SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.VA. — Petersburg defeated Logan 6-5 to win the Class AA state softball championship at Little Creek Park in South Charleston, W.Va. The victory marked Petersburg’s first state softball title and its first state team championship in 40 years.

Petersburg scored the winning run in the top of the seventh inning on an RBI groundout by Ella Markwell. An error, an intentional walk, and a single by Miley Tingler had loaded the bases before a wild pitch moved runners to second and third, setting up the decisive play.

Logan tied the game 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out double by Ashlin Brumfield, but Shyane Tawney ended the inning with a lineout catch at second base with the bases loaded. “I ain’t gonna lie, we were antsy in the dugout,” Petersburg manager Bubba Hedrick said. “We weren’t sure if we ready to make a change yet because we felt like their timing was there. We weren’t fooling them and we survived them. Tawney made a great catch, got us out of the inning.”

Gracie Carpenter retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win. Earlier in the game, Logan took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Petersburg outscored them 6-3 over the remaining innings, including a three-run third that included a two-run line drive to left by Tingler.

Tingler was named the Class AA tournament Most Valuable Player after going 9 for 13 with 10 RBIs across four games. Ella Chew, who finished the tournament 7 for 12 and caught two runners stealing in the final, was also named to the All-Tournament team. “I just wanted to bring the win home for my team,” Chew said. “We’ve been working really hard throughout the whole season. This is the best record we’ve ever come into a state tournament team. I think this team was better prepared than any other team to come in here and win it all.”

Hedrick, who played on Petersburg’s 1986 baseball state championship team—the school’s last team title before this one—said the victory was overdue. “A long time coming, it’s been 40 years since a state championship,” he said. “These girls deserve this. We’ve been playing for a little respect too. We feel like we’ve been slighted a little bit, and the only way you fix that is win.”