Deuel entered the State B Softball Tournament as the top team and ended it the same way.

The Cardinals defeated Gayville-Volin 3-1 in the championship game on Saturday afternoon at Players South Complex.

Deuel player Gracelyn Nielsen said the Cardinals did not feel the pressure of being the top-seeded team in the field.

“Not at all. No, we were not nervous, nothing,” Nielsen said. “We worked so hard for this and we deserved this honestly.”

Deuel defeated Avon in the opening round, Alcester-Hudson in the semifinals, and capped it off against Gayville-Volin in the title game. Pitching ace Katrina Hagberg once again played a key role in the championship contest.

“It was the best feeling ever. We had a great tournament. (Friday) was a tough game, today was closer than I would’ve liked it to be,” said Deuel coach Sarah Hagberg. “Katrina in the circle really helped us play in the game. I mean, it was a fun one.”

Katrina Hagberg, who threw all 21 innings in the tournament, only gave up three hits in the championship game, while striking out 15. She faced a powerful Gayville-Volin lineup and had a game plan going into the championship game.

“It’s pretty crazy, honestly. Not what I expected,” she said. “I knew I just couldn’t give up those ones right over the plate. I had to avoid that middle just ‘cause I know they’re really good hitters.”

Offensively, Nielsen scored two of Deuel’s three runs, going 2-for-3 on the day, including a triple in the fifth inning, providing an insurance run late. The second batter in the lineup knew her team needed runners and trusted the bats behind her.

“It’s crucial. We need our bats going right away, and normally we do,” Nielsen said. “It felt amazing. I saw it go past (the left fielder) and I knew I had to go. So my coach told me to go, so I knew I had to get there right away, and the slide was amazing. It felt good.”

Katrina Hagberg drove in Nielsen in the fifth frame to give herself an extra run in the final two innings. The batters who get on in front of her give her more confidence in the box.

“I’m just telling myself that I got this. My team’s got my back, they’re gonna help me out, so I gotta help us out, too,” Hagberg said. “It really builds confidence, especially going up to the plate, because it’s like if they can get on base, so can I.”

Deuel’s three through five batters (Aubrey Lanners, Hagberg, Roxanne Raml) each had an RBI

in the championship game. The Cardinals racked up 13 hits, with seven different players recording a hit.

“Those girls all year could have been pretty interchangeable in those spots, batting average-wise and stuff. They were huge and they just didn’t panic,” Coach Hagberg said. “A lot of people are like ‘Oh I’m at the bottom, I must not be a good hitter.’ Nope, I like putting little explosions throughout the lineup.”

With the conclusion of the season comes the conclusion of the Hagberg coach-pitcher duo. The mother and daughter shared a special moment on the field, as well as set boundaries.

“There was probably lots of good and bad parts of it, but she will probably say the same thing. But as a whole, I couldn’t do it without her. I bounced ideas off of her, because she’s the one with fastpitch experience and I’m just kind of the helper that came in,” Coach Hagberg said. “We had an agreement that if she snaps at me, or I snap at her, we don’t mean anything by it. We’re moving on, we’re good, so it was good.”

Katrina Hagberg had the same response.

“So, there’s been multiple times where I’ve been frustrated just with the game, and I look at her and I’m like, ‘I don’t know what to do,’” said the senior. “Then one time after a game, I was like ‘Hey, if I get mad at you, just know, don’t take it personal. It’s just about the game,’ and we made a pact there that we’re both just not mad at each other.”

The ace for the Cardinals saw her relationship with her mom grow throughout the years of softball.

“It feels amazing because we both have a great understanding, and our relationship is really good,” she said. “Softball has definitely built our relationship.”

Gayville-Volin 000 001 0 – 1 3 0

Deuel 002 010 x – 3 12 1

Ayla Dimmer and Kayden Bye; Katrina Hagberg and Elle Holden; 2B – Deuel, Aubrey Lanners, Lorelai Grund. 3B – Deuel, Gracelyn Nielsen.

Third Place Game Alcester-Hudson 4, Mobridge-Pollock 1

Alcester-Hudson got all the runs it needed in the first inning on the way to a 4-1 win over Mobridge-Pollock in the third place game.

“Great, all we wanted to do is go out with a bang,” said Cubs coach Dean Moller. “It might not have been a big explosion, but it’s a win and it’s a positive.”

Moller is the father of ace pitcher Emma Moller, and catcher Paxtyn Moller. He balanced the duties of being a father and coach at the same time.

“Couldn’t be more proud. One daughter on the mound, and one catches her. It’s a tough job with your kids out there,” he said. “They’re great kids, and they work hard, and it pays off for them. I couldn’t be more proud as a coach or a dad.”

Emma Moller, who is going to Mount Marty to continue her softball career, enjoyed having her dad coach her.

“He’s been my coach since I started playing softball and he’s always had the faith in me,” she said. “He’s really pushed me to keep going and my parents were the reason that I’m playing four more years at Mount Marty.”

The Cubs opened with three runs in the opening inning, and a stout defense and stingy pitching allowed them to hold that lead.

“I think that was huge, you know. Get the momentum on our side. It sure slowed down after that,” said Coach Moller. “We struggled at the plate, but our defense stepped up. Emma on the mound helped a lot. All 16 of these girls stepped up today.”

