Park of Cottage Grove senior Gwen Warling accepted a walk in the sixth inning of her team's 5-2 victory over Eagan on Thursday in the Class 4A, Section 3 championship game at Richfield Middle School like she might a steaming plate of boiled spinach for dessert. Not without a protest.
"I was juiced up. I wanted to swing the bat," said Warling, who doubled and scored in her first two at-bats and singled and drove in a run in her third before begrudgingly taking the walk. "I probably swung at a couple of ball-fours."
It's not often that a hitter will have such an impactful day and still feel at least a little cheated. But Warling is down to the final at-bats of her fastpitch career. She said she will hang up her cleats after her senior season.
"I've already had six leg surgeries," she said. "I don't think the legs can handle any more."
Besides, Warling, who is hitting over .400 this season, is riding a hot streak into the state tournament, her first in a five-year run with the Wolfpack's varsity squad. And she's relishing every hit.
An all-state third baseman last year as a junior when she batted over .500, Warling has had to adjust to the extra attention pitchers have paid her this season.
"Teams have been pitching her away," said Park coach Bob Loshek. "But she keeps battling, keeps fouling off pitches. She always comes through in the clutch."
After Madi Meduna led off the game with a triple and scored on a wild pitch, Warling kept the inning going with a double to center, moved to third on first baseman Delaney Young's single and scored on pitcher Hanna Mortensen's single, giving the top-seeded Wolfpack a 2-0 lead before Eagan came to bat.
In the third, Warling doubled leading off and scored one out later on Mortensen's double, giving Park a 3-2 lead and providing the winning margin.
Mortenson, a junior pitcher, took control from the mound after that. She had a rough first two innings, giving up six hits and two runs, but surrendered just one more hit, a leadoff single by Karina Monson in the sixth. She walked only one batter and struck out two.
It was a bit of vindication for Mortenson, who was on the mound when Eagan handed Park its first loss in last year's Class 3A, Section 3 tournament.
"As a sophomore, it was my first time pitching in a section tournament," Mortenson said. "I have a lot more confidence now. Confidence in myself and in the defense behind me."
Eagan ended its season with 21 victories in 26 games. Pitcher Alyssa Jolliffe, who struck out three and walked two in a complete-game effort, drove in a run in the first inning and Samantha Sogge drove in a run in the third.
Park takes a 22-2 record into the state tournament next week in Mankato.
