DARTMOUTH — With a runner standing on third base, Hudson’s Lauren O’Malley knew she needed to change her approach in her fourth at-bat of the state semifinal matchup against Apponequet.

“Earlier in the game I was trying to hit a double or a triple,” O’Malley said. “This time, I was just trying to get a single. Not a huge swing, just a little poke.”

That’s exactly what she did, driving in Alyssa Davis to give her Hawks a 5-4 lead. Audrey Lenox would then double her in, giving Hudson a 6-4 lead that it would not relinquish as the Hawks advanced to the Division 2 state championship game.

This came despite the team not holding a lead until the sixth inning, and then needing to get another rally in the next inning.

“All season long, this team knew anything was possible,” Hawks coach Laura Brown said. “This team clearly has no quit. Great team win, I could not be more proud of every single one of them.”

Apponequet pitcher Lauren Bernaiche retired the first nine Hawks, and the Lakers secured a 2-0 lead behind her. However, Hudson was prepared to change the pace.

“We’re big on making adjustments mid game,” Brown said. “These kids are unselfish, and they come back to the bench and talk about what they are seeing. We learned that, due to the wind, we needed to hit line drives and put the ball on the ground and that worked for us today.”

It started with a run in the fourth, but the Hawks would enter that sixth inning trailing 3-1. However, back-to-back singles from Lenox and Sam Collette set the table for freshman Liv Connolly, who took a positive mindset to the plate.

“The key was just having fun,” Connolly said. “When I go up there tense and scared, it hurts me and all of us. When we’re loose and having fun, it works out better for all of us.”

She smashed a double, tying the game, and would eventually score the go-ahead run on a single from Colbie Lacina. Apponequet would tie it in the seventh off a Morgan Saraceno RBI single, but that was just a precursor to the seventh-inning heroics.

Hudson’s win sets up a date with Dighton-Rehoboth or Norton in the final, but O’Malley said the impact of the team’s success has already had a positive impact on a Hawks softball program that has just 12 players.

“People love this,” O’Malley said. “They want to start joining. We’re going to get more people for our program.”

Apponequet catcher Lauren O’Malley misses the tag on Hudson’s Liv Connolly during a state semifinal softball game won 6-4 by Hudson. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)