Mobridge-Pollock scored its only run in the fifth inning, when Jacy Netterville singled in Brooke Merkel with one out. Emma Moller got out of the inning giving up only one run, despite having runners on first and third with one out.

Moller helped herself, getting that run back by driving in a run in the bottom of sixth, restoring a three-run lead.

“I started out (Friday) with three strikeouts, so two RBIs today. The first one, right off the bat I just knew I was gonna have a better day,” Moller said. “I was like ‘Um, I need this little cushion right here,’ but it wasn’t enough cushion for me, but cushion is cushion. I guess I’ll take it.”

Coach Moller knew that she was going to get that run back that she gave up in the fifth.

“That’s Emma to a tee. She didn’t like them scoring that run and she was gonna do all she could to get that back,” he said. “She was gonna try her hardest to get there.”

Although Mobridge-Pollock ended the season with a loss, the Tigers finished fourth after coming in as the seventh seed.

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, so we don’t have the accelerations, and the paid professional coaches out there. We just don’t have any of that,” said Tigers coach Andrew Overland. “What we get, they have to work at it. But now, they see, hey we can compete.”

Led by a large senior class which had never played fastpitch softball before, the program has grown substantially.

“We’ve been coaching those seniors since they were 8-years-old and it was all slow pitch until they were sophomores, and they never played fast pitch before sophomore year,” Overland said. “We never had a pitcher, we started from scratch. But to be able to do this in three years, and compete with some of these teams that are in this tournament, to me, I’m just so proud of these girls and we’re gonna miss them.”

Mobridge-Pollock 000 010 0 – 1 4 2

Alcester-Hudson 300 001 x – 4 6 2

Grace Overland and Amber Vetch; Emma Moller and Paxtyn Moller. 2B- Alcester-Hudson, Delta Pies, P. Moller. 3B – Mobridge-Pollock, Sophia Overland.

Fifth Place Game Florence-Henry 10, Castlewood 7

Florence-Henry scored five runs in the first inning to set the tone for a 10-7 win over Castlewood in the fifth-place game.

“It feels fantastic. The team worked really hard all year long, so that’s kind of sweet. I look at it. We’re gonna win as many games as the number two team in this tournament,” said Falcons coach Robert Reiter. “It’s just the way it’s set up. The ball could have bounced differently, but that’s how it works.”

In the bottom of the fifth, Florence-Henry held a two-run lead with senior Brooke Hlavacek up to bat and bases loaded. She extended the lead to five with a bases-clearing triple.

“I honestly just wanted to hit the ball and get some people in, because I wanted to win this game. Castlewood’s a big rivalry,” said Hlavacek. “I was super excited to finally get a hit and just get some people in, knowing that we’re closer to winning.”

Castlewood did not go quietly. The Warriors scored two runs and had a pair of runners on base in the seventh inning, before Florence-Henry pitcher Elizabeth Reiter retired three batters in a row, the first two on strikeouts.

“I did have faith in my team, but for whatever reason, they always need to keep my heart rate up. It’s kind of like we’ll give them two or three runs and then they’re gonna shut it down,” said Coach Reiter. “Yeah, that’s pressure for you, that’s for sure. I’m very proud of her. She’s worked really hard over the last two years trying to control her emotions, so to see her come out and actually be successful doing it, as a coach and as a dad, I am uber proud.”

Although it wasn’t the championship trophy they were hoisting, ending the season on a win was still positive for the Falcons.

“It’ll work, we get a big trophy,” said Hlavacek. “That’s all that matters.”

Castlewood 201 110 2 – 7 13 2

Florence-Henry 500 140 x – 10 16 1

Claire Horn and Lilly Jacobsen; Elizabeth Reiter and Ashlynn Vavruska. 2B – Castlewood, Bridgette Horn 2, Cyndi Kudrna, Kayla Goens, Lilly Jacobsen, Sophia Kudrna; Florence-Henry, Andie Rislov, Grace Kahnke. 3B – Castlewood, Goens; Florence-Henry, Brooke Hlavacek, Reiter.

Seventh Place Game Bon Homme 15, Avon 14

Bon Homme walked off Avon 15-14 in the seventh-place contest.

Bon Homme struck first with three runs in the first, and two more in the second for a five-run lead. Avon responded with six runs in the third and two more in the fourth for an 8-5 advantage.

Bon Homme tied the score in the bottom of the fourth, and replicated the production with another three runs in fifth for a 10-8 lead.

Avon scored one run in the sixth, before Bon Homme pushed its lead to 14-10 with three more runs in the bottom half of the frame.

The Pirates came up with four runs in the top of the seventh to tie the contest. However, Tarynn Torsney ended the slugfest with an RBI single in the bottom half of the frame to provide a walk-off win for the Cavaliers.

Olivia Kaul went 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs, and Taycee Ranek went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a home run to lead the Bon Homme offense.

Macy Voigt of Avon went 4-for-5 with 2 RBIs, and Rowan Brandt went 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs.

Avon 006 202 4 – 14 19 5

Bon Homme 320 333 1 – 15 14 4

Macy Voigt and Jordyn Voigt; Kenadee Kozak and Olivia Kaul; 2B – Avon, M. Voigt 2; Bon Homme, Taycee Ranek 2, Taryn Crites, Tarynn Torsney. 3B – Avon, Brielle Voigt 2; Bon Homme, Kozak; HR – Avon, Alexis Vanderlei, M. Voigt; Bon Homme, Ranek.