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For the second time in school history, and first since 2002, Edgewood-Colesburg will play for a state softball title.
The No. 8 seed Vikings knocked off top seed and No. 1 ranked Exira-EHK/Audubon here Wednesday for the second time this week in Class 1A, 5-0 on Farm Bureau Field. Edgewood-Colesburg (30-10 overall) will play defending state champion Clarksville Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at Rogers Park.
Behind star pitcher Rachel Egleseder, the Vikings broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fourth. They added four insurance runs in the sixth, with Egleseder striking out eight and recording an RBI at the plate.
Egleseder, a Kirkwood commit, and her story have been well documented this week. The senior was declared cancer free after undergoing treatment during basketball season. She surpassed 300 strikeouts on the year this week at state and is now 25-7 overall.
"I knew we could win it 1-0, but adding that extra cushion allowed me to move my pitches a little more and pitch more comfortably out there," Egleseder said. "We are so excited to be playing on Friday. It's all we talked about (Wednesday) in the dorms (at Iowa Central).
"We were all asking what are we going to do if we win (Thursday), and I said, 'We're going to win it all."
In a 6-3 win Monday over Exira-EHK/Audubon, Egleseder tied the 1A state single-game record with 15 strikeouts.
Ava Hoefer, Lauren Kirby, Addi Schmelzer and Chloe Everett each drove in a run, with Faith Dugan scoring twice and stealing a base. Eva Vaske swiped two bags for the Vikings.
"We were amazing hitting and in the field," Egleseder said. "My defense behind me made so many big plays. I felt confident I could throw it by them, but I knew I could throw to contact because they would have my back."
For Exira-EHK/Audubon, Abby Wanser had two hits and a steal.