Dale rolls to third straight title
Dale senior Mikayla Rutland understood the scenario.
Sara Lock had just hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. Rutland could end it with one swing of the bat.
She stayed calm and let it rip.
A perfect swing and a towering home run ended the top-ranked Pirates’ 21-11 run-rule victory over No. 3 Silo to win a third straight Class 4A slowpitch softball state championship Tuesday night at ASA Hall of Fame Complex.
“This being my last time, I wanted to go out with a bang and do whatever I could to help my team win it,” Rutland said. “We did.”
Rutland, who has signed with Murray State, hit two home runs and drove in four runs. She went 10 for 10 in the three tournament games after not recording an out in last year’s tournament.
Dale (39-2) hit a total of five homers on the windy day, though that had little to do with the result. Star junior Delanie Manning hit a two-run homer in the first inning after Silo had taken a 4-0 lead. Lacey
Savage later hit a homer in the fifth. By that point, Dale was firmly in control.
“That’s one thing about our team is we always fight,” Rutland said.
Fort Gibson routs Heavener
Fort Gibson senior Abbie Scott focused on relaxing.
She had been uptight in the Class 5A state quarterfinals and semifinals, even going 0 for 5 in the latter. But in the championship game, she looked every bit the power hitter she’s known to be.
Scott hit two homers — including a grand slam — in No. 6 Fort Gibson’s offensive onslaught that led to a 22-4 three-inning rout of Heavener for the school’s first slowpitch title since 1999.
“We feed off each other,” Scott said. “Anything can happen. Whenever home runs start being hit we all know our bats are going to come through.”
Scott, who hit 40 homers as a junior, was the catalyst for an offense that pounded out 17 hits and used a 12-run second. She finished 2 for 3 with six RBI.