Hunter's homers, Central Springs errors lift Regals

FORT DODGE -- She needed a triple for the cycle.

She got more.

Julia Hunter was 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs, and 11th-ranked Iowa City Regina feasted on some shoddy defense by No. 3 Central Springs in a 9-4 Class 2A quarterfinal triumph at the state softball tournament Monday night at the Rogers Sports Complex.

"I was just looking for a base hit," Hunter said of her seventh-inning homer than enabled her to become the 14th player in state-tournament history to go deep twice in one game. "I would have been mad if they'd walked me."

Hunter was the hero at the plate, but the difference was defense. Regina (29-12) was flawless, and Central Springs (34-2) sprung a leak.

The Panthers (34-2) committed eight errors.

Regina will face No. 2 Bondurant-Farrar in a semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The Bluejays (35-5) defeated No. 14 Estherville-Lincoln Central, 5-3, Monday.

 Hunter has 10 home runs this season. She drilled a two-run shot in the first inning, then added another in the seventh.

In between, she had a single in the third and a double in the fifth.

Central Springs answered Hunter's first home run, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Then it all unraveled for the Panthers.

Six errors in the third and fourth innings contributed to five unearned runs as Regina took a 7-3 lead.

"I don't think I've ever seen it like that," Hunter said. "We got on them pretty good. We were the underdogs.

"I just told our infield to smile and have fun out there. If we have fun, we can do anything."

Allison Stein came on in relief to earn the pitching win. She relieved Sara Kron in the bottom of the third inning with Regina nursing a 5-3 advantage.

"I wanted to see how Sara would pitch. She had struggled the last two outings," said Regina Coach Jon Prottsman. " I could tell by her body language that she'd had enough."

"Allison doesn't throw real hard, and she doesn't throw very much, but she throws to spots."

Ciarah Schlader added two hits for the Regals.

 AT FORT DODGE

Iowa City Regina     203 200 2 -- 9  8  0

Central Springs        300 010 0 -- 4  8  8

Emily Dunbar (L) and Jayden Ott. Sara Kron, Allison Stein (3, W) and Kayci McChristy. HR -- ICR: Julia Hunter 2.