“And now, your Lady Dragons, Four-peat State Champions,” cheered hometown sports announcer Jeff Richins as the MHS softball team was celebrated as the 2A IHSAA Softball champion team.  Being a four time state champion team might make it sound like it's an easy feat for the Lady Dragon team, but they will tell you this bout to the state championship tournament was anything but.  Head Coach Christie Schow shared, “This is the toughest competition we have ever seen at the state level.  From one game to the next, it was really anyone’s for the taking.”

While the big win might have been up for grabs, it was clear that the Lady Dragons were going to be a force to be reckoned with at every stage of the game.  From the first to the last play of each game, Malad played with incredible grit, determination and strength, proving why they are the very best of the best.  “At this level of play, you win because you are good, not because the other teams are bad,” continued Coach Schow.  

The Lady Dragons opened up their tournament play going up against Bear Lake, who won their state play-in game against North Fremont.  Although they had played and beat Bear Lake multiple times, Malad didn’t overlook the importance of this first game.  The Lady Dragon offense took off in the fourth inning as they laid seven runs across home.  The big inning was in part thanks to singles by Bostyn Combs, Hallie Horsley and Aubrey Shulz, and triples by Kaitlyn Pickett and Riglee Peterson.  The defense shut out the Bears to end the game 10-0.

Following their win over Bear Lake, the Lady Dragons next went up against Cole Valley Christian in what many claimed to be their toughest game of the tournament.  The Malad offense struggled in their first few plays of the game with a batter striking out, popping a fly ball to first base, and an out on an attempt to steal second base.  Despite the rocky start, the Lady Dragon defense came out to put three batters out, one at first base and two striking out at the plate.  Hallie Horsley took to the plate for Malad, hammering the ball to right field for a triple.  There was no holding Horsley back as she rounded third plate and slid into home before the catcher could tag her out, putting up the first run of the game.

Cole Valley didn’t let the run get to them, putting up their own score in the third inning to tie the game and then another in the fourth inning to take the lead.  The Lady Dragons commented about their solid hitting, how well they not only connected with the ball but how they hit the gaps just right.  They demanded an aggressive defense from Malad, forcing them to step up big when it really mattered.  Shortstop Beth McClain, first baseman Horsley, and centerfield Shulz worked tirelessly to help lead their team on defense, snagging outs that seemed nearly impossible.  

The two teams duked it out on the field to the very last inning, as both teams scored multiple runs on their final bats.  Cole Valley tagged on three runs, to be up 6-2 as the Lady Dragons went to bat in the bottom of the seventh.  Demonstrating what digging deep really means, the Lady Dragons didn’t ever doubt that they could overcome the four run lead Cole Valley had.  

Hadlee Summers, first to bat in the inning for Malad, made quick work of getting on base.  Her team praised her impressive slap hitting and quick base running, claiming that without her stellar offensive work, there was no way could have defeated Cole Valley.  Coach Schow, too, shared that her hustle and great reading of the defense kept them on their toes, lending to solid base hits when the team really needed them.  

As Shulz came up to bat, two plays later, Summers made her way to second base and then on to third, coming in safe just before the ball.  With momentum beginning to surge for the Lady Dragons, Peterson came in to smash a triple to center field to bat in Summers on third and Shulz on first, bringing the score 4-6.  Horsley, next to bat, patiently waited for the right pitch to single to center field and send Peterson home.  Down just one run with only one out Addley Kimberling came in with another base hit to right field. With a full count, Kaitlyn Pickett then drove a double line drive to left to bring in Horsley to tie up the game. Graycee Goddard was intentionally walked as she went up to bat following Pickett.  

The tension was palpable as Brylee Oglesbee went to bat for the Lady Dragons as the bases were loaded.  Feeling the pressure of the game, and in what felt like a bit of a slump, Oglesbee turned to her coach for guidance and inspiration.  Recalling the moment, Coach Schow said, “I told her you have already done hard things.  I KNOW you can do this!”  With her coach’s confidence and her team cheering her on, Oglesbee wiped her brow and took her stance at the plate for the pitcher to throw.  Ball one.  Ball two.  Ball three.  And finally, a pitch in the strike zone that Oglesbee was all over, hitting a hard ground ball to left field to bring in Kimberling for the winning run of the game.

