The Sigourney Savages have punched their ticket to the state softball championships after they defeated defending state champion Twin Cedars 2-1 in the Class 1A Region 8 final last night. The game was a scoreless pitcher’s duel through the first four-and-a-half innings, with Sigourney junior Carly Goodwin dominating as always to the tune of 11 strikeouts in her first five innings pitched.

The Savages finally broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning when senior Rain Barthelman reached on a bunt single and Goodwin drove her in on a double. But twelfth-ranked Twin Cedars got an answer the very next inning, as senior Rylee Dunkin tripled to lead off the sixth and later scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth, senior Courtney Hemsley battled from down in the count and laced a double to left center for number-eight Sigourney. Hemsley scored the go-ahead run when a bunt laid down by senior Macy Fisch was misplayed throwing the ball to first base.

Despite grabbing the lead at the end, the Savages had to hang on for dear life. The lead-off hitter got a base hit for Twin Cedars in the seventh, and the Sabers got the tying run to third base with only one out.

But a popped-up bunt fielded by junior Erin Dawson and Goodwin’s 15th strikeout of the night sealed the deal and sent Sigourney to state for the second time in three years. Savages head coach Shelly Streigle joined KCII Sports on the postgame show to praise her team’s effort in the clutch moments.

“They really have done that the last few games,” Streigle said. “We’ve had some real nail-biters here at the end of the season, and they really just showed exactly what they’ve done all year long: that they were here with one focus and mind, and one goal in mind.”

Goodwin was the only player with multiple hits for the Savages, cranking a pair of doubles. The junior also allowed only four hits and one batter hit by a pitch in a complete-game effort, her 23rd win of the season in the circle. Sigourney improves to 26-4 and now heads to the Class 1A softball state tournament in Fort Dodge next week, the sixth trip to state in school history.