As it happened: Regina, Solon win state softball titles

FORT DODGE – Small school eastern Iowa teams dominated this year's state softball tournament, evident in the Class 2A and 3A title matchups.

Iowa City Regina fended off River Valley Conference foe Cascade 2-0 for the Class 2A title Friday morning, then Solon beat Wamac Conference rival Benton Community 3-1 in the Class 3A championship.

Below is the play-by-play as it happened Friday.

Find complete tournament coverage at iowaprepsports.com.

CLASS 3A FINAL: SOLON 3, BENTON 1

There was likely quite a debate as to which Solon star deserved to be named Class 3A All-Tournament captain. Slugger Taylor Nearad nor pitcher Emily Ira will probably much care, as they've won their coveted state championship.

Nearad earned the top individual honor after slugging a sixth-inning two-run homer, her third long ball of the week, that gave Solon a 3-0 lead and proved to be the game-winning hit in a 3-1 victory over Benton Community.

Ira struck out 14 and gave up just two runs for the tournament.

It's Solon's first state championship since 2007, and it comes after being just short in Class 4A last season.

Full Game Story, Photos and Video

All-Tournament Team: Ali Herdliska (Solon), Lea Brunssen (Benton), Sydney Lawson (Solon), Shelby Hulsebus (Benton), Libby Ryan (Mount Vernon), Marissa Promes (Greene County), Olivia Brecht (Center Point-Urbana), Amber Fiser (Benton), Emily Ira (Solon), Alyssa Wiebel (Benton), Taylor Nearad (Solon; Captain)

Bottom 7th

Stenberg (0-2) - Strikeout, 1 out.

K count: 130 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left Solon 3, Benton 1

Havlik (0-1) - Liner off the glove of Ira goes for a single.

Fiser (0-2) - Lineout to center, 2 out. Great at-bat, seeing 10 pitches, but just hit it in the wrong spot.

Heilman (0-2) - Single to right. Winning run at the plate. Runners at 1st and 2nd. Top of the order up.

Brunssen (0-3) - Strikeout. Solon wins on Ira's 14th K.

Top 7th

Miller (1-2) - Flyout to 3rd, 1 out.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left Solon 3, Benton 1

Oberthein (0-2) - Flyout to center, 2 out.

Ryan (0-1) - Groundout to 3rd.

Bottom 6th

Brunssen (0-2) - Strikeout, 1 out.

K count: 12.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left Solon 3, Benton 1

Hulsebus (1-1) - Foul pop to 3rd, 2 out.

Wiebel (0-2) - Double to the gap in left-center. Can't keep her off the bases all day.

Lyons (0-2) - RBI single off the fence in center. Benton is still in it, down 3-1. Courtesy runner: Holli Schulte

Gorkow (0-2) - Flyout to 3rd.

Top 6th

Ira (0-2) - Lined, stand-up double to left.

2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left Solon 3, Benton 0

Nearad (1-2) - 2-run HR. In a game like this, that's a lot of insurance.

Herdliska (0-2) - Flyout to short, 1 out.

Bevans (0-1) - Four-pitch walk. Courtesy runner: Molly Duckett

Heick (1-2) - Duckett thrown out at 2nd after a wild pitch, 2 out. Flyout to left.

Bottom 5th

Stenberg (0-1) - Grounder is booted by 3B Heick. Pinch runner: Samantha Rabe

0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 left Solon 1, Benton 0

PH Laura Maschino - Sac bunt, 1 out. Rabe advances to 2nd.

Fiser (0-1) - Strikeout, 2 out. K count: 11

Heilman (0-1) - Pop-up to second. Bobcats can't take advantage of the error.

Top 5th

Miller (0-1) - Single up the middle. Pinch runner: Emma Winders.

0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left Solon 1, Benton 0

Oberthein (0-1) - Winders steals second. Foul pop to catcher, 1 out.

Ryan (LF, batting instead of DH) - Strikeout, 2 out. K count: 7.

Lawson (0-2) - Flyout to center

Freshman Makenna Bonewitz replacing Havlik in left field for Benton.

Bottom 4th

Hulsebus (1-1) - Walk.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 left Solon 1, Benton 0

Wiebel (0-1) - Strikeout, 1 out. Nine for Ira.

Lyons (0-1) - Strikeout, 2 out. K count: 10.

Gorkow (0-1) - Flyout to center.

Top 4th

Nearad (0-1) - Fly ball drops for a double in shallow left-center.

0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left Solon 1, Benton 0

Herdliska (0-1) - Running catch by Havlik in left, 1 out.

Bevans (0-0) - Strikeout, 2 out. Six for Fiser.

Heick (1-1) - Flyout to center.

Bottom 7th

Clemens (0-1) - Line drive down the LF line was close to an extra base hit. But foul. Strikeout, 1 out.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left Regina 2, Cascade 0

Frasher (0-2) - Strikeout, 2 out. That's 11, same as the regular season meeting.

PH Macie Weber - Four-pitch walk. Cascade has life.

Dolphin (1-2) - Strikeout. It's over.

Cougars may have missed their best opportunities. 7-8-9 due up for their last chance and are a combined 0-5 against Lehman today.

Top 7th

Clapp (0-2) - Flyout to left, 1 out.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left Regina 2, Cascade 0

PH Katie Bracken - Lineout to center, 2 out. Snow-cone catch by Weber.

Verducci (0-2) - Flyout to right.

