POPLAR GROVE, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — Two of the Rockford area’s premier softball programs tested their skills against each other Wednesday. Dakota faced North Boone. Both teams went to the IHSA State Tournament last year. Dakota finished fourth in Class 1A. North Boone finished third in Class 2A. Both teams returned the majority of their players from those squads.Both teams also came into this game with 17-2 overall records. Dakota was leading the NUIC North with a record of 8-0. North Boone was leading the Big Northern Conference with a 9-0 conference mark. North Boone took this game 5-3.Dakota had the upper hand through four innings leading 3-0. The Indians scored a pair of runs in the first inning. Finley Banks and Brynlee Sickles had RBI hits. The third run came in the third inning when AJ Howarth had a single to drive home Autumn Kinney.Howarth, in the circle, held North Boone’s potent bats off the scoreboard until the fifth inning. That’s when the Vikings erupted for all five of their runs. Marlee Alderman smashed a ball to leftfield to drive in two of those runs.Left fielder Rachel Dahl had a big day at…..