Chester’s aggressiveness at the plate and on the basepaths paved the way to the Class B state softball championship on Saturday evening.

The Flyers were flying around the bases at a dizzying pace on the way to a 19-8 victory over last year’s state champion Castlewood in the title contest at Players South Complex.

“It’s great knowing we were the underdogs all season, kind of under the radar the whole time,” said Chester’s Alexis Bauman. “No one predicted us to win. It feels really good, especially for our first year.”

Chester was able to collect 17 hits in the contest and had no shortage of baserunners on the day.

“We were very prepared. We’ve been working hard with our bats all year,” said Chester coach Laura Biagi, noting that her team scored less than 10 runs in a game only twice all season. “It honestly didn’t surprise me, but what they did do on top of that was execute, bunts, all of the things. They put it all together at the right time and 19 runs got out of it.”

Of course, it helps to have a player like Jacy Wolf at the top of the order, who has a knack for getting on base and then creating havoc when she does. Wolf scored five runs and also had three hits in the championship game.

“It’s just a big deal when I get on base,” Wolf said, “because I know I can steal and get around the bases fast, so anything I can do to get on.”

Wolf, who also won a state volleyball championship with the Flyers last fall, does a lot of things that just come naturally, according to Biagi.

“Her instincts are so good. Some of the things that she has, you can’t teach that,” Biagi said. “Knowing how to read the ball to get a steal, battling at the plate, knowing when to put a bunt down because she sees it. … She is so smart.”

After the two teams traded first-inning runs, Chester scored five times in the top of the second, two runs coming in on a single by Bauman. The Flyers tacked on two more runs in the third and four more in the fourth to push their lead to 12-4.

“That was the biggest thing,” Bauman said of the fast start. “Momentum is the biggest part of this game.”

Castlewood has built a reputation for being able to rally from deficits, but this time the hole was too big for the Warriors to get out of.

“Once you get behind, it’s hard to battle that back and take the momentum back,” said Castlewood coach Craig Horn.

In the end, the Flyers were able to do something most teams have not and that’s put up big numbers against Castlewood eighth-grade standout pitcher Claire Horn.

“Her pitches were on. When they were on, they were on,” Bauman said. “We just knew we had to go in swinging if we wanted to win this game, and that’s definitely what all of us did.”

Bauman finished with three hits and knocked in five runs. Teammate Lauren Roberts had four hits, including a pair of triples.

“They know how to play,” Coach Horn said of the Flyers. “They play well and they get after it.”

The Chester squad lost just one game all season and was able to navigate through its initial season without a lot of expectations.

“We didn’t have too much pressure on us,” Wolf said, “and we kept our heads up high, and didn’t let anything get to us.”

The future looks bright for the Warriors, who have a roster filled with underclassmen.

“I know the girls and I know how competitive they are, and I know how this stings right now,” said Coach Horn. “They won’t forget it.”

Scotland-Menno scored four runs in the fourth inning and five in the fifth to rally past Alcester-Hudson for an 11-5 victory in the third place game.

Trinity Bietz had an RBI single, before Grace Robb hit a two-run home run, followed by Kylie Guthmiller’s solo homer in the fourth. Olivia Binde delivered a bases-loaded triple in the fifth before Guthmiller drove in another run on a single.

Jaeley Christensen had a pair of doubles for Alcester-Hudson, which led 3-0 after three innings.

Haley Hlavacek finished with four hits and knocked in six runs to power Florence-Henry to fifth place with a 14-3 win over Gayville-Volin.

Hlavacek had a two-run home run and a bases-loaded triple in a nine-run third inning. She added an RBI triple in the fifth.

Allison Stark contributed three hits to the Falcons’ total, while Brooke Hlavacek, Andie Rislov, Kaylee Vavruska, and Madelyn Caufield each finished with two hits.

Katrina Hagberg tossed a five-inning no-hitter, recording all 15 outs via strikeout as Deuel blanked Elkton-Lake Benton 10-0 for seventh place.

Eden Schiernbeck had a two-run single, while Sara Kreger produced an RBI double to help power the Deuel offense.

Here is the Class B All-Tournament Team: Lauren Roberts and Alexis Bauman of Chester; Claire Horn and Lilly Jacobsen of Castlewood; Olivia Binde and Grace Robb of Scotland-Menno; Emma Moller and Emma Solberg of Alcester-Hudson; Elizabeth Reiter of Florence-Henry; Paisley Dimmer of Gayville-Volin; Katrina Haberg of Deuel; and Maya Jensen of Elkton-Lake Benton.

Championship

Chester 152 400 7 – 19 17 6

Castlewood 130 020 2 – 8 7 3

Lauren Roberts and Mara McDonald; Claire Horn and Lilly Jacobsen. 2B – Chester, Jacy Wolf, Alexis Bauman; Castlewood, Gracie Haug. 3B – Chester, Roberts (2).

Third Place

Scotland-Menno 000 452 0 – 11 13 2

Alcester-Hudson 012 200 0 – 5 10 3

Olivia Binde and Amanda Rames; Emma Moller and Paxtyn Moller. 2B – Scotland-Menno, Nora Robb, Trinity Bietz; Alcester-Hudson, Jaeley Christensen (2), E. Moller. 3B – Scotland-Menno, Binde (2). HR – Scotland-Menno, Grace Robb, Kylie Guthmiller.

Fifth Place

Florence-Henry 309 02 – 14 17 4

Gayville-Volin 100 11 – 3 4 2

Elizabeth Reiter and Allison Stark; Ayla Dimmer, Jolie Westrum (3) and Hailey Adams. 2B – Florence-Henry, Stark (2), Emma Caulfield, Reiter; Gayville-Volin, Maia Achen. 3B – Florence-Henry, Haley Hlavacek (2); Gayville-Volin, Achen. HR – Florence-Henry, Hlavacek.

Seventh Place

Elkton-Lake Benton 000 00 – 0 0 2

Deuel 311 5x – 10 5 0

Kylie Ramlo and Madde Jensen; Katrina Hagberg and Hope Bjerke. 2B – Deuel, Sara Kreger. 3B – Deuel, Kennedy Harmon.