The Washington Warriors claimed their 11th fast-pitch softball State title on Monday after they defeated Sequoyah-Tahlequah 12-4 in the finals of the Class 3A tournament.

The Warriors finished the season with a 39-1 record and are back-to-back fast-pitch champions.

“It was a really cool year,” said Warrior head coach Tylor Lampkin.

Alva

Washington opened the State tournament with an 11-2 win over Alva on Friday.

The game was delayed from Thursday to Friday because of heavy rains across the state.

Ally Dennis got the nod to start in the circle and she started the Warriors off on the right foot for the tournament.

“We went in with a plan of not having to pitch Payton Blackburn in complete games early,” said Lampkin. “We have a lot of confidence in Ally and she did great.”

Ellie Musgrove came on in relief for the final three innings.

Washington got on the board first with one run in the first and they consistently scored runs throughout the game.

“The biggest thing in the game is we found a way to score in every inning,” Lampkin said. “We kept putting pressure on them and that was the biggest factor in the game.”

Bentli Brantley was 4-5 at the plate with a double and she scored three times.

Kinley Taylor went 1-4 but her two-run homer in the second inning was big for the Warriors.

Kinzlee Pogue was 1-4 with a pair of ribbies herself.

Kingston

The Kingston game had a back and forth feel to it for the first couple of innings before the Warriors finally put it away by a 7-2 final.

Blackburn started in the circle and struck out seven batters.

She gave up a pair of earned runs in the second inning but Lampkin liked the way she settled in.

“Payton was really good in the first inning but struggled with command a little in the second inning after a long half inning off,” he said. “But she came right back and was good.”

Ava Salcedo was 2-3 with a triple from her leadoff spot and scored three times.

Brantley had a three RBI game, going 1-3.

Daphne Palumbo helped get the scoring going in the first inning when she doubled, knocking in a run.

“We didn’t make adjustments at the plate and that hurt us a little bit,” Lampkin said.

Sequoyah-Tahlequah

Washington faced an emotional Sequoyah-Tahlequah team in the finals on Monday.

“They were dealing with emotions because they had lost a teammate right before the season started,” Lampkin said. “We had watched them come from behind to win the previous two games so we knew what they were capable of.”

Blackburn got the start and struck out four batters.

Both Musgrove and Dennis were called upon in relief and Lampkin was excited for all three pitchers.

“We needed all three pitchers the championship day to keep them at bay,” Lampkin said. “It was really cool to see all three of them give us something we needed. That was a big deal for us.”

Sequoyah got on the board first but Washington answered in the second inning.

Sequoyah scored two more runs in the fourth to re-take the lead but the Warriors again answered with three in the bottom of the fifth.

Washington held Sequoyah to one run in the sixth before they exploded for a seven spot in the bottom of the seventh.

“Their pitcher spins it really well and we got off our game plan at the plate early in the game,” Lampkin said.

The Warriors had home runs by Salcedo, Pogue and Hadley Beard.

Jaylee Gray went 3-3 with two doubles.

“One of the cool things to see was some of our new kids like Kinley Taylor and Jaylee Gray having big games,” Lampkin said. “And Jasey Baker came in with a really big hit late in the championship game to put the nail in the coffin.”

Lampkin appreciated his team’s approach to the tournament.

“They were pretty determined the whole time. They have a target on their backs all the time,” he said “Sometimes they can feel it a little and it’s fun to watch them settle in. They turn on that switch the deeper we go in the tournament.”

The Warriors have been undefeated against Class 3A teams for the past two seasons.