Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: St. Edmond’s Ansley Oswald slides in safely to home plate at Rogers Park on Wednesday night at Rogers Park. For more photos, visit CU at messengernews.net

The St. Edmond softball team gave Gracie Harvey and Alyson Nieland the perfect gift on Senior Night.

After honoring the two prior to first-pitch, the 12th-ranked (Class 1A) Gaels went out and claimed a share of the North Central Conference title with a commanding 4-1 victory over Webster City here Wednesday night at Rogers Park.

The win left the two with a split in the season series, as the Lynx still have two league games remaining.

Harvey was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, scoring a run and driving in another. Nieland was five outs at first base, including the game-ending one.

“It means so much,” Nieland said. “We’ve stuck it out and now we get to enjoy this experience. It was an awesome environment and was so fun to play in front of all our fans.”

Harvey echoed those thoughts, calling it an “electric atmosphere.”

“It is so incredible to win the NCC for the first time in a long time,” she said. “We’re a small 1A school in a conference filled with big teams, but we came ready to play.”

St. Edmond (23-6 overall, 13-1 in league) head coach Bill Shirbroun has been pushing to get the program back to competing. The Gaels had a run atop the NCC from 2013-15 where they won or shared the league title each season.

“Building blocks,” Shirbroun said. “We’ve been adding blocks with each accomplishment and this is another. It was an incredible game and an incredible effort by the girls.

“We knew it would take an effort like that against a very good Webster City team and a very good pitcher in Delainey (Bargfrede). They got us once and we got them once.”

Kaili Henning earned the win, striking out 10 with just five hits allowed. She also had an RBI-single during a two-run fifth that provided a cushion for her inside the circle.

“We needed this one,” Henning said. “We were able to get the lead and continue attacking. I just wanted to keep throwing strikes and the defense was incredible behind me.

“It feels so good to earn a win like this.”

Anna Kolacia had an RBI-single in the fourth that made it a 2-0 lead for St. Edmond after they claimed the lead on a sacrifice fly by Hadley Oswald in the second that scored Ansley Oswald.

The Lynx (16-11, 11-1) made it 2-1 when Bonnie Nohrenberg drove in Chloe Anderson in the fifth. Webster City left six runners on base including four in scoring position.

Bargfrede recorded four strikeouts and allowed seven hits.

“Good comes out of everything,” WCHS head coach Brad VanDeer said. “We didn’t play poorly, we just didn’t execute early in the game. Little things really matter and really come into play in tight games like this.

“St. Edmond is a very good team and they beat us.”

Kelly Stoakes reached base twice for the Lynx, while Peterson had the lone extra-base hit — a double — in the second.

Henning sat down Webster City in order in the third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings. She had multiple strikeouts in four innings, including three in the second.

“Kaili was just on,” Shirbroun said. “She was hitting her spots and really in command of her pitches. That was exciting to see us hit the ball well, play great defense and be in control from the start.”

St. Edmond is now off until next Wednesday when they open 1A, Region 4 play vs. either AGWSR or Northwood-Kensett back here at 7 p.m. The Lynx host Eagle Grove Thursday, are at Humboldt Friday and finish vs. Iowa Falls-Alden on Saturday.

ST. EDMOND 4, WEBSTER CITY 1

WC 000 010 0 — 1 5 2

SE 010 120 x — 4 7 0

WP–Kaili Henning (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 10 K, 3 BB). LP–Delainey Bargfrede (6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 K, 0 BB). 2B–WC: Ava Peterson; SE: Faith Shirbroun (2), Gracie Harvey (2). RBI–WC: Bonnie Nohrenberg; SE: Gracie Harvey, Kaili Henning, Anna Kolacia, Hadley Oswald. SB–WC: Alayna Finucan; SE: Faith Shirbroun, Josie Harvey, Ansley Oswald.