For the second time in three days Serena senior Cassie Walsh and Somonauk/Leland freshman Brielle Deacon hooked up in a classic pitchers’ duel that lasted just 70 minutes.

Like they did on Tuesday, the Huskers managed to push across a run late in Thursday’s Little Ten Conference game while Walsh was able to keep the Bobcats off the scoreboard to record a thrilling 1-0 softball victory in Serena.

The triumph closed out an undefeated conference championship for Serena, which improved to 10-7 overall and finished 8-0 in league action.

Somonauk/Leland dropped to 8-8 and 4-2.

The lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the fifth as a walk and error set up Anna Hjerpe’s sacrifice fly.

Walsh finished the complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. She retired the final 11 batters she faced and pitched out of a runner on second and third jam with two outs in the fourth.

“I feel like facing them Tuesday gave me a good idea of how I wanted to pitch to each of them,” Walsh said of Serena’s 2-0 win at Somonauk. “I knew the hitters that I was going to attack and the ones that I needed to be more careful with. My go-to most of the time is the outside corner, that’s where I feel I’m most effective, and that’s where I was pitching to most of the game.

“I feel like my pitches, other than my drop ball, were working well and I didn’t miss very many spots.

“Today was a lot like Tuesday because both teams were just keeping each other from scoring. I feel like after we scored the run in the fifth, I was really focused on making that run hold up.”

Serena had left three runners in scoring position through the first four innings. In the fifth, Emily Hoffman led off with a walk and moved to third on a two-base throwing error on a grounder by Maddie Young. After an infield popout, Kaity Johnson loaded the bases after reaching on a bunt. Hjerpe then followed with a line drive to right which was deep enough to score Hoffman.

“Both Cassie and Brielle were just fantastic today, just like they were on Tuesday,” Serena assistant coach Ron Johnson said. “These last two games with those two going back and forth we knew scoring opportunities were going to be limited, so you just had to take advantage when they came around. That’s what happened in the fifth and the girls were able to come through.”

Deacon went six innings, allowing just two hits, no earned runs, with one walk and two strikeouts.

The Bobcats received sensational defensive plays from centerfielder Kennedy Barshinger, shortstop Brooke Bahrey, third baseman MacKenna McMahan and leftfielder Ashley McCoy.

“I think we all showed ourselves (on Tuesday) that we can be a really strong team when we all stick together, believe in ourselves and fight until the end,” Deacon said. “[The last two games] didn’t work out in our favor, but I feel like we played really well these last two games and hopefully we can continue to play well the rest of the season.

“I just knew I had to hit my spots and really all of my pitches were working today. For the most part I’m not trying to strike every hitter out because I know I have a really good defense behind me. My defense was incredible today; they made so many great plays.

“Cassie is a really good pitcher and when you face her you have to be looking for pitches on the outside corner. But she also knows when hitters are looking for it and when she does she put one on the inside corner. She just a very tough pitcher to hit against.”

Serena hosts Hinckley-Big Rock on Saturday at 10 a.m. Somonauk/Leland plays Newark at home on Monday at 4:30 p.m.