Henry-Senachwine softball coach Lori Stenstrom doesn’t normally pay attention to what’s going on outside the fence of the field.

But on Friday, Stenstrom noticed the large crowd that showed up to watch the Mallards attempt to make history.

“I looked up and went, ‘Holy cow, where did all these people come from?’ ” Stenstrom said. “There were a lot of people there. It was fun.”

And the Mallards gave them plenty to cheer about.

No. 2-seeded Henry-Senachwine defeated No. 3 Midland 3-1 to win the Class 1A Henry-Senachwine Regional, giving the Mallards their third consecutive regional title.

Not only was it the first time the Henry softball team won three regional plaques in a row, it was the first time any program at Henry had accomplished the feat.

“It feels great,” Stenstrom said. “Nobody’s ever done it. With this group of kids, it’s just icing on the cake.”

Henry senior Rachel Eckert threw a complete game, allowing one run - which came on a home run - on three hits while striking out four batters and walking none.

“Pitching and defense (were key),” Stenstrom said. “Rachel Eckert hit her spots well. Our defense did their jobs, and we had no errors.”

Brynna Anderson gave the Mallards an early lead as she smacked a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the first inning.

“That’s always great to get a run right away,” Stenstrom said.

Henry tacked don two more runs in the third.

Alaina Sprague hit a one-out double, and after a ground out, Anderson was intentionally walked before Addy Robbins hit a triple to right field to score Sprague and Anderson.

Anderson finished 2 for 2 with two runs and an RBI.

The Mallards (15-10) advance to play West Central (29-2-1) in the Williamsfield Sectional at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. West Central beat Williamsfield 2-1 in the West Central Regional on Friday.

Henry defeated the Heat 2-1 in last year’s sectional championship.

“West Central is really good,” Stenstrom said. “Their No. 1 pitcher is very good. Pitching-wise, we’re going to have to hit our spots and not leave anything over the plate.”