CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 Tournament championship had it all.
A home run, an inside-the-park home run, a robbed home run, and first-year head coach Dustin Wengert bringing fourth-seeded Perryville its first district championship since 2001.
"It's weird," Wengert said with a laugh. "It's exciting. I mean, these girls deserve it. There's been a lot of doubt amongst our team, amongst the people who follow the team all year long. To capitalize our season with this today kind of answers a lot of doubters. You know, at times I doubted myself, and one thing I have not wavered on is the ability of these girls."
After third-seeded Doniphan (18-5) fought back and tied the game at 3 in the fourth inning, Makayla Burns drove in what proved to be the winning runs with a two-RBI single through the infield gap to send home Anna Besand and Brittanie Stewart.
Perryville (9-13) hung on to win 5-4 in an all-out battle for the championship.
"That's two good softball teams just going at each other, and we accidentally scored one more than they did actually," Wengert said. "So, it was one of those things where you tip your cap to Doniphan, and we've had a heck of a ride here this week as the 4 seed."
Perryville scored three runs right off the bat to seize control of the game. It started when Ann-Marie Simpson got on base with a bunt after no one covered first base for Doniphan.
She made it all the way home after Stewart laid down a bunt to follow. There was some controversy on the play as the Doniphan coaching staff said the ball hit Stewart on the way down after she left the batter's box, which would've caused a dead ball. None of the three umpires saw it, so the play stood.
The confusion on the play allowed Simpson enough time to cross the plate and open the scoring.
"It's a big impact because the umpire obviously wasn't in position to make the call," Doniphan coach Brad Eddington said. "That changes the whole complexity right there. Obviously, and an umpire never completely changes the outcome of a game because as a team, you still have to step up and play.
"But obviously, in that situation right there, it changes the complexion of the ball game because it's a 5-4 ball game and that run shouldn't have scored."
An RBI double from junior Kaylin Schuessler and an RBI single from Mackenzie Laurentius gave Perryville the three-run cushion and a picture-perfect start to the day.
"At the beginning of the day, we thought we had to get off to a good start, and I don't know if you could draw up much of a better start with the three runs in the first," Wengert said. "But we knew there was no way the three runs were going to win it."
Doniphan quickly narrowed the gap.
After Timberly Masching reached first on a dropped third strike that made its way near the backstop, Kaylee Davis roped a dinger over the fence in left-center, trimming the Doniphan deficit to 3-2.
"I just kept telling everyone to just stay calm," pitcher Makayla Brown said. "Don't overdo it because if you think you're just going to beat them, you'll make a mistake, so we just stayed calm."
Defense dominated a scoreless second inning, but in the third, Doniphan was able to tie things up. Hannah Ponder smoked a hard grounder to Besand at third base. The ball ricocheted off Besand's glove and into the outfield, allowing sophomore Madison Eddington to score the tying run.
"Being down 3-0 to start out, we could've completely folded and gave up, but we didn't, you know," coach Eddington said. "That's been the resiliency of this team all year. We've faced some really good teams this year. ... We're not 18-5 for no reason. We have some good girls who battle and claw.
"We've lost every game this year by one run, and that's what sucks, but it tells me my girls have been in position to win every ball game."
Burns' winning play followed, putting Perryville back in the driver's seat.
Doniphan looked to have regained the momentum after freshman Sydni Speck sent a fly ball to the wall in right field and turned on the afterburners, scoring an inside-the-park home run, punctuated by a slide into home as the throw came to the plate.
"I haven't seen a girl in Southeast Missouri that can outrun her, so she's going to make things happen," coach Eddington said.
But the Perryville defense buckled down. Brown and the defense came back and forced a 1-2-3 inning from the Donettes in the sixth. In the top of the seventh, it looked like Burns was going to add a solo homer to Perryville's offensive stat sheet, but Doniphan center fielder Jaylin Dutton leapt up at the wall and robbed her of a home run.
Brown and company quickly ended the comeback hopes with another three up, three down inning, and the celebration began.
"I have no words," Besand said. "It was just an on-top-of-the-world feeling. It's great. We're getting recognized. We're getting people to pay attention to us who never thought we could (win). It's been a great ride, and we're going to keep going."