Regina guts out 10-inning quarterfinal win over Durant

FORT DODGE - It could have been easy for Iowa City Regina to get frustrated through nine innings of missed chances. But not a whisper about the lost opportunities came from the dugout.

Hits were coming but the Regals, designated the visitors on the scoreboard, were just waiting for the one to break the deadlock. It came in the form of senior Madison Scott, who pushed Regina past Durant 2-1 in 10 innings in the Class 2A state tournament quarterfinals.

'They really just gutted this one out,” said Regals coach Jon Prottsman. 'It's hard to play as the visiting team inning after inning after inning and know that one mistake is going to score somebody. The resiliency of this group was just great today.”

Junior Kennedy Brown, who went 4-for-5 with an RBI, hit a single past Shannon Telsrow and stole second on an overthrown ball from the outfield. It set up Scott - who was 1-for-3 before the at bat - and she delivered with a ground-ball single past second base to drive Brown home.

All of Scott's early-game frustration disappeared in an instant.

'I actually really like those pressure situations,” Scott said. 'I like getting to perform in them and prove myself.”

Regina (24-14) and Durant (27-8) played twice to begin the season as members of the River Valley Conference, where the Regals picked up both wins. Those victories featured more offense than Tuesday's contest, but Prottsman saw the biggest difference come from his sophomore pitcher Sarah Lehman.

Lehman collected her 15th win and played the full 10 innings, notching nine strikeouts. The Wildcats earned just two hits and Lehman's teammates mentioned her name above all others in where the credit is due.

'We knew if Sarah could just throw down the middle, she had a defense to support her,” Brown said. 'We were on point tonight with defense. Hitting was a little struggle for a while and when we all pulled it together, it was awesome.”

Regina will face top-seeded Fort Dodge St. Edmond (29-7) on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Mittera Field. Prottsman is just hoping the offense won't take as long to emerge against the Gaels.

'The holes were found by ground balls (Tuesday) and the line drives went right to somebody,” Prottsman said. 'We're not too choosy right now and glad it happened. We'll take these.”

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