ABERDEEN — Ayla Dimmer celebrated her 18th birthday in style. 

Dimmer and the Gayville-Volin softball team pulled past Mobridge-Pollock, 11-4, in the Class B semifinals at the state tournament on Friday. The No. 6 seeded Raiders will play No. 1 Deuel in the state championship at 4 p.m. Saturday. 

On Friday, Dimmer celebrated her birthday with seven strikeouts, allowing 13 hits, four earned runs and zero walks on 77 pitches. And a trip to the state championship. 

“This is like the best birthday present that I could ever have,” Dimmer said. “This morning I told my team, ‘I was like guys this would be the best birthday present ever. We need to lock in.’ ”

After a rocky start, the Raiders and Dimmer locked in as they pulled away from Mobridge-Pollock, which scored four runs in the first inning.  

“It did not surprise me that we gave up four runs and it did not surprise me that we came back and put up 11 runs,” Gayville-Volin coach Jason Selchert said. “Our girls are just kind of easy going and I am sure nerves were a lot of it.” 

After spotting the Tigers four runs, the Raiders surged back with a barrage of runs. Gayville-Volin plated four runs apiece in the third and fourth innings, pulling ahead for a 9-4 advantage. 

“I know that no matter what we are still in the game,” said Dimmer, who added two hits and drove in one run. “It was early in the game and we’ve come back from more deficits than that. So I had so much confidence in my team. I knew that we could come back.”

Gayville-Volin added one run apiece in the fifth and sixth innings, reaching the final 11-4 margin. GV’s Jolie Westrum finished 3-of-3 and scored three runs from her lead-off spot, helping to spark the offensive surge. 

“She has to be our spark and she was that and she’s really been that all year,” Selchert said. “She’s a lead-off batter that bats over .500 and actually just started bunting the ball here recently. She hasn’t been doing that all year. That’s something she’s added lately and it’s working for her.”

Kendra Beeck and Teresa Stockman drove in two runs apiece, while Maia Achen, Tanayia Pacheco and Aliza Westrum each had hits. 

For Mobridge-Pollock, which committed four errors, Jacy Netterville and Elsy Larsen recorded three hits apiece. Mobridge-Pollock pitcher Grace Overland allowed 11 runs, seven earned runs, two walks and struck out seven batters.

Mobridge-Pollock will play Alcester-Hudson at 2 p.m. Saturday in the third-place game. 

The Raiders, meanwhile, will play in their first-ever state championship game after losing in the first round the past two seasons. 

“Just making a semifinal game, that’s something our school has never done,” Selchert said. “So now to play for a championship that’s a pretty cool thing. But these girls are really deserving of it.”