MALDEN -- Katie Goodman and the Malden softball team was nearly perfect Tuesday.
Goodman carried a no-hitter into the final frame and the top-seeded Green Wave continued dominating at the plate to rake No. 5 Dexter 15-0 in four innings and advance to their third straight MSHSAA Class 1 District 3 final.
"They hit really well today on the same day that Katie throws one of her best games, and that's one thing in past games I feel like we've struggled with," Malden coach Angela Rodgers said. "Today it wasn't even a worry."
Malden, which has won 15 of its last 16, will face No. 2 Bernie at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the final for the third straight year. The Green Wave have won the last three meetings, including last year's 9-0 victory in the championship.
Goodman needed 52 pitches to shutout the Lady Bearcats. She struck out four in retiring 10 of the first 11 batters she faced, allowing one to reach on an error in the first.
The Green Wave (20-2) backed up Goodman with spotless defense over the final four innings.
"I thought the defense played well," Rodgers said. "We had the one bad play in outfield the first, but other than that, I thought they played well behind Katie."
Desiree Perkins fielded three fly balls in left field, but misplayed the first one hit to her with two outs in the first, allowing Kaylee Carey to reach on Malden's lone error. But Goodman induced a pop up to end the threat and retired the next six in order.
"She was coming out and hitting her spots," Rodgers said. "She missed a couple of them today but for the most part kept everything low and away to where they couldn't even read it coming out of her hand."
Malden wasted little time to back their ace with a six-spot in the first inning.
Lexi Campbell led off with a single and scored one pitcher later on Gracie Thomas' double down the third-base line for a 1-0 lead.
Thomas stole third before Lana Reed reached on a dropped-third-strike and stole second to put runners in scoring position for Blake Tinsley. She sent a double off the wall to plate both runners. Tinsley later scored on an error while Perkins belted a two-run single to finish off Malden's dominant first inning.
Dexter committed three errors which led to Malden runs, while its offense which produced 16 runs a day earlier dissipated.
"Malden is an excellent team, a hitting team that will make you pay," Dexter coach Starla Pulley said. "I think if we could've gotten out of that first a little bit more unscathed, we could've been a little more focused the rest of the way.
"You can't afford to make mental errors like that, you have to have a perfect game."
The onslaught continued in the second as the Green Wave sent 10 more batters to the plate and doubled their lead. Reed doubled to begin the frame and scored on another Dexter error.
Tinsley reached on the misplay while Mary Allison Hampton walked before Kaycie Polen's sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position for Maci Walker. Her two-run single extended the advantage to 9-0.
Anna Belcher and Lexi Campbell each drove in another run with singles while Gracie Thomas' RBI groundout capped the second.
Carey broke up Goodman's no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the fourth. Kelsey Carrier also reached on a one-out single but both were erased as Goodman got a pair of strikeouts to end the threat.
Reed helped Goodman get her 10th shutout of the season by blasting a game-ending three-run home run over the left-field fence with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
"She tries to kill it most of the time but when she does hit them out its effortless," Rodgers said. "We're trying to get her to realize that if she just swings naturally it'll go."