Madison, WI – The East Team rallied from a four-run deficit in the seventh inning before walking off the West Team in eight innings during the inaugural Northwoods League Softball All-Star Game at Warner Park on Saturday night.

The East opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Dani Lucey (University of Wisconsin) hit an RBI single to give her team a 1-0 lead. The West answered immediately in the second. A run scored on an error to even the game before Olivia Hernandez (Purdue Northwest) delivered an RBI single to put the West ahead 2-1. Taylor Larson (York University) followed with another run-scoring single to extend the advantage to 3-1.

The West added two more runs in the fourth thanks to Clare Rettler (Carthage College). After dropping down a bunt, Rettler reached safely on an errant throw that skipped into right field, allowing her to race all the way around the bases for a little league home run and a 5-1 lead. The East responded in the bottom half of the inning. Jackie Larsen (Bemidji State University) and Marley Teasley (University of Washington) each drove in a run to trim the deficit to 5-4.

After tying the game in the sixth, the East watched the West regain control with a four-run seventh inning. Sara Simon (West Liberty University) singled home the go-ahead run before Rettler added an RBI single. Two more West runs pushed the lead to 9-5, leaving the East with four runs to make up in its final at-bat.

The comeback came quickly. Larsen worked a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, and Lucey scored on a fielder’s choice to make it 9-7. Hilary Blomberg (University of Wisconsin) then delivered the biggest hit of the inning, ripping a two-run single to even the score at 9-9 and send the game to extra innings.

The West reclaimed the lead in the eighth on Bridget Chapman’s (University of Delaware) sacrifice fly, but the East had one final answer. Claire Calmes (University of Wisconsin) doubled home the tying run before Lucey capped off the thrilling night with a walk-off single in front of her home crowd, sealing an 11-10 victory in the league’s first-ever All-Star Game.

Ryan Maddox (University of Washington) earned the win in the circle for the East, while Sailor Hall (Pittsburgh State University) took the loss for the West.

Northwoods League Softball regular-season play resumes Tuesday when the Madison Night Mares host the Grand Forks Spitfires at Warner Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.