“It’s kind of like it’s ….

“It’s kind of like it’s 0-0 again at the start of the game,” Miller said of getting that all-important first run. “Now we just have to push through and push through our runs.”

“There have been glimpses of good at-bats and breaking it open at times,” Klapatauskas said. “We just couldn’t finish. We trust each other enough and we know that we can be the team that comes through in the sixth and seventh innings.”

Miller set the Robins down in order in the top of the seventh, setting the stage for Klapatauskas.

Klapatauskas went three for four in the win, while Seidl was two for three. The Raiders collected nine hits off Swartz, who struck out seven and walked two and made enough big pitches to strand 10 Raider runners.

Miller was sharp in her return, striking out 12 and walking none.

“It felt really good,” she said. “I’ve been itching to be back. After those two and a half weeks of not playing, it felt really good to get back out in the circle. I was pretty ready to go, pretty excited to be back and I just knew I had to try to pick up where I left off.”

Heading back to the sectional semifinal level where their 2021 season ended, the Raiders were excited about their chances after their dramatic wins in regional week.

“It’s nice to know that we could do it again,” Miller said of winning a second regional title. “We’ve pulled together as a team two years in a row. A lot of our team has returned from last year. I’m not saying that we had a shaky season, but it was a little less solid than last year. So to be able to pull this back out again and come together at the end is big.”

“I think it shows that we have good chemistry too,” Huegli said.

Eryka Seidl scores the tying run on Morgan Huegli’s single during Thursday’s sixth inning.