FORT DODGE, Iowa – Iowa City Regina hitters Kennedy Brown and Emma Corkery combined to produce five RBIs on the strength of four hits, and Regals’ ace right-hander Sarah Lehman did the rest.

Lehman notched a game-high 13 strikeouts en route to firing a five-hit complete-game, while Brown swatted a pivotal two-run home run to guide defending Class 2A state champion Regina to a 7-3 state quarterfinal victory over the No. 4-ranked North Union Warriors on Wednesday at Mittera Field at the Rogers Sports Complex.

Regina (27-17) faces No. 3-ranked Logan-Magnolia (33-2) in today’s 5:30 p.m. semifinal, while No. 13 BCLUW (30-8) takes on No. 6 Van Meter (31-7) in a 3:30 p.m. semifinal. Both games will be played on Mittera Field.

North Union (32-5) plays No. 10 Central Springs (34-4) in a 10 a.m. consolation semifinal today at Veterans Field at Rogers Sports Complex, while No. 1 Durant (35-5) faces No. 5 Interstate 35 (27-4) in a 10 a.m. consolation semifinal at Dodger Field.

“The key was Regina struck first with (Brown’s) home run in the bottom of the third. When you play tough competition like here, the team that scores first has a tendency to win,” said North Union head coach Art Ingalls. “Sarah (Rolling) answered with her three-run shot in the fifth to get us back into it.”

Trailing 5-0, Emma Engelby was hit by Lehman’s offering before reaching third base via a pair of wild pitches to set the tone for the Warriors’ lone run production.

Anna Ingalls drew a one-out walk before Sarah Rolling crushed a pitch into the center-field bleachers with two outs for a clutch three-run round-tripper – her team-best 15 homer of the season.

“After I struck out in my first at-bat, it lit a fire under my butt,” said Sarah Rolling, who improved her seasonal RBI total to 58. “As a senior captain, I knew I had to do something to get our team going.”

Brown did exactly that to trigger the Regals’ early offensive production during the bottom of the third inning. Corkery, who went 3-for-4, lined a one-out single before Brown hammered Anna Ingalls’ offering into the center-field bleachers for an early 2-0 lead.

“Honestly, no, I wasn’t trying to hit the ball out (of the park). It was a hit-and-run situation, and I was just trying to make good solid contact,” said Brown, who connected for her team-leading eighth homer.

After Brown delivered the long ball in the third, Regina head coach Jon Prottsman opted for ‘small-ball’ strategy to manufacture three runs in the fourth.

Katie Bracken drilled a leadoff single for the Regals before pinch runner Carrigan O’Connor swiped second. O’Connor reached third on Emily Bonnett’s sacrifice bunt before Jess Hunter pushed a perfect suicide-squeeze bunt for an RBI and a hit for a 3-0 lead.

Taylor O’Connor reached on a Warriors’ error before Emily Ries bunted Hunter and O’Connor into scoring position. Corkery then delivered a clutch two-out, two-run double to deep straightaway center to extend Regina’s margin to 5-0.

Brown walked, swiped second, garnered third on a delayed steal and scored on Bracken’s RBI groundout with one out in Regina’s fifth at-bat.

Brown then collected her third walk of the game with the bases loaded for another RBI with two out in the sixth to add an insurance run for the Regals.

After Kate Anderson’s single off the left-field fence during the top of the fifth, Lehman retired seven of the last eight Warrior batters she faced to seal her complete-game victory. Lehman gave up a one-out single to Anna Ingalls in North Union’s seventh at-bat.

Engelby and Maddie Rolling produced the Warriors’ other pair of hits, while Bracken went 2-for-3 with one RBI for the Regals.

Lehman fanned 13, walked two and hit one batter in seven innings of work to earn the complete-game victory. The junior right-hander allowed three earned runs on five hits.

Anna Ingalls allowed seven runs – five earned – on seven hits in six innings of work. The junior right-hander struck out four and walked four to take the loss for the Warriors.

NU 000 030 0 – 3 5 1

ICR 002 311 x – 7 7 0

Anna Ingalls (LP) and Rory McClellan. Sarah Lehman (WP) and Maeve Dunne.

LOB-North Union 6, Iowa City Regina 6. 2B-Emma Corkery (ICR). HR-Sarah Rolling (NU), Kennedy Brown (ICR). SAC-Maddie Rolling (NU), Emily Bonnett (ICR), Jess Hunter (ICR), Emily Ries (ICR).