Williamsburg gets closer to state softball championship goal with 3A semifinal win over Estherville-Lincoln Central

FORT DODGE — After two years of coming up short of returning to the finals, top-ranked Williamsburg is headed back to the championship game.

Peyton Driscoll struck out 12, Makenna Hughes delivered a home run and the speed of the Raiders on the bases was too much for Estherville-Lincoln Central in a Class 3A state softball semifinal Wednesday at Rogers Park.

The Raiders won, 8-0.

Top-ranked Williamsburg (35-9) will meet No. 2 Davenport Assumption (34-6) in the final at 2:30 p.m. Friday in pursuit of its first state softball championship. Last year, the Raiders were knocked off in the semis by Assumption.

“This is where we expected to be,” Driscoll said. “We came here with the goal of winning a state title. When we can get a run, I feel confident that will be enough.”

Adam C. Berte, Driscoll’s head coach, echoed those thoughts.

“I haven’t seen many like her,” Berte said. “From the way she prepares and plays, she is so focused. She’s been in this spotlight before and the bigger the stage, the bigger she plays.”

A leadoff walk to Shannon Finn kick-started a run of small ball for Williamsburg, which went up 2-0 without hitting the ball out of the infield. Two steals by Hughes in the second saw her score, while the No. 8 hitter connected on her second home run of the season two innings later.

“I prefer to put the ball on the ground and steal,” Hughes said. “But it definitely felt good hitting a home run, especially here at state.

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“We have a team of fast girls who can all steal bases so we like to use that.”

Also in the fourth, Jenna Thurm had a two-RBI single that made it 6-0. In the sixth, eighth-grader Ava Hocker stole the ninth base for Williamsburg, setting a 3A state single-game record.

Driscoll allowed just two third-inning singles, with three other players reaching base for ELC. She retired the final six, including four strikeouts.

Finn finished 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, a double and a stolen base. Hocker stole two bases and No. 8 batter Rylie Metz reached twice with a run scored and a steal.

“We have one more hurdle left,” Berte said of the upcoming championship game. “Regardless of who we play, we know that it is going to be a tough game and we will have to play a cleaner game.”

Williamsburg 8, Estherville-Lincoln Central 0

Class 3A State Semifinal, at Fort Dodge

Estherville-LC 000 000 0 — 0 2 2

Williamsburg 210 311 x — 8 8 1

Tatum Dunlavy, Rylee Yager (5) and Hillary Ruschy. Peyton Driscoll and Jenna Thurm..

W-Peyton Driscoll (18-3). L-Tatum Dunlavy (17-1).

HR-W: Makenna Hughes (2).