Spring Hill beats Piper 1-0 in Kansas 4A, Division I softball final

Spring Hill took down Piper 1-0 in 10 innings and won the Kansas Class 4A Division I tournament championship on Saturday.

Spring Hill, 21-3, got its only run on a double by Danielle Townley in the 10th inning that scored Elizabeth Hays.

“I hadn’t been doing much in the games before that, so it was nice to deliver when we needed it,” Townley said. “I changed my swing a little bit right before that and when it finally connected, it was awesome.”

Sarah Brown pitched all 25 innings for Spring Hill in the state tournament, including two extra-inning wins on Saturday. The Broncos defeated two-time defending state champion Augusta 2-1 in eight innings in the semifinals, scoring both of its runs on Augusta errors in the final two innings.

Townley scored the winning run in that game.

It was Spring Hill’s first softball title since 2004 and third in school history.

“This is something we’ve all wanted so bad for a long time,” Brown said. “When it finally came down to it, we figured out a way to win. There was so much relief with that final out.

“I’m tired now, but I don’t think I was feeling anything but adrenaline when I was out there pitching. I know there was more pressure, but I try not to let that get to me. I try to pitch kind of outside of the pressure.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2016 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Spring Hill beats Piper 1-0 in Kansas 4A, Division I softball final."