Keep battling.

That is something Hannah Koppelmann’s Owensville Dutchgirl softball team has done throughout the fall.

Last Thursday against Salem’s Lady Tigers in their annual pink out game, Owensville trailed 6-3 entering a do-or-die bottom of the seventh inning.

Four batters in, Addison Wright deposited a 1-1 pitch over the right-field fence for a two-run walk off home run and a 7-6 Dutchgirl victory.

“This was a big win for us against a district opponent,” Koppelmann said. “We just kept battling and our perseverance finally paid off in the bottom of the seventh inning.”

Retiring Salem in order in the top half of the first inning, Wright helped her own cause in the bottom half of the inning.

Dutchgirl senior Kaitlin Nelson led the frame off with a single before catcher Anna Finley doubled to left field moving Nelson to third base.

Three pitches later, Wright doubled to left-center field driving in Nelson and Finley for a 2-0 Dutchgirl lead after one inning.

Striking her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second inning, Wright gave her offense a chance to add to their 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

In her first full game back since a season-ending knee injury on the basketball court, Katelyn Landolt led off the bottom of the second with a single before scoring on a Nelson RBI double bumping the Dutchgirl lead to 3-0 after two innings.

Inning number three saw Salem’s bats come to life against Owensville.

Seeing 12 batters come to the plate in the top of the third, Salem turned five hits, two walks, a hit batter and an error into six runs giving them a 6-3 lead on the road.

From the bottom of the third inning on, both pitchers settled down limiting base runners throughout the latter stages of the game.

Down to their last three outs, it was time for Owensville’s bats to wake up in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Gabby Bunners led off with a single before being retired when Nelson reached on a fielder’s choice.

Junior left fielder Leah Reed then reached base for the first time in the game on a single through the right side of the infield.

Adding to her first-inning double, Finley delivered a shot down the right-field line for a two-RBI triple scoring Nelson and Reed cutting Salem’s lead to 6-5 with only one out in the inning.

Three pitches into Wright’s fourth at bat, she sent the Dutchgirl dugout into a frenzy with a two-run walk off home run.

Owensville will end their regular season this weekend at the Rolla Softball Tournament.

They will compete in Pool D on Friday along with Carthage, Ozark and Wright City playing on the Kiwanis Field at the Ber Juan Softball Complex in Rolla.

They will open Pool D softball at 12:45 p.m., Friday against Ozark before facing Carthage at 2:30 p.m., and concluding pool play at 6 p.m., against Wright City.

Depending upon where the finish in pool play will determine whether they play in the gold, silver, bronze or copper bracket on Saturday.