Unfortunately for the top-seeded Eagles, the second-seeded Cougars got one more key hit in the end to earn a 2-1 walk-off win in 10 innings and punch their return ticket to next week’s Class AAA state tournament.

An Eagles win would have led to a second game being played as the Eagles were the elimination bracket winners, but the Cougars got their key hit in the 10th on an RBI single by Jayda Swalve to end the 2-hour, 43-minute marathon game.

Ramsey Hopp turned in a much-improved effort from the last time the Eagles fell to Mankato East in last Saturday’s 10-0, five-inning playoff loss. Hopp was on her game Thursday, allowing eight hits and two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings.

She struck out six.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm catcher Natalie Bianchi yells in celebration at her pitcher Ramsey Hopp after Hopp made a running catch in foul territory during the Section 2A Softball Tournament title game against Mankato East on Thursday at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

Despite the tough ending, Hopp said her team’s improvement from the last meeting with East was due to not thinking too far ahead.

“I think as a team, we look at the small picture, just winning each inning instead of looking at it as we have two games to win,” Hopp said. “We have to win the inning first before we can win the game and the next one. I’m just super proud of the girls, they put it all on the line today.”

A perfectly placed bunt single by Kenley Staunton rolled by a diving third baseman Berkley Wilfahrt, leaving no play to be made to open the bottom of the 10th. After a sac bunt moved Staunton up, Mankato East ace pitcher and slugger Kylinn Stangl was intentionally walked for the second time in the game.

Stangl was walked for good reason, having tripled off the fence in right in her first at-bat of the day and doubling in the sixth. Stangl also homered to right off Hopp last Saturday. Her triple ended up leading to a squeeze bunt from Hailey Petzel to put East up 1-0 in the first inning.

After Stangl’s second intentional pass in the 10th, a pop out to Hopp brought up Swalve, who got her first hit of the day on a single to left to end the game.

The Eagles got their run in the third when Kenzie Enter sent a pitch over the fence in left field for a solo homer. Hopp had a double in the first, but pinch runner Hadley Batt got caught stealing at third for the third out.

Lauren Schmiesing singled in the second, Gracie Linbo added a single in the third and Amber Lee singled in the fourth, but Stangl rebounded with 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth.

She also got an unconventional 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. After back-to-back strikeouts that inning, a bloop single got Wilfahrt on. However, Wilfahrt was caught stealing to end the top of the seventh.

Stangl allowed just two walks after that on the way to the 10-inning win. She struck out 13.

While Hopp made the right pitches and had the Cougars sweating, she credited her team’s defense for keeping things close.

“The defense made big plays that kept us in the game, otherwise we wouldn’t have even made it to 10 innings,” Hopp said. “I couldn’t be happier [of] my defense either.”

The Eagles will be without four seniors next year in Lee, Linbo, Abby Rathmann and catcher Natalie Bianchi.

Hopp will have to pitch to a new catcher next season during her senior year, and she said the connection she had with Bianchi was key in the Eagles’ success.

“I feel like we’ve grown up together and we’ve made even bigger improvements this year,” Hopp said. “I’m really going to miss her. She’s a really good catcher and we [couldn’t] make a better team.”

The Eagles finish their season with a 19-5 record and a Big South Conference title to their name.

The defending Class AAA state champion Cougars will prepare to defend their title this year when the state tournament begins on June 5 at Caswell Park.