FORT DODGE — With the season on the line, Adam Berte threw a curveball. Her name is Kaylin Becker.
Then he threw it again.
Becker started in the circle of both games for top-ranked Williamsburg in Wednesday’s Class 3A semifinal series with No. 4 Mount Vernon at the state softball tournament at the Rogers Sports complex.
“She has had good fortunes against them in the past,” Berte said.
First, she threw a complete-game shutout. Then she led off another convincing win, a 9-1 five-inning job.
“I heard (Tuesday) night that I was going to start the first game,” said Becker, a junior. “I was excited. I really wasn’t expecting to start the second game.”
That sweep sends the Raiders (41-6) to the championship game for the fourth consecutive year — they are three-time reigning 3A champions — and the fifth time in seven years.
They’ll face No. 2 Dubuque Wahlert (38-6) at 5 p.m. Friday.
This time, the Raiders advanced the hard way, winning three straight games (two against Mount Vernon) after dropping their second-round contest with the Mustangs (35-9) on Tuesday.
“The kids have the heart of a champion,” Berte said. “They weren’t going to quit. They came back in good spirits, had a good batting practice.”
“We had no (belief) that we weren’t going to win,” Maddie Gorsh said. “We had a whole bunch of energy.”
Becker yielded four hits, inducing 13 flyouts, in the first game, a 6-0 victory.
“Obviously she’s a nice pitcher,” Mount Vernon Coach Robin Brand said. “Defensively, kudos to them for making all of those plays.”
Williamsburg busted out in the second game with five runs (four unearned) in the first inning. That included a ground ball by Makenna Capper that turned into a three-run caper in which the Mustangs committed two errors.
Mount Vernon’s Hayden Gookin homered to make it 7-1, then Berte lifted Becker one batter later in favor of ace Jersey Metz.
So in 10 innings Wednesday, Becker allowed one run.
“I tried to mix pitches and hit the edge of the corners,” she said.
Williamsburg closed it out with a tally in the fourth and another in the fifth, with Lily Ness’ RBI single evoking the eight-run rule.
The meeting was the fifth this season between the teams, with Williamsburg carrying a 3-2 advantage.
Class 3A State Semifinal, at Fort Dodge
Mount Vernon 000 10 — 1 5 3
Williamsburg 520 11 — 9 8 1
Kaylin Becker, Jersey Metz (4) and Lilly Ness. Kinley Nissen and Brynlee Bettcher. W — Metz (25-4). L — Nissen (11-4). HR — MV: Hayden Gookin (17).