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With the pressure on, the Iowa City Regina softball team came through clutch.
The Regals plated four runs in the sixth to break open a 2-2 tie with Cardinal, earning a 6-2 victory and advancing one game closer to playing for the Class 2A championship.
Keegan Kleppe drove in Margaret White to make it 3-2 with one out in the sixth for No. 9 Iowa CIty Regina (23-10 overall), as the Regals went on to get three more insurance runs for Lily Nibaur, who struck out four.
Naoni Davisson finished 4-for-4, driving in three runs with two doubles, as Kleppe had three hits. Brooklyn Aremntrout scored twice for Iowa City Regina, who is chasing a sixth state title and first since 2023 after going back-to-back.
Nibaur worked around five hits and a walk, as neither run scored by Cardinal (17-11) was earned.
Sophia Brown drove in two runs with a double for the Comets, scoring Summer LaRue and Maclain Hickenbottom. Cardinal stunned top-seed and No. 2 Grand View Christian on Monday and are in the elite eight for the first time since 2005.
The Comets held a 2-0 lead in the third on Brown's double, but Iowa City Regina quickly t
Ied it up. The two exchanged scoreless innings until the Regals broke free in the sixth.
IOWA CITY REGINA 6, CARDINAL 2
Cardinal 002 000 0 -- 2 5 0
ICR 002 004 x -- 6 10 3
WP--Lily Nibaur (7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 1 BB). LP--Maclain Hickenbottom (6 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 6 K, 4 BB).
2B--C: Summer LaRue, Sophia Brown; ICR: Keegan Kleppe, Lexi Gaffey, Naoni Davisson (2). RBI--C: Sophia Brown (2); ICR: Keegan Kleppe, Naoni Davisson (3).