Strasburg won the Class 3A softball championship. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA – After a year away, Strasburg’s softball team is once again the queen of Class 3A.
The Indians won their third Class 3A state championship in four years, the latest coming Sunday when they beat Eaton 7-5 in the title game at Aurora Sports Park.
“This is just great icing on the cake,” Strasburg coach Michelle Woodard said. “These seniors and this team has been working so hard and they just wanted to come back and win one more. Plus, the best part about this team if someone else is not hitting someone else steps up and that’s what happened.”
The Indians completed their memorable season with a perfect 23-0 record. Strasburg, which has all three of its school’s state softball titles in the last four years, was in the finals a year ago, losing to La Junta 3-2. Actually in the last four years, the Indians have only lost four games.
“This feels so much more amazing that I thought it would,” said Strasburg senior Annie Oakley, who had a two-run single in the sixth which put the Indians up 7-3. “I’ve been here before, but it is just not the same. I’m going to miss this so much, but this is the best feeling I’ve ever felt.”
Eaton (17-8) had its dream season end in the finals when it lost to Strasburg for the third time this year. The Reds improbable run, which included an 8-4 win over La Junta in the quarterfinals, were making their inaugural appearance in the state softball championship game. The Reds previous best run was in 1998 and 1999 when they lost in the semifinals.
More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
“This is a good start for us,” said Eaton coach Dale Hughes, who just finished his 12th season guiding the Reds. “We’re still pretty young and now we believe in ourselves. For years, we’ve had some good teams and it’s just hard for us to get out of that Patriot League, we go up against Strasburg, Sterling, Valley and Brush.”
In the top of the first, Eaton’s Brittany Knutson had a lead-off infield single and scored on Taylor Renaud’s sacrifice fly.
Strasburg countered in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead, thanks to Dakota Stotyn’s two-run, two-out single.
Eaton tied the game in the top of the third at 2-2 on Karissa Hatchell’s RBI single.
With the bases loaded, Eaton’s Casse Strole walked to put the Reds up 3-2. Strasburg pitcher Alexis Rayburn stopped the rally with back-to-back outs, the last one a strikeout of Sieara Price.
The Indians tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third when an errant throw was made on a grounder hit by Oakley. Moments later Stotyn struck again, this time with a two-run home over the 205-foot fence in left center field off starting Eaton pitcher Rachel Graham to put the Indians up 5-3.
“I was more relaxed more than anything,” said Stotyn, a sophomore, about her mindset at the plate. “I trusted that everybody would back me up even if I didn’t do well.”
Eaton brought in relief pitcher Lauren Frink to get out of the inning.
“I went with my junior pitcher Rachel (Graham) after she pitched that enormous extra inning game against Sterling (a 6-5 Eaton in eight innings in the semifinals), and she came off a hard game (Saturday),” Hughes said. “I knew she was getting a little tired and probably in hindsight I should have pulled her a half inning sooner. She’s a bulldog and she wants the ball and she gave us all she had.”
Strasburg was in business again in the sixth when Jacee Dinius singled and then she went to third when an error was made on a bunt by Jordan Roesch. Both scored on a single to left by Oakley stretching the Indians’ lead to 7-3.
Alexis Rayburn pitched five innings and Stotyn was in the circle in the third and seventh frame. Stotyn ran into some trouble in the seventh, giving up two runs before closing the door and setting off the celebration.
“I’m really proud of everybody that we were able to win state again,” Stotyn said.