On Tuesday, the Lady Rams proved once and for all why they are worthy of a trip to the postseason.

No. 3 Newton (21-10 overall, 5-2 region) defeated M.L. King (6-8, 4-3) 6-5 in eight innings during the Region 2-AAAAA Softball Tournament at Heritage Park.

"The girls played tough on both sides of the ball," remarked Newton head coach Jason LaChappelle.

With the win, the Lady Rams clinched a spot in the Class AAAAA state sectionals. They will play the No. 2 seed from Region 4-AAAAA on October 19 at Lovejoy Park in Hampton.

Like the Colorado Rockies, the Lady Rams have peaked at the right time, playing their best ball of the year. They have won eight of their last 10 games, scoring double figures in five of those contests.

Entering Thursday, Newton had scored 207 runs in 31 games, averaging 6.7 per game. In fact, the Lady Rams have scored in double digits 10 times this year.

Last year Newton was 13-19 overall with a 4-3 region record, scoring in double figures six times.