The road to perfection is littered with bumps, bruises, and moments that make you hold your breath.

Just ask Erika Fiege.

While attempting to bunt her way on base in the fourth inning of Saturday’s Class 5 state softball championship game, the ball tipped off her bat and into her left shoulder. Fiege fell to the ground. 

That shoulder has been injured before, she later revealed. But after a moment, she got up, took a practice swing, then laced a single to left center which she stretched into a double, the whole time on the basepath following the ball. 

That hit opened the gates for Midlothian, who scored the only runs of the contest, plating twice in the frame, and relying on Florida State commit Marlee Gaskell to finish off the Mills Godwin offense as the Trojans captured the Class 5 crown 2-0 at Deep Run High School.

“Nothing is getting me out of this game. It’s the biggest game of the year,” Fiege said. “I’m not coming out. Done deal.”

Fiege went two-for-three, scoring the first Trojans run when Gaskell singled to center. Courtesy runner Ava Vozar moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gianna Caranante, then scored thanks to a double into the left field corner by Lea Foldenauer. Half of Midlothian’s six hits on the day came in the fruitful fourth.

Midlothian made good contact in the first at-bats against Mills Godwin starter Katelyn Hubley. The second time around is when they struck gold. Then it was Gaskell’s time, as the Florida State signee yielded just a double from Adelynn Collins to open the Mills Godwin sixth. She was left stranded at third base as the two, three, and four hitters were retired in order.

In the seventh, as Gaskell continued to look magnificent, the Eagles could only muster a flyout to center field. Two strikeouts later, the celebration exploded as catcher Bella Moussa launched her glove skyward and jumped into Gaskell’s arms.

“There’s not one better (battery), I would challenge, in the nation. Our battery is ridiculous,” said Midlothian head coach Adam Layton who, a decade earlier, took Midlothian girls basketball to the state championship game before falling to rival Monacan. “Bella’s a stud. She does everything well. Marlee is easily the best pitcher in the state. It’s not even close.”

Gaskell’s nine strikeouts were key, but so was a Midlothian defense which quelled any signs of Eagle rallies. With two aboard in the third inning, Mills Godwin almost took the first lead. But Katelyn Hubley’s rocket liner down the left field line was snared by Charlotte Daniels, saving two runs.

All three of the Eagles’ hits came from leadoff batters. There wasn’t enough firepower, however, to drive them home.

As the postgame celebration died down a bit, reality set in for the Trojans of just what they had accomplished. The seniors, Gaskell, Vozar, Daniels, Liberty Cooper, and Erika’s older sister Erin Fiege, finished with a four-year record of 74-14, including 24-0 this season.

“These seniors have really kept us together,” Moussa explained. “They’ve made this year really fun. Since my freshman year, we’ve always been a step shorter. So, this year, with this group, I really just wanted to get it done.”

Mills Godwin ended Midlothian’s 2022 campaign in the region tournament. The Trojans have captured the Region 5C crown three straight years now, falling in the state quarterfinal in 2023, and in the state semifinal last season.

But nothing would stop the Trojan express this year, including the fact that their biggest obstacle, the crosstown Eagles, were also undefeated when they met for the Region 5C crown eight days earlier. The only two blemishes on Mills Godwin’s amazing record are the losses to Midlothian.

The normally stoic Moussa broke into tears shortly after the victory, and then showed maturity beyond her years in seeing the bigger picture in such a moment.

“I think everyone is a little surprised to see me crying right now,” Moussa opined. “But it’s hard, knowing the group that’s leaving us right now.”

But these Trojans are not just champions. They are bruised, battle tested, and, in the end, perfect.