For the third straight year, Williamsburg will play for a Class 3A state softball championship. And waiting for the Raiders will be a familiar foe.

Williamsburg, the Class 3A state champ in 2023 and 2024, dispatched No. 3 seed Albia, 9-1, in Wednesday’s semifinal on the Channel Seeds Field for a chance to defend its title again.

They’ll face top-seeded Dubuque Wahlert in Friday’s title game at 2:30 p.m.

Last year, Williamsburg got past Wahlert 3-2 in the semifinals before beating Davenport Assumption in the championship contest.

The Raiders topped Assumption at state in 2023 as well.

“I would guess they’ll get nervous, but they accept that it’s part of the experience,” said Williamsburg coach Adam C. Berte, a Twin River Valley graduate and former Iowa Central Triton baseball player. “Being here a lot helps and having won a lot helps to know whatever happens, you should have confidence that you can do it again.

“They’ll just try to play and use our strengths. That’s worked well for us.”

Williamsburg has been on an incredible run the past several years. Along with winning the last two state titles, the Raiders finished third in 2022 and 2021 and as runner-ups in 2020.

“I would say every year feels a little different,” said junior Williamsburg pitcher Jersey Metz. “This senior group has carried the program for a really long time and sending them out with a state championship would mean the world to everyone.”

Williamsburg, now 35-7, took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Kalon Spratt scored on an Albia error.

Albia (29-4) tied it in the top of the fourth, when Addie Pearson belted a home run.

Metz allowed just one runner to reach base after Pearson’s home run, however, and Williamsburg ended things with a three-run sixth inning.

Williamsburg grabbed a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Makenna Hughes had an RBI double, then scored after she stole third base and the throw from home went to the outfield.

The Raiders added three in the fifth. Taylor Sanchez had an RBI single and then another run scored on an error. Sanchez went all the way to third on the error and Metz brought her home with a perfect bunt.

WIlliamsburg ended it in the sixth. Hughes singled and stole second to start. Carly Rich followed with an RBI double and scored on a single by Alley Gorsh.

Metz sealed the deal two batters later with an RBI single to make it 9-1.

“Our mentality early on was to follow the scouting report and stop swinging at pitches above our shoulders,” said Berte. “We started to do that and got some line drives and ground balls and made them start fielding things.”

Albia, which is in state for the sixth time in the past nine years, will square off with Prairie City-Monroe in the 3A third-place game Friday on Iowa Central Field at 1 p.m.

WILLIAMSBURG 9, ALBIA 1

Albia 000 100 — 1

Williamsburg 010 233 — 9

LOB–Albia 4, Williamsburg 7. 2B–Carly Rich, Makenna Hughes. HR–Addie Pearson. HBP–Kiley Allen. SACB–Jersey Metz. SB–Aliyah Hood, Ava Hocker, Carly Rich, Makenna Hughes (2). PB–Madeline VanLoon, Lilly Ness.