we had some running mistakes that ran us out of an inning,” said Butler. “I think there was a little bit of first-game jitters. The last time we were here, we lost in a game we could have won.

“It’s kind of funny, but when we put our name on the bracket I was expecting them to go crazy. We’ve just been trying to downplay things and talked about it being just another game.”

It was the Falcons first game at state in three seasons and fifth overall, all under Butler.

West Monona, playing in state for the third straight season, will face Cascade in a consolation game today at 12:15 p.m.

LOUISA-MUSCATINE 5,

WEST MONONA 2

West Monona 000 000 2 — 2

Louisa-Muscatine 400 010 x — 5

LOB–West Monona 5, Louisa-Muscatine 4. 2B–Hannah Kissell. SACF–Kamryn Taylor. SACB–Jersey Ramer. SB–Ashlee Pittet, Keely Williams. PB–Creighton Lichtenberg, Joslynn Ramer.