The road to Fort Dodge was thrilling for the Pella Christian softball team, and this week, they enter the final eight of Class 2A softball as the No. 8 seed.

The 17-18 Eagles will take on a No. 1 ranked Wilton team that has stayed in the top four of the 2A rankings all season, with a 28-3 record and a wealth of talent that led the Beavers to their first state appearance since 2018.

Wilton survived a regional semifinals bout with rival Durant 3-2, before cruising past Northeast in the finals 8-2 to advance. Starting Pitcher Mila Johnson is 14-1 with a 2.38 ERA, and the outfield of Chloe Wells, Payton Ganzer, and Peyton Souhrada each have batting averages over .500.

While it may not be easy to make a direct comparison, the No. 1 Beavers carry a lot of similarities to the No. 4 Van Meter team the Eagles knocked out 12-5 in the regional finals to advance to the school’s first appearance since 1990.

Coverage from state tournament softball in Fort Dodge for the Eagles in Class 2A begins at 2:30 this afternoon on 92.1 KRLS.