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The Hawley Nuggets needed 11 innings to defeat Jackson County Central, 2-1, in the semifinal round of the Class AA State Softball Tournament on Wednesday at Caswell Park in North Mankato. Winning pitcher Eagan Hastings (11IP, 9H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 11K) pitched all 11 innings for the Nuggets and also went 2-for-5 at the plate. Addison Sanvik (1-5, BB) and Sella Fleming (1-4) drove in runs for Hawley, while Mallory Halvorson and Brooke Geffre each scored.
Jackson County Central scored their run in the top of the first inning when Cora Pauling reached on a one-out single, stole second and scored on a base hit by Madisyn Wachal. Pauling (3-5, SB, R) led the 9-hit attack for JCC. Brielle Tufvesson went 2-for-4 and Wachal was 1-for-5 with the only RBI.
Hawley tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Halvorson and McKenna Walker drew two-out walks and Fleming delivered a single to left field, scoring Halvorson.
The eleventh inning started with a walk to Geffre. Stotts laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Geffre to second base and Sanvik came through with a walk-off RBI single with Geffre scoring the game winning run.
Hawley will now face St. Cloud Cathedral for the Class AA Championship on Friday at 4:00pm at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in Minneapolis.