Southmoore wins Class 6A title on Sharp's walk-off hit
Riley Sharp just needed her pitch.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Abi Jones had stolen second base giving Sharp an opportunity to deliver on what she had always dreamed of doing.
“We had one out,” Sharp said. “So I was trying to look towards the outside just to move the runner.”
That's exactly what she did.
Sharp saw an outside pitch and slapped it down the right-field line. She raised her right fist as the ball dropped in the outfield.
“We're going to win, we' re going to win ,” Southmoore coach Jason Lingo screamed as he waved Jones around third base.
Through laughter, Jones stomped onto home plate and the celebration began.
Sharp hit a walk- off double in the eighth inning to give Southmoore the Class 6 A state championship.
South moore topped Owasso 3-2 at the OGE Energy Field on Saturday night. It was Southmoore's first fastpitch state title since 2016.
After the SaberCats' dog pile ended near home plate, Lingo grabbed Sharp and gave her a hug. He fought back tears after the impressive hit.
“I can't say enough about what Riley Sharp has done the last three days,” Lingo said. “From hitting a home run [Thursday] to what she did tonight, I couldn't be more proud.”
The SaberCats didn't waste any time in scoring their first run on Saturday.
As the leadoff batter, Tallen Edwards hit a solo home run over the rightfield fence in the first inning. The sophomore then hit an RBI triple in the second inning to give Southmoore a two-run advantage. She emphatically yelled with joy at the SaberCats in the dugout.
“Tallen Edwards is a great talent and she'll be the first to tell you she's had a horrible Thursday and Friday,” Lingo said. “Last night we talked for a long time and I just told her, `Let's just go back to you playing ball.' And she jumped on that first pitch.”
After a South moore thrown error and a Sarah Campbell RBI single, Owasso scored a run in the fourth and fifth inning to tie the game. The score was unchanged until Sharp delivered her final clutch moment in the 2020 state tournament.
In the quarter finals, Sharp hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning. The sophomore then slid into home plate for the game-winning run in the extra-inning semi final matchup. Saturday, she hit the walk-off double to win it for Southmoore.
“We were nowhere close to our best but we survived and advanced,” Lingo said. “There's nowhere else to go but we advanced to that gold trophy. So I'm proud of my kids for their fight and tenacity the last three days. I've been doing this a long time in a lot of different sports.
“I don't ever remember three last-second or last-inning games like this. It's been an incredible three days.”