IOWA CITY - Julia Hunter's two-run inside-the-park home run erased Linn-Mar's 1-0 lead and sent Iowa City Regina past the Lions, 8-3, Saturday in the Iowa City West Softball Invitational.

Hunter pounded the ball to the left-center gap, scoring the runner that was on first base, and then herself as she rounded the bags.

“It certainly changed the game,” said Linn-Mar Coach Jon Harms. “We started to get behind the hitters in the counts, and they are good hitters so they just stood in there and waited and hit it hard. That ball that she crushed was certainly a game changer.”

After Hunter’s homer, Regina tacked on six more runs in the next two innings to cement the victory. Linn-Mar sophomore Kortlan Ollinger paced the Lions with 2 hits and an RBI.

The game was called after five innings because of a 1 1/2-hour time limit on games in the tournament.

Despite the loss, Harms said he was happy with the way his young team played.

“Overall, I was pretty pleased," he said. "We are a really young team, that game we had two eighth graders, one freshman, two seniors, and the rest sophomores. We also have two girls out indefinitely with injuries and sickness, but overall I was encouraged by our play. There is just so much more we have to teach.”

As the Lions reacquire some key players and gain valuable playing experience, Harms looks for them to keep improving, mainly through their defense.

“I think offensively we will be all right," he said. "The main thing is just staying ahead in the count with our pitcher and trying to make them hit our pitches which will really help us defensively, too. Through injuries and illness and people gone, we are going to get better as the year goes, for sure.”

Linn-Mar was beaten by Bettendorf, 11-6, earlier Saturday.

REGINA (8)
Anna Corkery, cf, 3 0 1 1, Gabby Dutchik, rf, 3 1 1 0, Kayci McChristy, 3b, 3 1 2 0, Julia Hunter, 2b, 3 2 1 2, Sara Kron, P, 3 2 1 0, Sydnay Lehman, 1b, 3 1 3 2, Katie Wick, C, 3 0 2 3, Megan Bonnett, lf, 3 0 0 0, Jenna Lehman, ss, 3 1 1 0, Izzy Brandt, 1 0 0 0, Allison Stein, 1 0 0 0, Nikki Becker, 1 0 0 0  Totals 29 8 12 8

LINN-MAR (3)
Kelsey Duggan, 2b, 3 1 0 0, Hannah Yearling, C, 3 1 0 0, Ellie Rizor, ss, 3 1 1 0, Maggie Rizor, 1b, 3 0 1 0, Kortland Ollinger, rf, 3 0 2 1, Leandra Martins, cf, 3 0 0 0, Lauren Swanson, 3b, 3 0 1 1, Jenna Harms, rf, 3 0 0 0, Maddy Ryan, P, 2 0 1 0  Totals 26 3 6 2

Regina         003 50 --   8 12 0
Linn-Mar     100 02 --   3  6  1
(Game finished after 5 innings because of hour and a half time limit)

Maddy Ryan, Dionna Jensen (4) and Hannah Yearling. Sydnay Lehman, Sara Kron (1) and Katie Wick. W-Kron. L-Ryan.
2B-Lehman, Wick, Ryan, HR-Hunter. SB-Dutchik.

LINN-MAR (6)
Duggan 2B 4 0 3 2, Yearling C 3 0 1 0,Rentschler PH 0 0 0 0,  E. Rizor SS 4 0 1 1, M. Rizor 1B 3 0 2 1, Harberts PR 0 1 0 0, Olinger LF 3 0 2 2, Jensen P 2 0 0 0, Clauson PH 0 0 0 0, Martins CF 3 01 1, Swanson 3B 2 0 0 0, Kolf PH 1 0 0 0, J. Harms RF 3 0 0 0.

BETTENDORF (11)
Rose P 4 1 2, Antle 3B 4 1 1, Michaels CF 4 2 2, Lintz 1b 4 0 2, Decock C 4 2 3, Perkins LF 4 2 2, Dvorak SS 4 2 2, Penrose RF 2 1 0, Cudd 2B 2 0 1.

Linn-Mar        200 004  --  6 10 2
Bettendorf    034 103  -- 11 15 0

Jensen, Swanson (5) and Yearling. Rose, Lintz (6) and Decock. W-Rose. L-Jensen.