Centralia softball is one win away from its first state championship since 2016.

Centralia vs Blair Oaks Photo Gallery

The state No. 1 Lady Panthers wouldn’t even allow one run to cross against Blair Oaks on Friday in the Class 3 MSHSAA championships at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield. Jaylynn Brown struck out 18 and spun her third straight no-hitter to extend Centralia’s win streak to 14 games and shutout streak to eight.

“We’ve worked all season for this,” Brown said. “I’m so happy that we made it. It’s so exciting that we finally get to go and be in the final two.”

Madi Johnson was 2-for-4 with a double in the first inning that set the table for a three-run first inning for Centralia (29-3). Johnson’s bloop double scored on a RBI single by Cora King and then a two-RBI double by Tilly Fox.

“Every single one of us on the team is ready to win that game,” Johnson said about going on to today’s 2:30 p.m. state championship game against No. 6 Oak Grove (24-9). “We came out and did everything we wanted to do today.”

“The hardest part for us is getting there,” Fox said. “Now that we’re here, we’re so excited. We’re ready to go. It’s not done yet.”

Head coach Liz Bostick said she did some research and preparation for Blair Oaks (15-19) as it was a different team from the Lady Falcons that Centralia beat 3-0 on Sept. 3. Blair Oaks went into the Final Four on a four-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 35-5 in that span. The Lady Falcons had eight players between 10-16 RBI.

“They’ve got new kids in since they played before,” Bostick said. “I was able to figure out their hitters and watch a little more of video. We knew what we were going to see in Ava, and that was also key for my batters. We knew what to look for.”

All-state pitcher Ava Willson was a similarity from the first meeting, though, as she struck out 11 and allowed seven hits and three walks.

Bostick liked the contact Fox made in her two-RBI double, of course, but also liked how she didn’t strike out once against Willson. Her senior, who also made a couple catches in center field late in the game, pressured Blair Oaks all game despite Fox saying she had “pretty good rise balls,” a change up and drop balls to display good range.

“She put the ball in play every time and made them get her out,” Bostick said. “She had another one in the 5-6 hole, a real hard chopper, but the third baseman made a good play. I thought that was going to get down.”

“Going up to that at-bat, I was like, ‘This is my last year, and I want to leave everything on the field. I don’t want regret anything,’” Fox said about her two-RBI double. “I took enough reps my softball career so it’s all leading up to this moment and these last moments here. I’m so grateful to be in this position and have this team along with me.”

That gave Brown plenty of insurance along with a RBI double by her battery mate Ealynne Bostick in the second inning. Brown started the seventh inning with 17 strikeouts – five more than her first meeting against Blair Oaks with 12 strikeouts along with one hit.

In her second meeting with Blair Oaks, the sophomore Brown encountered some early wild command in the first inning and walked five in the game but corrected any vulnerability. The Lady Falcons couldn’t take advantage of any opportunities, including a one-out, bases loaded jam in the seventh inning.

“It’s just making sure I spin the ball,” Brown said. “Last time, I was injured and wasn’t throwing my hardest. My hip was messed up and causing me a lot of pain. This time, I was throwing my hardest. I just had to keep the spin so they couldn’t keep on top of it.”

Bostick teased Brown about “padding her stats” with the wild dropped strike three in the first inning. Seriously, she said Brown was fantastic yet again despite a strike zone Bostick found hard to decipher.

“She did a great job moving the ball and spinning the ball,” Bostick said. “She was tight and not loose. It was something to lose. We always feel like it so I hope I can get her calmed down and ready to go tomorrow.”

“She’s phenomenal,” Johnson said. “She’s worked really hard. To see where she’s come from last year to this year is mind-blowing.”

Even when Brown ran into trouble with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and gave Blair Oaks some hope, she pitched them into outs hit to Fox and Johnson. Bostick said she feels that inning can better prepare Centralia for a state championship game today against Oak Grove after Brown has not allowed much traffic in her stupendous 0.43 ERA season.

“I was able to breathe before that,” Bostick said about the seventh inning. “I think their fans put on a lot of pressure. We’re up by four runs. It’s not the like the game-winning run is at third base. It’s been so long since we’ve somebody score on them that they’re all tense. I’m like, ‘Relax. Unless we give up a grand slam, and even then, it’s just tied, it’s OK.’”

Friday’s victory was meaningful also in that it tied the 29 wins earned by the 2016 state championship team for Centralia. Bostick was an assistant coach for hall of fame coach Jill Angell on the Lady Panthers’ most recent state title team. That can change today.

“It’s my team. It’s not me,” Bostick said about the accomplishment. “I love these kids. I love to come out with them. That’s the whole reason I coach is because of kids like this. I love this sport, and I love it when I have a team that has passion for it. That’s what this team has.”