The Nansemond River High School softball program has enjoyed success in years past, but never the kind it experienced on Friday.

Visiting Grafton High School held a 4-3 lead over the Lady Warriors in the bottom of the seventh inning of a well-played contest by both teams. Then, Nansemond River introduced madness on the bases, forcing the Lady Clippers into a critical error.

The Lady Warriors, who had hung close all game, seized the opportunity as both their base runners raced home to bring Nansemond River softball its first regional championship in school history.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” coach Gabe Rogers said, as the game illustrated what he said he told his players upon taking over the program in 2013: “We will win.”

“We’re not here to be competitive,” he said. “We work hard to win, and we’re very grateful when we do win.”

Grafton took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but the Lady Warriors closed it to 3-2 in the third and tied it 3-3 in the fifth. The Lady Clippers went back up in the sixth, setting the stage for the drama in the bottom of the seventh.

With one out and one runner on base, NR sophomore KateLynn Hodgkiss came up to bat. She hit an excellent bunt that hardly traveled anywhere, forcing the Grafton defense to scramble. She went to first and sophomore Lauren Maddrey raced to second.

Junior Morgan Lowers said, “I was on the on-deck circle, so was thinking, ‘Oh, what am I going to do when I get up to bat.’ And then Lauren Maddrey is Lauren Maddrey, and she decides to do what she does.”

In the latest of Maddrey’s inscrutable plays that have helped her team, she started for third, because, she said, she thought Coach Rogers was telling her to come.

“But he wasn’t,” she said with a smile. “He normally says if there’s a bunt and you’re on first, you’re trying to get third, if it’s not occupied, but it was.”

Rogers good-naturedly said, “I don’t know what that kid was doing, but it forced them to make a play, and they just didn’t happen to make that play.”

Grafton threw the ball to third, attempting to get Maddrey out, and Lowers said, “I was like, ‘Wait, the ball got past the third baseman. Wait, it got past the left fielder. Go, go!’”

Maddrey quickly scored, and then came Hodgkiss for the winning run.

Hodgkiss went 3-for-4, with three runs batted in and three runs scored.

“You couldn’t do it without the team, though,” she said. “We all played hard and aggressive. That’s the way we were taught.”

Key to the win was sophomore Lauren Davis, who went 2-for-3, with two RBIs. Sophomore Maddie McGrath had a hit and a run scored, as did Maddrey, who improved to 19-2 on the mound. Junior Emily Carson also supplied a hit.

Nansemond River (22-2) faces Fauquier High School in the state semifinals at 2 p.m. on June 13 at Liberty University.