Last season, a 2-0 semifinal loss against Midlothian knocked Matoaca out of the running for the region 5C title. 

This season, the top-seeded Warriors flipped the script on the second-seeded Trojans, winning 1-0 and taking home the title for the first time in program history.  

“I've been doing softball since 2003, I got to the finals a couple times, but never won,” said Matoaca coach Scott Driskill.

As expected, the game came down to a duel between two of the area's best pitchers. Matoaca's Kaylee Hodges, a Tennessee commit, struck out 13.

Midlothian starting pitcher Erika Fiege kept the Warriors at bay for the final six innings, striking out five. 

But a first-inning run by the Warriors was enough for the victory.

In the bottom of the first, Hayden Longacre doubled to bring Raven Crabtree home for the first and only run of the game. 

Longacre was focused on one thing – contact. 

“I closed my eyes and then swung as hard as I could, and then I just started sprinting. That was so fun,” Longacre said. “I was looking for hard contact, I wasn't trying to place it anywhere, I wasn't trying to hit it over, I was just trying to swing hard and make contact.”

Crabtree's sprint home was close, and Midlothian's catcher had the ball right in front of the action, but amid great commotion in the crowd, the umpire called obstruction and allowed the run.

For Hodges, a tight margin is an expectation anytime the two powerhouse teams meet.

“We knew it would be close, we knew they were amazing," the star pitcher said. “They were gonna be able to hit the wall. We knew that Erica was gonna attack us early.” 

Coming back for the rematch against Midlothian, Longacre said their practice Thursday night was mostly “mental.”

“We were just sitting down and talking about what pitches to throw and what to expect from every single player, because that's just the amount of talent it was gonna be,” she said.

This win secures Matoaca as a host Tuesday in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament.

“I feel like you know what to expect, I feel like you can understand the hops better on the field because you practice on it every single day, so it's like you kind of know what the ball's gonna do a little bit more,” Hodges said. 

Having a packed house as well keeps the energy up and serves as motivation. 

“I feel like it gives us more energy and motivation to win, because we have everybody here,” she said. “Last year when we played at Midlo, it was nice, but we didn't have everybody there, so here it's more energy.”

The Warriors will host Riverbend, who they defeated in the regular season 6-0.

“We have to come back,” Longacre said. “Just because we've seen them one time this season, we have to come back harder this time.” 

Midlothian will travel to Lightridge for its matchup, with both games set for Tuesday at 6 p.m.