Many times when a pitcher walks to the plate someone will shout out ‘Help yourself.’

Serena pitcher Cassie Walsh did just that in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s Class 1A Indian Creek Sectional softball semifinal against rival Newark.

Walsh blasted a two-run home run to snap a tied game, then retired the Norsemen in order - only the second 1-2-3 half inning of the game - in the bottom of the inning to close out a wild 10-8 victory in Shabbona.

“It felt really good off the bat, but a couple of other balls hit today were hit pretty good and the wind kept them from going over so I was just running,” Walsh said. “Just as I was rounding first, I looked out and saw it go over, I was just so excited. I’ve hit a few home runs before, but this one is at the top of the list by far.”

Walsh said as she neared home plate surrounded by her teammates, she was only hoping for one thing before they started slapping the top of her helmet in excitement.

“I was thinking ‘Just don’t give me a concussion, I still have to get three more outs,’” she said with a smile.

Serena (14-10) advances to Friday’s 7 p.m. championship game 7 p.m. against Gardner-South Wilmington.

Newark finishes the season at 13-16, three of those losses to Serena.

Serena won both regular-season Little Ten Conference games with the teams combining for 36 runs on 57 hits.

“That was a great battle from beginning to end,” Serena coach Katie Huss said. “We’d score, they’d score, we’d score, they’d score. We talked before the game about how this would probably be a game where no lead would be safe, both teams can really hit the ball.”

Serena scored a run in the first as Brynley Glade walked to leadoff the game and came around to score on a pair of wild pitches.

Newark plated four in their half of the inning on an RBI double by Adelaide Johnson and a three-run double by Cayla Pottinger.

The Huskers tied the contest in the second on a bases clearing double by Anna Hjerpe, but the Norsemen grabbed the lead back in the bottom half on an RBI double by Rylie Carlson.

“I think we all knew this wasn’t going to be a 1-0 or 2-1 game; there were going to be some runs scored,” Walsh said. “Both teams have really good lineups and can hit, so you just have to stay focused whether you’re up or down.

“I was struggling the first couple innings, then kind of found my rhythm, then kind of lost it again. This wasn’t my best day pitching, but my defense really made some great plays behind me to help me out.”

Serena tied the game at 5-5 in the third with a run on a wild pitch, then scored three times in the fourth on a two-run double by Hjerpe and an RBI ground out by Finley Brodbeck.

“As a coach you always believe in your team, but to be honest, there were some stretches for us this season when I wondered if we’d make it past regionals,” Huss said. “But every time we’d have those stretches these girls would find a way to bounce back stronger.

“This was a very fun game to be a part of and hopefully we can roll this momentum over to Friday.”

Newark tied the game at 8-8 with a run in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Rylie Carlson, and two in the fifth on an RBI ground out by Claudia Heubel and an RBI single by LeAnn Monsess.

Serena’s Parker Twait started the seventh with a base hit before Walsh’s round tripper.

Walsh (win, 7 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) was backed by a pair of diving catches by centerfielder Maddie Young, one each in the sixth and seventh.

Rylie Carlson (4⅔ IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) suffered the loss in relief of Pottinger (2⅓ IP, 2 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K).

“First of all, I think it’s fantastic that two Little Ten Conference teams were in this game,” Newark coach Jon Wood said. “This was a game where each team knows the other one very well, not really any secrets. In games like this it is more than likely going to come down to one or two plays, and those plays went Serena’s way today.

“We’ve shown the fight we did today all season. These girls just don’t back down on matter the situation. We had a very young team this year, only one senior, so I’m excited for the next few seasons. We have a great culture in place, the girls work hard to improve, and I expect us to take another step forward next year.”