The Oskaloosa Bears softball team are the 2025 Class 2-1A State Champions! The semifinals and championship games were played Friday in Pratt. 

Semifinal: (1) Dexter/Cedar Vale 0, (5) Oskaloosa 1

One run. That's it. The Bears scored the game's lone run in the top of the sixth inning on a suicide squeeze bunt by freshman Brynn King scoring junior Parris-Olivia Marsh. 

Starting pitching and defense was the highlight of this semifinal game. Sophomore Lily Pullen pitched all seven innings for the Bears allowing just three hits with 10 strikeouts. 

On the other side for the Spartans it was Zoey Davidson who pitched all seven innings allowing the one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts. 

Dexter/Cedar Vale entered the semifinal game against Oski with an overall record of 27-1. They lost to McLouth 6-0 in the 2024 state title game. 

King, Olivia Marsh, and Keirstyn Mitchell had the three hits in the game for the Bears. 

Championship: (2) Inman 1, (5) Oskaloosa 8 

The first six games of the tournament in Pratt were all decided by two runs or less. That was the four quarterfinals on Thursday plus the two semifinal games on Friday afternoon. 

The Bears saved their best offensive performance of the tournament for the most important game. 

Oski scored two runs in the first inning and never trailed on their way to winning the schools first ever state softball title. 

Oskaloosa would really put the game away with two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, and one more in the sixth. 

Keirstyn Mitchell had an RBI double while Harper Heston added an RBI single to produce the two runs in the first inning. 

Lydia Turner drove in two with a single in the fourth inning. Mitchell added two more RBI's with a single in the fifth but would come all the way around to score after an error by the Inman right fielder. 

Mayzie Peak added an RBI single late in the game while the final run produced by the Bears was an inside the park home run off the bat of Karleigh Warriner. 

Lily Pullen once again was outstanding inside the circle. Pitching all seven innings allowing one run on three hits with 13 strikeouts. 

Pullen pitched all 21 innings in the three tournament games and combined to give up just two total runs with 36 strikeouts. 

It's Oskaloosa's first state softball championship in school history while it's just the second state title overall in school history as the volleyball team won the state crown back in 2010. 

POSTGAME INTERVIEW W/ HEAD COACH AUBREE HARSH 

**Picture by Jill Guilfoyle**