MAZOMANIE — The last time they met on a softball diamond, Waterloo and Wisconsin Heights slugged it out for 10 innings and combined to score 24 runs and bang out 30 hits.

That was six days earlier in Waterloo.

Through six innings Tuesday, they combined for one run — and it belonged to Wisconsin Heights — on four hits.

"I know; I thought that was weird, too," said Waterloo pitcher Chelsea Hensler, who seemed destined to be the hard-luck loser for the second straight meeting going into the Pirates' final at-bat in the seventh. "Yeah, I was worried. But I knew we were going to pull it off because the girls are awesome."

And, in particular, Brittany Mielke.

The left-handed shortstop sliced a two-run double down the left-field line as Waterloo rallied for a 3-1 victory that dropped the host Vanguards into a virtual tie for first place in the Southern Capitol Conference with the Pirates and Belleville — each with two conference losses.

Katie Cook got the inning started for Waterloo by beating out a one-out, infield single and Megan Hubacher followed by reaching on a chopper in front of the plate. One out later, Mielke took a Krystal Canfield pitch the other way, dropping a double inside the foul line to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.

"I was just thinking to get it in play," Mielke said. "Just ... get the people in so we could win."

Heights, which collected 17 hits in last week's 13-11 win at Waterloo, was sitting pretty despite scratching out just three hits off Hensler, who struck out eight and only allowed four balls out of the infield.

One of them was Kayla Clarson's sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.

Like the Pirates' outburst later in the game, this one was sparked by an infield single as Brooke Brunner reached leading off the inning, stole second, went to third on Sharon Booth's sacrifice bunt and scored on Clarson's flyball to left field.

"This week, I don't know what it is, we were struggling with our (hitting)," said Heights coach Gena Clarson, whose team was also held to three hits Monday in a 10-0 non-conference loss to Oregon.

This time, it managed to overcome its struggles at the plate thanks to Canfield in the circle.

The transfer from Minnesota struck out six and took a one-hitter into the seventh before Waterloo manufactured its comeback at the expense of Canfield, who took the loss the hardest of any Vanguard after the game.

"We need to move forward, to the Belleville game on Thursday and a double-header on Friday against Marshall," said Clarson, whose program — 3-7 in conference and fourth out of six teams last year — still has a shot at sharing the conference title. "We're taking small steps, but we're getting there."