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Warriors cruise to regional semifinals
Six-run 4th ends game in 5 innings
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
VICTOR — A clean game from start to finish and a big fourth inning was all the HLV-TC softball needed to come away with a 9-0 win over Melcher-Dallas in a Class 1A Region 4 softball quarterfinal Wednesday.
After leading 3-0, the Warriors finally got hot at the plate and piled up the hits in the bottom of the fourth, scoring six.
“We usually start slow, and then we realize its time to go,“ Raegan Molyneux of the big fourth inning. ”We knew if we got those runs we could run-rule them.“
The six runs made the score 9-0, activating the eight-run rule after five innings if the Warriors took care of business in the top of the fifth.
The Warriors had the bases loaded with no outs in the second, but scored only two off walks.
The Warriors compiled nine hits in four innings, two each from Molyneux and Ema Roberts.
Molyneux’s RBI double in the first started the scoring.
Seven different players had hits in the fourth, and five drove in runs.
Ayla Hall started the rally with a two-RBI triple. Molyneux followed with an RBI single.
A sacrifice fly from Lily Randall and RBIs from Abbi Tharp and Karley Moore added to he score.
Randall ended the game with a strikeout from the mound in the top of the fifth, allowing just one hit from the Saints the entire game.
Randall totaled six strikeouts. The rest of the outs were made in the field.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time in the infield,” said Molyneux of the clean defensive game. “We know all our strengths.”
For the second-straight season, the Warriors have advanced to the regional semifinals.
“It was really exciting,” Molyneux said of the win. ”We want to play as long as we can.“
“It’s really nice, especially after not practicing much or being with the team (this past week).”
The Warriors head to the regional semifinals with 19 wins, the most wins they’ve had in a season since 2008.
“It’s been exciting to see the whole program grow and everyone improving together as a team,” Molynuex said.
The Warriors face a familiar opponent Friday, in Iowa Valley, who upset No. 4 ranked Southeast Warren.
In the regular season matchup, the Warriors won 9-1.
