After seven scoreless innings of incredible softball in the Class 5A title game here Thursday night at Rogers Park, two seniors delivered for Waukee Northwest.

Graduate Laurel Richards drove in fellow classmate Aunya Van Zetten in the bottom of the eighth with one out, sending the Wolves to their second championship, 1-0.

Freshman pitching sensation Sophia Schlader tied her own single-game 5A record with 15 strikeouts, a mark she set in the Monday quarterfinal earlier this week. She finished with a 5A tournament-record 35 strikeouts in three games.

“This is just a really great group of girls,” Schlader said. “We all just feed of each other and have worked our butts off to get here. It’s the hardest group of girls that I’ve ever known in my whole life.”

As for her senior teammates, Schlader started to get emotional.

“They are just amazing,” she said as tears started to form. “They are such special people to me and I am going to miss them.”

Emily Koranda of Linn-Mar matched her with scoreless inning after scoreless inning deep into the night, as the senior tallied six strikeouts herself. Koranda, who is headed to Missouri State, also had two doubles off Schlader and was intentionally walked to load the bases in the top of the eighth.

But Schlader got her 15th strikeout of the night to end the threat, just like she did two other times during the game. She finished with at least one strikeout in every inning, including retiring the side in the second.

“Our defense was just amazing behind me,” Schlader said. “(Sophomore catcher) Kenley (Sanger) was stopping everything and (shortstop) Maggie (Allen) made incredible plays all night long.”

Linn-Mar stranded seven runners on base and had the go-ahead runner on third four times. They were never able to get the key hit against Schlader, who won her 29th game of the year.

Richards and Van Zetten are two of the three seniors on the roster for Waukee Northwest along with reserve pitcher Payton Smith.

Linn-Mar, at state for the first time since 2022, graduates Koranda and fellow seniors Kaylie Alvey and Emma Barnes.

WAUKEE NORTHWEST 1,

LINN-MAR 0 (8 inn.)

Linn-Mar 000 000 00 — 0 5 2

Waukee NW 000 000 01 — 1 6 3

WP–Sophia Schlader (8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 15 K, 2 BB). LP–Emily Koranda (7-plus IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB).

2B–LM: Emily Koranda (2). 3B–LM: Mallory Palmer. RBI–WNW: Laurel Richards.