A term coined by sportswriter Eric Pratt from the Fort Dodge Messenger seemed oh-so-fitting for the run and the journey for an improbable climb to the top prize.

Unranked and seeded 4th in their six-team regional, the underdog Dutch finished their “Cinderpella” story en route to the school’s first ever softball championship on Thursday evening. The game, and entire tournament run, was heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

After knocking off the #1, #5, and #6 teams in Iowa on their way to the finals, the Pella girls won 4-2 against #3 North Polk. The Comets defeated the Dutch earlier in the season by a 3-1 margin, but it was the Dutch who stuck to their successful formula used to topple the other top teams in Iowa.

The game itself featured the first deficit of the entire postseason for the green and white, falling behind in the 2nd inning due to an error 1-0. But there was no panic for the underdogs — Abby Melvin ripped a triple to right center field, and was brought home by Bray-Lynne Van Zante to tie it up. The juggernaut Comets runners couldn’t find a way to get more tallies home until leadoff baserunners in the bottom of the 5th turned into a run.

But again, the now-champs were unfazed, and countered with a massive rally of their own in the top of the 6th. With two runners on and two outs, Melvin delivered the hit of the postseason with a two-bagger.

While North Polk would get runners on in both the 6th and 7th innings, nothing threatened home plate, and it was the unlikely title-winners from the Tulip City that reigned supreme over Class 4A softball in 2025.

For Second-Year Head Coach Katie Banowetz, the timing of the run leads to an enormously special day — her wedding is this Saturday. The soon-to-be Coach Mayhew didn’t mind, and invited the team to her ceremony to keep the celebration going.

Hear more from the state champions on Today’s Lely Radio Sports Page on KNIA/KRLS. Melvin, Katie Scheckel, and Emma Eekhoff were named to the 4A All-Tournament team, with Eekhoff earning the title of “captain.”