Maddie Wilkin (with trophy) and Astoria captured their first state championship Saturday by beating St. Helens in the 4A final.

EUGENE – Battling through illness, Astoria senior pitcher Maddie Wilkin came through an all-time gritty performance in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 4A softball final Saturday at the University of Oregon.

Wilkin tossed a two-hitter with nine strikeouts and three walks to lead the third-seeded Fishermen (23-5) to their first state championship, beating Cowapa League rival St. Helens 7-0.

Wilkin vomited twice during the game, once in the second inning and once on a 3-2 count with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. On the latter, she retreated to the dugout for a couple minutes, then came back and delivered a called third strike to end the game.

Wilkin said she has been “feeling sick for a few days,” and the stress of the game and hot weather created challenges Saturday.

“It was mostly I would just get excited after some strikeouts,” Wilkin said. “I'd take a few breaths and try to calm myself. I was able to get through it.”

And the final pitch?

“Somebody had to do it, and I wanted it to be me,” Wilkin said.

Said Astoria coach Kent Israel: “How crazy was that? She's tough.”

It capped a brilliant high school career for Wilkin, who led Astoria to its first league titles in her first three seasons and was the catalyst for the team's first finals appearance this year.

“She's earned every bit of it. She has changed our program,” Israel said. “Her first two years she threw almost every game for us.”

Israel said Saturday's performance was Wilkin “to a T.”

“That's how she's been from her freshman year on,” Israel said. “She just guts these games out. It's who she is. She's a fighter. She's been unbelievable. … And she doesn't do well in the heat. With us being coast, we struggled a little bit with the heat.”

St. Helens (24-4), going for its first title since 1996, beat Astoria in two of three league meetings and took the Cowapa title away from the Fishermen. But Astoria ended up taking the bigger prize.

“We were pretty confident,” said Astoria sophomore Lyla Carlson, whose three-run double broke the game open. “We should have won league against them, but they won. I think that motivated us to win this game.”

Wilkin and St. Helens sophomore pitcher Eme Curaming were locked in a scoreless duel through five innings. In the sixth, though, the Fisherman got all the offense they needed.

With one out, senior Nayomi Holmstedt hit an infield single and sophomore Hailey Svensen singled to left field. Sophomore Aryana Adams followed with a hard ground ball to St. Helens junior shortstop Adaleigh Ellis, whose throw to third base for a forceout was late, loading the bases.

Wilkin singled on a soft liner to shallow left field, driving in the game's first run. With two outs, Carlson belted a three-run double to left-center field, making it 4-0.

The Fishermen made it 7-0 in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly by Svensen and a solo homer to center field by Adams.

The Lions' biggest threat came in the fourth inning, when they loaded the bases with one out. But Wilkin escaped by striking out senior Andrea Brooks and getting senior Michaela Dueck to fly out to left field.

“I had full confidence in myself and my fielders,” Wilkin said. “I know if I throw strikes and if they make contact, we can make something happen, so I wasn't worried about much.”

Astoria finished with nine hits off Curaming, who struck out six and walked one. Svensen went 3 for 3 with an RBI.

After falling in the semifinals last season – on a long road trip to Henley -- Israel made it a point to get his team mentally ready for long-distance travel this season. They had extended trips in the semifinals (La Grande) and final this year, but proved up to the task.

“This is a tough game to come and play,” Israel said. “The atmosphere is totally different than anything we play at all year.”

Of Astoria's five losses this season, four were by one run and one was by two runs.