Early on, all that momentum was in the St. Anthony dugout.

And it started in the bottom of the first inning.

With one out, Addie Wernsing lined a base hit up the middle. After Hailey Niebrugge reached on an error, Hatton got her first RBI, grounding a single into right field. Then with two out, Maddie Kibler hit a bloop that just glanced off the WSS second baseman Johnson’s glove in short rightfield, allowing two more runs to score.

The Lady Hatchets got on the board in the third when Ella Kinkelaar delivered a two-out RBI triple into the right-centerfield gap.

But the Lady Bulldogs came right back in the bottom of the frame. After the first two batters were retired, Addy Rios, Wernsing and Niebrugge all singled to load the bases. Then Hatton lofted a long fly ball that nearly left the Evergreen Hollow Park diamond. It banged up against the fence for a bases-clearing double that increased the SAHS lead to 6-1.

The Lady Hatchets got a two-run double by Johnson to trim the lead in the fourth and then strung together three straight hits in the sixth before Hatton made her game-changing play.

St. Anthony added two more tallies in the sixth. Stacie Vonderheide got a lead-off single. With two outs, Rios grounded a ball up the middle that took a bad hop, bounced over the centerfielder’s head and rolled toward the fence. Vonderheide raced home and Rios ended up with an RBI triple. She then scored on a wild pitch.

“I thought we got a little complacent at the plate after grabbing that early lead,” Taylor said. “But (Samantha) Hayes is a good pitcher. She moved the ball inside and out, plus she’s got a very good off-speed pitch. She kept us off-balance.

“We knew they would keep chipping away,” Taylor added. “They have a good, young team. I think they’ll make a great run in the postseason.”

Sydney Kibler went the first four innings to get the win for St. Anthony. She allowed three runs and three hits, while walking two and striking out four. Wernsing pitched the final three frames. She gave up four hits and a run, while walking one and striking out one.

“We haven’t played a ton of close games like this one, so this was good for us,” Taylor said. “I think we’re pretty good under pressure, but you need to play pressure games. When you get into post-season, there will be a ton of pressure. When you get there, all the teams are good.

“I think we’re sitting in a good spot right now,” the SAHS coach noted. “This team’s softball IQ is off the charts. A handful of these girls have been playing since they were freshmen. And it’s crazy how much better they’ve gotten since then.”

The Lady Bulldogs are now 22-2 on the season. They will play at home Monday against Flora.