With their season down to its final outs, the Wessington Springs Owls found a way to keep playing.
Blaze Herdman delivered a two-run, walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday, lifting the Owls to an 8-7 victory over the Winner Demons in the District 3 Last Chance Game and punching Wessington Springs' ticket to the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association Class B State Tournament.
The Owls will open state tournament play against the Clark Traders at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at Cadwell Park in Mitchell.
Wessington Springs entered the bottom of the ninth trailing Winner 7-6. Dylan Schimke singled as the Owls mounted their final rally, and after Layne Cotton was intentionally walked, Herdman made the Demons pay. His single brought home two runs and set off the celebration as the Owls secured their return trip to state.
Cotton finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run. His two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the eighth helped the Owls erase a deficit and pulled Wessington Springs back into the game.
The Owls had struck first with Luke Larson's first-inning single, driving home two runs. Winner battled back and took a 4-2 advantage in the fifth before the game developed into a back-and-forth fight to the finish.
Wessington Springs collected 10 hits, led by three apiece from Cotton and Schimke. Herdman went 2-for-5 and drove in a team-high three runs, including the two that mattered most.
Bubba Peterson started on the mound for Wessington Springs, allowing six runs, two earned, on five hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
Cotton took over in relief and earned the win, allowing one unearned run and one hit over 3 2/3 innings while striking out three and walking two. The Owls also turned two double plays defensively.
The victory sends Wessington Springs into the 94th annual Class B State Tournament, which runs Aug. 5-16 at Cadwell Park.