FORT DODGE — For just a moment on Wednesday, the dream of dethroning a champion felt like it could become a reality.
Addie Pearson delivered a blast through the wind over the fence in left field, lifting fifth-ranked Albia into a 1-1 tie with second-ranked Williamsburg in the fourth inning of the Iowa High School State Softball Tournament semifinals. With one swing, the Lady Dees had their sights set on ensuring that new state champion in Class 3A would be crowned.
The Raiders, however, showed the heart of champion by responding immediately to Albia’s big blast. Makenna Hughes doubled in the go-ahead run just a few minutes later with two outs before scoring on a throwing error on her steal of third base, bringing in the first two of Williamsburg’s five unanswered runs earning an 8-1 win over the Lady Dees putting the Raiders in the Class 3A state softball championship game for the third straight year with a chance to win the program’s second straight state title.
Williamsburg put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fifth, stringing together three straight hits off Grace Pence to open the inning. Alley Gorsh and Taylor Pitlick would come around to score on a fielding error, giving the Raiders a 5-1 lead.
Pence, coming off a 12-strikeout effort on Tuesday morning in Albia’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over No. 9 Estherville-Lincoln Central, managed only two strikeouts in six innings against Williamsburg. The Raiders put the game away in the sixth, scoring four runs on five hits from six batters while Albia’s fourth fielding error of the game set up Jersey Metz to clinch the win with a two-out RBI single to left after holding the Lady Dees to just three hits in the pitching circle over six innings.
Williamsburg (35-7) will take on top-ranked Wahlert Catholic (37-7) out of Dubuque on Friday in the 3A state softball championship game at 2:30 p.m. The Golden Eagles pounded out 17 hits in a 7-1 win over PCM on Wednesday, dropping the sixth-ranked Mustangs (26-5) into the third-place contest with Albia (29-4) on Friday on Iowa Central Field inside the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex starting at 1 p.m.