Alex Eisen/MDN The Bismarck High Demons celebrate at home plate following a walk-off, two-run home run by freshman Logan Gronberg (center) to defeat Valley City, 8-7 in eight innings, in the Class A softball state semifinals Friday in Minot.

Body sore and hands hurting, but with one lethal swing of the bat, all that pain was wiped away. The only thing Logan Gronberg felt in the moment was complete happiness.

“It felt so good, it hit the sweet spot,” Gronberg said. “I knew it was over the second my bat touched the ball.”

Freshman sensation Gronberg crushed a two-run, walk-off home run in the eighth inning to lead West Region No. 1-seeded Bismarck High past East Region No. 2 Valley City, 8-7, in the Class A softball state semifinals Friday evening in Minot.

It was Gronberg’s second home run of the game, and she also pitched all eight innings for the Demons (28-3) as well.

“(Gronberg) is dealing with some injuries, you could tell towards the end (of the game),” Bismarck High head coach Kurt Grensteiner said. “Her hands hurt, her front leg hurt. She works so hard. You know she can do stuff like that, but I’m sure when she crushed that one, it hurt.”

The Valley City Hi-Liners (17-9) took the lead first, 2-0, with a pair of RBI hits from Becca Thompson and Eliza Schueneman in the top of the first.

Gronberg belted a solo home run in the bottom half, clearing the 220-yard sign in dead center field without a problem.

A fielding error in the second inning tied the score at 2-2, and a wild pitch by Valley City sophomore ace Hailey Schaefer gave the Demons their first lead in the third inning.

“We always think we can score one or two runs, but (Schaefer) is a good pitcher,” Grensteiner said. “It’s hard for teams to get five or six off her, so you never know.”

Paige Hanson pushed Bismarck’s lead out to 6-2 with a bases-clearing triple in the fourth inning. That appeared to be the decisive blow, but Valley City responded with four runs in the sixth.

Close calls at second base and home plate were argued by Grensteiner on a crucial sequence of events that plated two runs for Valley City. The officials held firm, and the Hi-Liners were given a second chance.

They made the most of it by getting out of the seventh inning unscathed to force extra innings and then took the lead in the top of the eighth. Eliza Johnson delivered with an RBI single.

In a crazy turn of events, Bismarck High was now on the ropes.

Trailing 8-7 with a runner on base in the eighth, Gronberg stepped back to the plate. After hitting her first-inning home run, the freshman had failed to drive in runs with the bases loaded.

“I was just hoping I wouldn’t ground out again,” Gronberg said.

She didn’t. From the crack of the bat, there was no doubt. Gronberg had gotten all of it — a towering shot to left center field. The Demons raced out of the dugout to meet her at home plate.

A few of Gronberg’s teammates purposefully fell to the ground when she touched home plate to symbolize the shock waves of a booming blast.

“We always talk about doing something you will never forget,” Grensteiner said. “No matter if you win or lose, do something that will stay in your memory forever. This game will stay in their memories forever, that’s what is cool about this.”

The dramatic victory sets up a 2017 state title game rematch against West Fargo. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. this afternoon at the South Hill Softball Complex in Minot.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.