The Awesome Blossoms are headed back to state.

Blooming Prairie erased an early one-run deficit to beat Wabasha/Kellogg 4-2 in the Section 1A softball title game in Todd Park Thursday.

It is the second straight trip to state for BP (20-1 overall).

“Last year, this year it’s all the same and it all feels good,” said BP catcher Hunter Henderson, who went three-for-three with a double in the win. “We get to do things a lot of kids don’t get to do and we get the chance to play on a great team.”

W/K (15-11 overall) scored the first earned runs off of BP pitcher Erica Manske this postseason when Anna Norgrant launched a two-out, two-run homer over the right field fence to put the Falcons up 2-1 in the third. But the blast didn’t shake up BP — it did the opposite.

“It motivated us to get back in and hit the ball really well,” BP shortstop Tayla Jones said.

Henderson singled to lead off the fourth inning and her courtesy runner, Taylor Farr, scored on a groundout by Sidni Olson to tie the game in the fourth and Manske knocked in Tricia DeBoer with a single to right in the fifth. Julia Magnes knocked in another run on a groundout to make it 4-2.

“They played us very well and they made the adjustments they needed to make,” BP head coach Ali Mach said. “We’ve gotten down other times this season, but the girls make the plays and they come right back. I knew if we could get a couple of runs that Erica would shut them down and we made some nice defensive plays.”

As the offense rebounded, Manske also recovered on the mound. She retired nine straight hitters at one point and she got a little help from junior right fielder Sam Ivers, who made a running over the head grab near the fence on a deep foul ball in the sixth.

Manske walked two in the seventh to put the tying run on first with two outs, but she finally retired Jordan Wolfe to end the game on a pop out after an at-bat that went several pitches.

“Erica’s amazing. She’s mentally strong and it never gets to her. There can be two girls on and one out and she just worries about the batter,” Henderson said. “(The last at-bat) was nerve racking but I trust Erica and she’s never going to give up a run like that.”

BP opened the game in strong fashion as Jones, a senior, blasted a solo homerun into the wind in center field.

“I had a feeling (it was out). It felt really good and after I was rounding first, I was like ‘Oh it’s gone,’” Jones said.

The Blossoms will open the Class ‘A’ state tournament Thursday at 1 p.m. against the winner of Section 8A in Mankato. BP lost both of its games at state last season.

“We have motivation and we’re coming back for revenge,” Jones said. “That experience will help us and we’ll know what to look for.”

It was fitting that BP fell behind early in its game to get to state as the Blossoms have always bounced back from adversity throughout the year. Mach tributes that to experience and a strong desire to get to state.

“The biggest thing is team chemistry and staying together. We understand you’re going to make mistakes, but it’s how you respond to those mistakes that’s going to make a difference,” Mach said. “We never talk about winning, we talk about being successful and we count this as being successful and we’re playing some really good softball right now.”

WK 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 2 4 1

BP 1 0 0 1 2 0 X — 4 10 0

BP pitching: Erica Manske (W), 7 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 7 K

BP hitting: Tricia DeBoer, 1-for-4, R, SB; Manske, 1-for-4, RBI; Tayla Jones, 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R; Hunter Henderson, 3-for-3, double; Julia Manges, 0-for-2, RBI, BB; Shelbi Swenson, 1-for-3, double, SB; Sidni Olson, 1-for-3, RBI; Jenna Krell, 2-for-3; Sam Ivers, 0-for-3; Taylor Farr, R; Kelsey Kubista, R