Carl Albert continued its impressive run of state championships Saturday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, beating El Reno 7-0 to win its second consecutive fastpitch softball title.
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"It's amazing,” said Carl Albert senior Karolyne Long. "It feels twice as good as it did last year.”
Since winning last year's fastpitch title, the Titans have also won titles in football, boys' basketball and baseball.
Samantha Bachman, an Oklahoma commit, dominated the Lady Indians, allowing just two hits and striking out three in the complete-game win.
"She's definitely our MVP,” said Titans coach Colin White. "Without her, we're not here.”
After scuffling for much of the season, Carl Albert's offense came around during the state tournament, scoring 29 runs in four games.
"We just picked the right time for it to come around I guess,” said Brittany Weaver, whose RBI single started the scoring. "We had confidence it would sooner or later.”
After needing a come-from-behind win over Duncan in Friday's bracket finals, Carl Albert had no problem handling the Lady Indians.
The Titans returned all but one offensive starter from a season ago, and their experience showed.
All 10 players who batted had hits for Carl Albert. Long and Chelsea Downs had two each.
El Reno was making its first tournament appearance and went 3-0 in bracket play, not allowing a run. But Lady Indians pitcher Katie Raines found herself in trouble early on Saturday. Each of the first three Titans reached base, and by the time the first inning ended, Carl Albert led 3-0.
"The way El Reno's been playing, they've been holding everybody down,” White said. "Once we got those runs, it let us settle down.”
Carl Albert made the lead much more comfortable in the fourth with two-run home runs by Long and Bachman. Both hit state tournament home runs last season as well.
While Bachman was superb in the circle during the tournament, she had struggled at the plate.
"It felt nice to finally hit one hard,” Bachman said. "I knew it was out as soon as I hit it.”
For White and assistant coach Wayne Dozier, it was their third championship and fourth finals appearance in two years. "I guess me and him make a pretty good pair,” White said.
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From left, Carl Albert players Samantha Bachman, Karolyne Long and Kaylee Hicks celebrate after the final out of their 7-0 victory over El Reno. BY MATT STRASEN, THE OKLAHOMAN
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