Bottom 6th

Weber (1-2) - Groundout to pitcher, 1 out.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 left Regina 2, Cascade 0

Kramer (0-1) - Groundout to short, 2 out. High, wide throw, but Stein leaps and applies the tag.

Takes (0-2) - Hit by pitch. Play stops momentarily as trainers attend to Takes, who took a shot to the arm.

Tucker (0-2) - Strikeout. Make it nine for Lehman.

Top 6th

Wick (0-2) - Flyout to left, 1 out.

2 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 1 left Regina 2, Cascade 0

Bonnett (1-2) - Groundout to short, 2 out.

Brown (0-2) - Fly ball drops between left and short for a double. Hung up there in no man's land.

First run is in. Brown steals third, and Dolphin's throw sails into left. 1-0.

Scott (0-2) - Double to the gap in left-center.

Lehman (0-1) - Single gets by LF Rae. Scott may have scored anyway. 2-0. Lehman gets to 2nd.

Stein (0-1) - Groundout to 2nd

Bottom 5th

Clemens (0-1) - Hit by pitch. 0 runs, 1 hit,

0 errors, 2 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Frasher (0-1) - Strikeout, 1 out.

Green (0-1) - Bunt backfires into a fielder's choice, 2 out.

Dolphin (0-1) - Hard bouncer hits 3B Bonnett's glove for a single. Two on.

Rae (1-2) - Strikeout. Another big one for Lehman, who now has eight.

Top 5th

Stein (0-0) - Groundout to short, 1 out.

0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Clapp (0-1) - Lined single up the middle, bounces off Weber and to the fence. Clapp gets to 2nd. Courtesy runner: Taylor O'Conner.

Goedken (0-1) - Pop-up to 3rd, 2 out.

Verducci (0-1) - Strikeout. Off-speed pitch caught Verducci, and she's upset at a missed chance.

Cascade Coach Ken Weber says on IPTV that the wind has been a factor. Couple of the Cougars' hard hit balls have gotten caught up.

Bottom 4th

Rae (0-1) - Single to left. First hit for Cascade

0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Weber (0-1) - Bunt gets by everybody. Two on.

Kramer (0-1) - Sac bunt, 1 out. Runners advance to 2nd, 3rd.  Regals talking things over. Prottsman wanted to make his team aware of a potential bunt.

Takes (0-1) - Strikeout, 2 out.

Tucker (0-1) - Flyout to right. Regals get out of the jam

Top 4th Brown (0-1) - Pop-up to shortstop, 1 out.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Scott (0-1) - Flyout to center, 2 out.

Lehman (0-0) - Lineout to 3rd.

On IPTV, Regina Coach Jon Prottsman says his team was a little too anxious at the plate the first time through. That's understandable, considering the magnitude of the game.

It's a pitcher's duel so far. Just one combined hit and a lot of fooled batters. Regina's Lehman has struck out five.

Bottom 3rd

Frasher - Strikeout, 1 out.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Green - Strikeout, 2 out.

Dolphin (0-0) - Strikeout. Dominating inning.

Top 3rd

Verducci - Soft groundout to pitcher, 1 out.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Wick (0-1) - Foul pop to catcher, 2 out.

Bonnett (1-1) - Pop-up to shortstop.

Bottom 2nd

Takes - Flyout to center, 1 out. Few feet away from the first run.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Tucker - Lineout to right, 2 out.

Clemens - Groundout to third.

Top 2nd

Lehman - Walk

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Stein - Sac bunt, 1 out. Lehman advances to 2nd.

Clapp - Strikeout, 2 out.

Goedken - Pop-up to pitcher.

Bottom 1st

Dolphin - Walk. Lehman a little shaky on the first five pitches.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Rae - Strikeout, 1 out

Weber - Strikeout, 2 out. Dolphin steals 2nd.

Kramer - Groundout to 3rd. Didn't take long for Lehman to settle in.

Top 1st

Wick - Pop-up to 1st, 1 out

0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left Regina 0, Cascade 0

Bonnett - Bloop single up the middle

Brown - Grounder to 2nd, fielder's choice, 2 out

Scott - Groundout to Catcher

Lineups

Regina

1. CF Jenny Wick, Jr.

2. 3B Emily Bonnett, Fr.

3. SS Kennedy Brown, Jr.

4. DH Madison Scott, Sr.

5. P Sarah Lehman, So.

6. 1B Hannah Stein, Sr.

7. LF Lauren Clapp, Sr.

8. C Morgen Goedken, Sr.

9. 2B Cammy Verducci, Jr.

RF Jess Hunter, 8th

Cascade

1. P Lynsey Dolphin, Jr.

2. LF Chloe Rae, Sr.

3. CF Lexi Weber, Sr.

4. 3B Laura Kramer, So.

5. RF Riley Takes, So.

6. C Lisa Tucker, So.

7. 1B Bailey Clemons, So.

8. DH Natalie Frasher, Jr.

9. SS Noelle Green, So.

2B Annie Meyer, So.

How they got here: Regina outlasted Durant 2-1 in 10 innings, then upset top-ranked Fort Dodge St. Edmond 4-1. Cascade's offense has been one of the best in the tournament; the Cougars started the tournament with a 9-4 win over North Union, then beat IKM-Manning 6-2.

Regina and Cascade met once this season, a 3-1 Regals victory on June 23 in Cascade. Kennedy Brown was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and Sarah Lehman gave up just three hits and an unearned run while striking out 11 for the victory.