CHICOPEE - It took nearly 44 hours for the game to restart and just 3 minutes, 35 seconds for the Hampshire Regional softball team to end it.

After weather delayed the end of the Red Raiders' Western Massachusetts Division 2 Tournament game with the score tied in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday, the contest finally resumed Friday with runners on first and second and one out for Allison Bednarsky.

The Hampshire junior drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases and eighth-grader Savannah Waters smacked a 2-2 hard grounder to the right side that the Palmer infield could not handle, scoring Lauren Walker for the 9-8 walk-off win at Elms College.

"This is definitely the craziest game I've seen," said Red Raiders coach Brian McGan, whose team overcame a bevy of challenges to reach its third straight western Massachusetts final. "I told the kids I'm so proud of them for the way they persevered through everything. Not just the long wait, but also everything that happened on Wednesday. I couldn't be prouder."

A lightning strike late in the game Wednesday caused the first postponement. The hope had been to finish the game in between the Division 3 semifinal games Thursday afternoon. The opener between Mount Everett and Ware beat Thursday's strong thunderstorms, but the first crack of lightning occurred just as Hampshire and Palmer were entering the dugouts and the weather never improved, pushing the restart to Friday at 3 p.m.

"We came into the game (Friday) prepared the same way as any other game," said junior catcher Bri Moussette, who was on deck when Walker scored the game winner.

Bednarsky, the team's leadoff hitter, showed impressive patience to draw the four-pitch walk and load the bases with one out.

"I think it helped that it was Allison (who was up first) because she's the leadoff hitter and she's used to starting the game at the plate," McGan said.

Waters then took a high strike and fouled off the next pitch, falling into an 0-2 hole. She took two balls to even the count before lacing the grounder to the right side to score Walker.

"I just wanted to make good contact," she said. "I wanted to make them make a play."

McGan praised his young shortstop's focus.

"We moved her up (to the No. 2 spot in the lineup) around midseason to take advantage of her speed and she responded well," McGan said. "She doesn't play like an eighth-grader. She's very composed."

No. 2 Hampshire (18-2) will play No. 1 Wahconah (21-1) in the title game for the third straight year, with the Red Raiders victorious in 2009 and the Warriors winning last season. The squads will meet for the championship at the UMass Softball Complex at 11 a.m. Saturday.

"We just need to go in focused and limit our mistakes," Moussette said. "We are excited to be back and have another game against Wahconah."

On Wednesday, Hampshire committed two errors and fell behind 3-0 in the first inning. The Red Raiders battled back to take a 4-3 lead but No. 3 Palmer (17-5) scored three times in the fifth for a 6-4 advantage and that's where the score stood in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Hampshire dugout suddenly started calling for the medic.

Sophomore pitcher Ashlee McGan, Brian's daughter, suffered from heat exhaustion, felt dizzy and faint and could not hold down any water. Tournament officials called 911 and an ambulance eventually took her to Baystate Medical center in Springfield.

After nearly an hour delay, the game resumed and Moussette reached on a two-out error that scored Walker and Kayla Croteau to even the score. Janelle Gorman followed with an RBI single to right-center for the lead and Meghan Hurley doubled home pinch-runner Chelsea Moussette from first.

Croteau then took the mound and Palmer used three hits, including two that never left the infield, and a walk to score twice and even the score. But Hampshire limited the damage and entered the bottom of the seventh tied 8-8.

Walker legged out an infield single on a slow roller to third to start the inning and Croteau beat a throw from shortstop for another single, but that's when the lightning started, forcing the teams to wait nearly two full days before determining Wahconah's opponent.

After being released from the hospital late Wednesday night, Ashlee McGan was at the field Thursday and Friday. She has been cleared by her doctor to play, but whether she or Croteau take the mound Saturday is uncertain.

"She's got the OK from the doctor, but we're going to see how she's doing in the morning (Saturday) and go from there," Brian McGan said. "We really don't know if she'll be ready to pitch, but the team will be ready with either (pitcher) out there."

Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.