Story by Matthew Bain- The Des Moines Register

In an 11-inning thriller that saw 26 combined hits and 27 runners left on base, the seventh-seeded Winterset Huskies upset top-seeded Carlisle 4-3 to win the Class 4A state softball title in an instant classic Thursday night. Lauren Carter played hero for Winterset, driving in what would be the game-winning run with a two-out single up the middle in the top of the 11th.

"That was amazing. The most amazing feeling," Carter said. "I had the go-ahead run and it was just crazy. I knew I needed to get this hit for my team and when I did, it was the best feeling in the world. So amazing to beat them, too, because they have such a rivalry with us. It was the best feeling in the world. "That game was 11 innings. That was crazy. I mean, that's the best state championship game ever, I think."

It will certainly rank in the top tier. Winterset was a strike away from winning this game in regulation. But Carlisle's Reagan Roling tied the game at 3-all with a two-strike, two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. That came after the Huskies had just taken their 3-2 lead in the top half of the frame on Ava Lowden's RBI double. The Huskies scored two runs in the top of the first on RBIs from Bridget Stover and Carter. The Wildcats answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first with Meredith Hoffman's RBI single. Carlisle then tied the game 2-all in the top of the sixth with an RBI single from Molly Hoekstra.

For Carlisle, Hoekstra allowed two runs in the first inning, and Lexxi Link pitched the final 10 innings. Hoekstra went 2-for-4 with an RBI at the plate. Hoffman went 3-for-6 with an RBI, and Roling knocked in the other run. Winterset avenged two regular-season losses en route to the state title; it lost 7-4 to Carlisle on July 2 and 9-4 to Dallas Center-Grimes (which it beat in the state semifinals) back on July 9.