Submitted photo: The St. Edmond softball squad shares a moment together after their win in Clarion on Wednesday, which capped their NCC title season.

CLARION — The seventh-ranked (Class 1A) St. Edmond softball team put an exclamation point on their third consecutive outright North Central Conference title and fourth in a row overall here on Wednesday night.

Having already secured the crown thanks to a win over Iowa Falls-Alden vs. Clear Lake earlier this week, the Gaels cemented their status as queens of the NCC with a 25-0 victory in four over Clarion-Goldfield/Dows.

St. Edmond (21-10 overall, 13-1 in the league) has now gone 51-4 over the past four seasons in the conference. That includes three outright titles and a fourth shared with Webster City in 2022.

“These girls were determined to battle back after that first loss to Clear Lake and they did,” SEHS head coach Bill Shirbroun said. “They wanted this conference title outright and it’s great that they achieved it.”

All nine Gael batters had a hit in the first inning, as Rihanna Myers, Hadley Oswald and Myrah Lemon each recorded a triple during a 13-run frame.

Mariah Myers finished with a triple, five runs scored and two RBI, as Ansley Oswald drove in four. Toryn Helle had two doubles among her third hits while limiting the Cowgirls to just one hit with six strikeouts on 47 pitches.

Sophia Schlienz drove in three and scored three times while Liv Andrew was 3-for-3 with two RBI. Faith Shirbroun, Lemon and Rihanna Myers each had two hits.

Ella Vandi scored three times while Jade Rock and Greenlee Crimmins each scored twice.

“We’ve got a few days of practice to get prepared for the postseason now,” Shirbroun said. “It’s nice to have experienced kids to help bring the younger ones around and get them locked in.”

The Gaels were set to play North Union on Thursday night at Rogers Park, but that game has been cancelled. They now prepare for either Harris-Lake Park or Bishop Garrigan next Wednesday in a 1A, Region 7 quarterfinal.

North Union is a possible semifinal round opponent for St. Edmond, as they open regional play vs. West Hancock. The bottom half includes 10th-ranked Akron-Westfield and Remsen St. Mary’s.