Castlewood is celebrating a state softball title this week as the Warriors topped Alcester-Hudson in the ‘B’ title game on Saturday night in Aberdeen. For Castlewood, it was ultimately a clutch at bat by Lyndsey Archer that put the Warriors up late in the contest.
“It’s pretty awesome to be here,” said Castlewood head coach Craig Horn. “We thought we might be at this spot in the beginning of the season, but you just never know. And the girls played incredibly hard. It’s pretty cool.”
Madeline Horn got the scoring going for Castlewood in the bottom of the 1st with a double that scored Mackenzie Everson. Everson would score again in the bottom of the 3rd – this time on a sacrifice fly from Horn.
Alcester-Hudson got one run back in the top of the 4th with a double from Sarah Ebert that scored Emma Solberg. This made is a 2-1 game in favor of Castlewood.
In the top of the 5th, the Cubs tied the game 2-2 on an RBI single by Paxtyn Moller, which scored Jenna Manning.
Things remained tied until the bottom of the 6th. With two outs, Lyndsey Archer hit a pop up that found the grass in shallow right field to score Manning, the go-ahead run. Alcester-Hudson’s offense quickly went down in the top of the 7th, sealing the state championship for Castlewood.
This was the game winning hit by Lyndsey Archer. This RBI single gave Castlewood the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth. #SDSoftball23 #SDPreps pic.twitter.com/TXI6N2ktAN
— SDPB Sports (@SDPBSports) June 5, 2023
“There were some big hits there. [Madelin and Mackenzie] continue to hit extremely well. And that hit at the end that Lyndsey Arhcer had, that drive and the winning run, that was pretty amazing,” said coach Horn. “But I can’t say enough about our pitcher [Claire Horn] and how she battled and hit her spots. And it’s just amazing for a seventh grader to do what she just did.”
“It’s just good to have the team behind me to cheer me on and just know that they’re there supporting me,” said Claire Horn, 7th grade pitcher. “It just makes me feel like it’s just all going to be ok and that we’re doing good.
Claire Horn pitched all seven innings in the championship game. While she gave up seven hits, she struck out five and only allowed two earned runs.
“I pitched really insane and it just made me really happy, and I was also just scared and stuff,” Horn chuckled. “Just amazing.”
“I think just a lot of determination and awesome teamwork. We relied on each other like crazy, and when one person was down, the rest of the team was picking them up,” said senior left fielder Olivia Akin. “I can’t imagine being a spectator. I mean, I was nervous. I was so nervous out in left field, I can’t imagine my mom sitting over there. Just that I have been so blessed to be part of this program in its first year. I am so beyond blessed and my temmates are amazing, and I cannot thank the world more for them. They are amazing.”
Along with Castlewood, West Central and Sioux Falls Lincoln also won state softball championships over the weekend in the inaugural sanctioned season for the sport. Those involved hope this season is only the beginning for what could help evolve the sport of softball in South Dakota.
