Whatever you want to call it- clearing their heads, or recharging their batteries- an hour-long delay to the game served as a turning point for the Golden Bears.

A five-run third inning served as the jump-start to the Oak Glen Golden Bears’ 10-2 Class AA state championship victory on Thursday, Sherrie Garner and her team claiming their school’s second championship in school history, the other coming in 1998.

“Immediately, we’re a little somber when we’re coming in for a rain delay,” Garner said. “But as things went on, you just tell them to relax. The girls stayed focused and they were determined from the start of the season, this is what they wanted to do. Excellent job, proud of them to come through and not delay for being behind.”

Petersburg plated two in the top of the third inning, with Miley Tingler walloping an RBI double to left-center, and later coming around to score on a passed ball.

photo by: Nick Henthorn

Oak Glen's four seniors-- Addie Smith, Maddie Murray, Riley Bruce and Kayla Wright-- hoist the state championship trophy.

“The seniors, that was their warmup speech, ‘If we get behind, don’t worry about it, we’ve got to keep fighting for seven innings,'” Garner said. “That’s what they planned to do. I’m real proud of our senior leadership. This has been a dream of mine, and sharing it with this group- and sharing it with everybody from the seasons before this group, they made them who they are- I’m very, very proud.”

Coming out of the rain delay at 4 p.m., almost exactly an hour-long wait, play resumed with a ground out. But after that, the Golden Bears took to passing the baton all the way around their lineup, with eight straight Oak Glen players reaching in a five-run inning.

Riley Bruce started the scoring with an RBI double bringing home Mikalyn Balch, though Bruce was tagged out trying to stretch the hit into a triple. Danica Holden’s single to left scored Addie Smith, Mattie Carney next scored to give Oak Glen the lead, 3-2, with two outs. But Oak Glen wasn’t done, with Maddie Murray and Nevaeh Heath each spraying RBI singles before inning’s end.

“We came alive and hit the ball,” Garner said.

While the Golden Bears’ offense seemed galvanized coming out of the delay, Carney made sure that the Vikings’ own bats were quiet the rest of the way.

photo by: Nick Henthorn

Oak Glen's Mattie Carney fires a pitch in the fifth inning Thursday in the Golden Bears' championship game victory.

Carney allowed just two hits and no runs after the third inning, including striking out the side in the fifth inning. The Golden Bears’ ace finished with eight K’s on the game and her 15th win of the season inside the circle.

“That’s what she needed, she needed some insurance behind her, some comfort,” Garner said of Carney’s performance. “She was in a little bit of a slump in some ways, hadn’t had the best inning- and [Petersburg] hit the ball, got to give credit to them, a fighting team.”

“This is amazing, I’m speechless and I’m beyond blessed,” Carney said after the game. “As always I give it all to God.”

The Golden Bears’ defense did their part too- like shortstop Riley Bruce, who made a pair of impressive plays in the sixth inning. The first at-bat of the inning sent a looper to shallow center, and Bruce tracked the ball overhead, racing out to the grass and making an over-the-shoulder catch for the first out. Then, with two outs and runners on first and second, Bruce smoothly fielded a hot shot on a short hop moving to her right before quickly feeding to third base to end the inning.

“When [Bruce] made that play here, I’ve been telling her for four years, that’s the kind of athlete she is. She kind of exploded, had a great tournament,” Garner said.

photo by: Nick Henthorn

Oak Glen's Addie Smith connects with a pitch Thursday in the Golden Bears' championship game victory.

“It takes a whole team from the bench to everyone on the field, everyone has their own important position,” Carney said. “I’m just so speechless.”

Oak Glen put up four more runs in the fourth inning, Holden punching through another RBI single, Maddie Murray recording an RBI groundout, and Kayla Wright coming through with the biggest hit of the inning, a two-run double the found just the right spot between the left fielder and center fielder to drop in.

Ahead 9-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Oak Glen’s Danica Holden picked up her third hit of the game, smoking a ball down the third-base line, and bringing Carney home. The score triggered a run-rule victory for the Golden Bears, an abrupt ending which took a moment for the fans in attendance, and Holden herself, to understand.

“I had no idea it was over- I was standing on second, thinking about going to third, I didn’t know the game was over,” Holden said. “I was ready to hit some more.”

Holden and Carney each had three hits on Thursday, while Holden had a game-high three RBI as well. Murray adn Kayla Wright each had two RBI.

photo by: Nick Henthorn

Oak Glen's Nevaeh Heath stands in the batter's box Thursday in the Golden Bears' championship game victory.

“Just seeing the ball, making sure it’s level contact, staying calm, pretending this wasn’t a big game for us,” Holden said of her performance. “Everybody hit.”

In all, it was three wins in three games for Oak Glen, who finish their season 30-10 and graduate seniors Addie Smith, Maddie Murray, Riley Bruce and Kayla Wright.

“We’ve worked so hard to get here, this feels amazing,” Holden said. “I never thought I’d be standing here with the state championship.”

Oak Glen 10, Petersburg 2

Peters 002 000 – 2 4 2

photo by: Nick Henthorn

Oak Glen's Danica Holden celebrates after hitting a game-tying RBI single in the third inning of the Golden Bears' championship game victory Thursday.

Oak G 005 401 – 10 15 0

P- Carpenter lp (0K, 0BB), Crites (3) (0K, 1BB), Moyers (4) (0K, 0BB) and Chew. Tawney SB, S; Tingler D, S, rbi; Markwell S.

OG- Carney wp (8K, 1BB) and Heath. Bruce D, rbi; Smith S; Carney 3S, SB; Holden 3S, SB, 3rbi; Murray S, 2rbi; Wright S, D, 2rbi; Heath S, rbi; Hartung S; Balch 2S.