Gayville-Volin scored first, but McCook Central-Montrose scored more often on the way to a 15-7 semifinal win during the Class B State Softball Tournament at Players Softball Complex on Friday afternoon.

The seconded-seeded Fighting Cougars will face top-seeded Castlewood in today’s championship contest.

The Raiders scored two runs in both the first and second innings to grab a four-run lead, before MCM settled in and eventually took control.

“That’s what we done all year, we’ve always pushed on,” said Fighting Cougars coach Nick Morrison. “I felt like we played tight right away, the first couple of innings. I thought we were trying to push too hard. I told the girls, let’s relax, have some fun like we’ve done all year.”

Once the McCook Central-Montrose offense got rolling, there was no slowing it down as MCM scored five runs in the third inning, three in the fourth, four in the fifth and three in the sixth.

Meanwhile, Zaidee Huls found a way to contain Gayville-Volin, allowing just one run in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth frames, despite feeling less than 100 percent.

“I actually started cramping up in both my calves,” Huls said. “It was really bad, so I ended up having to take a few pickle juice shots in between innings.”

Huls kept battling, as her teammates kept making plays in the field behind her.

“That was really a big part of it, too,” Huls said. “They were behind me doing their job as long as I was doing my job. I knew I just had to keep going for them for that reason.”

Huls was determined to finish what she started, striking out two of the last six batters she faced, and finding an extra gear to close out the victory.

“I was in a lot of pain, but I knew I had to push through for my team,” Huls said. “I knew if we got it we would be going to the championship finals.”

The Cougars scored 15 runs despite having just six hits. Two of those were big ones, as Landry Andahl pounded a home run over the right field fence, and Ashtyn Deknikker had a two-run double to left. MCM also took advantage of nine Gayville-Volin errors.

McCook Central-Montrose has now won 16 straight games.

“We’ve been a good team all season long,” Morrison said, “and it’s coming to show.”

Paisley Dimmer and Olivia Brown each had three hits for the Raiders, who will face Hanson for third place at 2 this afternoon.

The MCM-Castlewood title contest will follow at 4 p.m.

Morrison said it will take a team effort in order to win the championship game.

“It’s going to be a group effort, a team effort, both sides of the ball. You’re going to have to make some plays you normally don’t make and you’re going to have to make the routine plays, and keep the errors to a minimum,” Morrison said. “And go have fun. It’s a game. We’re all here for the same thing. Let’s go and have fun, and see what happens.”

Gayville-Volin 220 111 0 – 7 13 9

McCook Central-Montrose 005 343 x – 15 6 2

Jolie Westrum and Kayden Bye; Zaidee Huls and Mya Morrison. 2B – Gayville-Volin, Aliza Westrum, Hailey Adams, Kendra Beeck, Oliva Brown; McCook Central-Montrose, Josalyn Traupel. HR – McCook Central-Montrose, Landry Andal.