Looking back on the game, Peterson shared, “We really had to come together as a team and put all our effort in to make up the runs we needed, and we did it!  When we were down, I felt that it made us want to fight harder. It really challenged us mentally.”

Moving on to the semi final game of the tournament Saturday morning, the Lady Dragons took on Declo, a team they had faced earlier in the season.  The Hornets made a big statement in the opening inning as they hit a home run to start the scoring, saying they wouldn’t be taken down without a fight.  

Combs started the scoring for Malad in the third inning, getting on base with a single to center field. Stealing second and then advancing to third as Shulz came up to bat behind her, Combs put the first run up for the Lady Dragons as Shulz singled out to second base.  Two plays later, Shulz added a second run for the inning, batted in by Horlsey on a fly ball to left field.

In the top of the fourth, Declo tied the game at two as they took advantage of a Dragon defensive error.  Kimberling put a stop to their offense, catching a fly ball to left field for the third out.  As Malad took hitting in the bottom of the inning, they put one more run on the scoreboard as Teagan Daniels, courtesy runner for Pickett, was batted in off a single by Summers, bringing the score to 3-2.  Both teams went scoreless in the fifth inning, the intensity of the game mounting as they moved into the sixth.

Declo wasn’t giving up as they put up two more runs to tie it up, once again, in the top of sixth before Peterson struck out the final batter of the inning.  Summers and Combs came in with clutch base hits to bat in two more runs as the Lady Dragons closed out the sixth inning, 5-6.

The Malad defense held the Hornets to only two runs in the seventh inning, McClain at shortstop grabbing one out on a pop fly, sending it over to first base for another and Peterson striking out their final batter of the game.  Transiting to offense, the Lady Dragons knew that only one run would give them the victor and put them in the championship game.  Filled with determination, Horsley and then Daniels put up two consecutive base hits for Malad.  Pickett came in behind them on the next play with a big ground hit to left field to bat in Horsley and take the victory, 7-6.

The culminating game of the tournament was nearly anticlimactic in comparison to the Lady Dragon’s two previous games.  Facing off against Declo, who was playing their third straight game of the day, proved to be a much easier achievement than the first go round.  Learning from the mistakes and errors, adapting and making changes, the Lady Dragons were unstoppable as they played through their final game.

Malad came out with a big lead in the second inning, with Pickett leading the way.  Peterson had a massive hit to left field, tripling with the bases loaded and batting in Summers, Combs and Shulz. Horsley finished off the inning by pushing in Peterson with a single to left field.  Shulz and Peterson put up two more in the fourth inning to take the score to 7-1.  The Hornets got some offensive momentum swinging again as they put up two more runs in the top of the fifth.  Malad solidified their lead with two final runs on the game from Kimberling and another triple from Peterson.

All that was left for the Lady Dragons to bring home the victory was to put up three final outs in the final inning.  The Malad defense was spot on as they put out all three Hornet hitters with two outs at first by Horsley and caught pop fly by Shulz in center field.  With the final catch of the game, the field erupted with cheers from the players, coaches and fans as they celebrated the fourth consecutive state championship win for the Lady Dragons.

Over the four game tournament, the team put together some impressive stats of 33 runs on 46 hits, with 24 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.  At first base Horsley led the team with putouts, taking down 18 batters, followed by McClain at shortstop bringing in 9, as well as 6 assists.  Peterson threw an astounding 353 pitches, allowing only 15 runs on 26 hits, striking out 28 hitters, with only one base on ball.

The hard work and accomplishment of the perfect, 23 game winning streak of the season was not lost on the team, nor their fans as they celebrated the final victory of the tournament.  When all was said and done, Coach Schow said, “This is a special group of girls.  They have it in them to accomplish anything.  That’s why I do this, not because I love the game, but because I love these girls and I want them to be the very best they can.”