Cardinal softball upsets No. 11 Wapello

WAPELLO — The second seed in the Class 2A Region will not be advancing to the semifinals this season, and that’s because they ran in to a young squad from Eldon.

On Wednesday night, the Cardinal softball team knocked out No. 11 Wapello, earning its second tournament win in as many days and advancing the Comets to Friday’s regional semifinals.

After each team scored in the first inning, Cardinal took a 2-1 lead after four innings and scored two more in the fifth to stretch the advantage to 4-1.

Comet ace Nicoa McClure kept the Arrows off balance all night long, but Wapello staged a small comeback in the seventh inning. The Arrows scored two runs in the seventh and had the potential tying run on third before the Comets could wiggle out of the jam and finish off a big game.

Kinsey Hissem knocked in a team-high two RBIs for the second night in a row. McClure had two hits and a run batted in and also struck out seven Wapello batters en route to a victory in the pitcher’s circle. Emma Becker had one triple.

Meanwhile, 73 miles way in Keosauqua, No. 15 Van Buren County’s quarterfinal bout with Danville was put on hold. That game was moved to Thursday night and the winner will play Cardinal on Friday.

Friday’s game is still currently scheduled to be at Wapello Athletic Complex, but that could be subject to change with the Arrows out of the picture. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

The winner of Friday’s semifinal will either take on No. 3 Louisa Muscatine or No. 14 Iowa City Regina. Those two teams will match up in the other semifinal on Friday, and the winner’s will meet in Monday’s regional final.