COLUMBUS -- Collins Hill coach Billy Dooley felt there was enormous pressure on his team to win its second consecutive state championship.
In reality, the pressure was on the Lady Eagles’ opponents, who had to face junior pitcher Kayla Floor.
Floor finished with a flourish Saturday as Collins Hill (33-2-1) defeated Harrison 3-1 to finish off back-to-back state titles. She struck out six and allowed four Harrison hits, capping a four-game run at the state finals tournament in which she allowed five runs.
The win was the closest game for the Lady Eagles at the state tournament.
Managing the expectations to repeat was a big part of Dooley’s task.
“From the time we left down here last year, everybody’s expected us to win it again,” Dooley said. “To put that pressure on a bunch of 16- and 17-year-old girls, it ain’t fair.”
The Lady Eagles dealt with it, and they celebrated with pictures -- some with perfect pose, some with upside-down visors. Senior outfielder Aerika Miles was asked to sprawl in front of the team for a goofy picture with the championship trophy. And then, a perfectly executed sports-drink shower for Dooley.
“I think they put some extra powder in there,” he said.
The frivolity could be forgiven after a tense win in which the Lady Eagles fell behind and struggled to score over the first four innings, a stark contrast to the atmosphere from Friday night’s winner’s-bracket final against Brookwood, in which third baseman McKenzie Halstead launched three home runs.
Harrison ousted Brookwood in Saturday’s loser’s-bracket final and seemed poised to force an extra game after taking an early lead.
“That was really stressful for me,” said Floor (23-2), who allowed an unearned run in the third inning as Harrison (23-11-1) went up 1-0. “Until we scored there was a lot of pressure in the dugout.”
The Lady Eagles bounced back in the fifth. Ariele Patterson doubled and scored on a single by Shelley Sweatt, who scored Brittany Roley reached on an error. Roley scored on a sacrifice fly by Christina Parham for the 3-1 lead.
That was plenty for Collins Hill, which won its final 16 games.
“We just tried to stay really relaxed,” said Parham. “Just stay loose and do what we’ve done all year.”
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