With senior Katie Murphy striking out 18 Knight batters the Hawks rallied from a 1-0 deficit through five innings to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth.

Katlyn Heiserman lined a double to left center field with one out. Kayla Vaske ran for Heiserman. She came into score when Jenny Hood lined a single back up the middle.

The game remained tied at 1-1 until the bottom of the 10th inning.

Lindsey McDowell led off with a single and Ashley Hood reached on a Knight fielding error.

Katlyn Heiserman moved the runners up a base and Katie Wessels delivered the knock out blow with a sharp single off the Assumption third baseman’s glove into short left field to score McDowell from third.

Murphy’s 18 strike outs was a Class 3A record for strike outs in an extra inning state tournament game.

For the game the Hawks scored their two runs on nine hits.

Getting hits were Ashley Hood 2, Katlyn Heiserman 1, Katie Wessels 1, Jenny Hood 2 and Renee Bockenstedt 1.

The Hawks had Thursday off before taking to the diamond on Friday evening against Saydel in a Class 3A semi-final match-up.

The game with Saydel was a pitcher's dual with the Hawks Katie Murphy and Saydel’s Christina Bradley.

The game was scoreless until the top of the seventh inning.

Jenny Hood started the Hawk seventh by reaching first on an error by the Saydel third baseman.
Katie Murphy sacrificed Hood to second.

It was all Jenny Hood from there on. She advanced to third on a wild pitch and on the very next pitch scored from third on another wild pitch to put the Hawks up 1-0.

Saydel made a run in the bottom of the seventh when they received a lead off walk and advanced that runner to second on a ground out to Hawk third baseman Lindsey McDowell.

Katie Murphy struck out the next batter before Saydel’s Jamie Snell lined a single to center field.

Hawk center fielder, Jenny Hood fielded the ball cleanly and made a perfect one hop throw to catcher Sara Hermsen who tagged the Saydel runner out to send the Hawks to the championship game.

For the game the Hawks had just two hits, one each by Katlyn Heiserman and Katie Wessels.
Saydel had four hits but could not score on the Hawk defense.

Winning pitcher, Katie Murphy gave up the four hits while striking out six and walking just one batter.

The stage was set. The sixth ranked Hawks were headed for the finals against fourth ranked ADM.

ADM had disposed of Cedar Rapids Xavier and top rated in Class 3A Harlan to earn their shot at a state championship.

This would turn out to be game number six in a row that would not be for the faint of heart.
And yet again, Jenny Hood would be in the mix.

Keep in mind that she had already scored the winning run in game one and cut down the tying run in game two to put the Hawks in the finals.

The Hawks scored in the top of the first when Ashley Hood led off with an infield single.

Katlyn Heiserman sacrificed Hood to second and a Katie Wessels single moved Hood to third.

Enter Jenny Hood who promptly singled up the middle to score Ashley for a 1-0 Hawk lead.

ADM got a run in the bottom of the fifth to knot the score at 1-1.

In the top of the sixth the Hawks struck back.

After Katie Murphy grounded out to the pitcher and Haleigh Klein ground out to second Renee Bockenstedt reached first on an ADM error by the third baseman.

Pre-freshman, Allison Pasker came into run for Bockenstedt.

Pasker was advanced to second when senior Lindsey McDowell singled to center field.

Junior Ashley Hood then singled to left field. Pasker was waved home all the way by Hawk Coach Kevin Schuchman. Pasker and the ball arrived at the same time at the plate, however, the ball came out of the ADM catcher’s glove and Pasker was safe.

Senior Katie Murphy set ADM down in order in the bottom of the sixth and the seventh to give the Hawks their first ever State Softball Championship, 2-1.

The Hawks had six hits, two each by Ashley Hood and Katie Wessels, while Jenny Hood and Lindsey McDowell each had one hit.

ADM committed five errors in the game, resulting in one unearned run.

The Hawks landed three players on the All-Tournament team, led by Captain, Katie Murphy.

Katlyn Heiserman and Ashley Hood were the other two Hawks on the team.

Rounding out the Class 3A squad were Nicole Ackelson (ADM), Abbey Miller (Cedar Rapids Xavier), Cassie Schumacher (Harlan), Alyson Spinas-Valainis (Davenport Assumption), Sydney Hallbauer (ADM), Kaylee Christensen (Saydel), Katie Goetzinger (Harlan), and Kelly Ruepke (ADM).

West Delaware finished the season with a record of 45-8, marking the fourth consecutive year of winning 40 or more games in a season.

The win was Coach Kevin Schuchman’s 173rd in four years at West Delaware. During that time the Hawks have lost just 39 games for a winning percentage of .844.