The first trip to the Class 3A State Tournament in program history begins tonight for the seventh-seeded PCM softball team, as they square off with second-seeded Williamsburg in the quarterfinals.

The Mustangs outscored their opponents 24-3 in the three regional games leading up to the State Tournament, with dominant pitching and defense fueling their run to Fort Dodge. In their three regional contests against Greene County, Clarke, and Clarinda, PCM pitchers Rylee Parsons and Camden Webb combined to allow just 14 total hits and two earned runs while recording 12 strikeouts. Defensively, the Mustangs supported their pitchers’ efforts by committing just two errors on 72 total chances en route to securing the school’s first State Tournament appearance.

Williamsburg’s run to Fort Dodge featured three competitive games against Davis County, Centerville, and Chariton, with the Raiders winning all three games by four runs or less. Williamsburg’s well balanced attack led to their State Tournament appearance, with their speed headlining their ability to attack teams in a variety of ways. The Raiders have stolen 223 bases as a team this season, which ranks third in the state regardless of class. In addition to their proficient base stealing ability, Williamsburg posted a .334 batting average, a .967 fielding percentage, and an ERA of 3.00 as a team. PCM head coach Shaun Hudnut says that with how well rounded the Raiders are, he knows his team will need to be excellent in all facets of the game.

“I don’t even know if we could say the game will come down to one key spot, we really have to be clicking on all cylinders at this point. It’s just going to be a dog fight in every game you play in Fort Dodge, and so the key is to maximize and trying to make sure we’re clicking in all phases of the game as best we can.”

Coverage of PCM’s quarterfinal match with Williamsburg begins at 6:45 pm tonight on the KRLS3 stream and also on 92.1 KRLS after the conclusion of the Pella baseball game.