FAYETTEVILLE -- The De Queen Lady Leopards finally can call themselves state champions.
The Lady Leopards defeated Valley View 4-1 after breaking open a scoreless game with four runs in the fifth inning in the Class 5A state softball championship game Friday at Bogle Park.
The surge was more than enough for Josie Vaught, who was the game's MVP after holding Valley View to one run on three hits.
De Queen (30-4) won its first state championship after reaching the state semifinals five times.
The victory was particularly special for De Queen Coach Tracy Nealy, whose daughter, J.K. Nealy Hornsby, 28, died in March from a seizure shortly after De Queen's first game this season.
"My daughter would come to practices, and she was a big part of getting these kids motivated," Nealy said. "She was like a big sister to them. These girls, all 14 of them, have been my rock all year long. Not just mine, but my family's. They're special, special kids."
De Queen turned to small ball to take control in the fifth inning. The Lady Leopards bunted four times, including a push bunt by Tatyanna Tramble that rolled past two charging infielders on the left side. A throwing error brought in the first run, and two more scored on sacrifice bunts by Reisa Bakenhaus and Carli Sneed. Lexy Taylor's run-scoring triple gave De Queen a 4-0 lead.
"In close games, you've got to lay bunts down and make them make plays," Nealy said. "We were finally able to do that in the fifth inning."
De Queen loaded the bases in the second inning and had a runner at third base with no outs in the third inning but did not score. That frustration ended with four runs in the fifth.
"My teammates got us started, and I was able to come back with a big hit," Taylor said of her triple.
The Lady Blazers (24-7) avoided the shutout in the seventh inning on a run-scoring double by Macy Montgomery.
Sports on 05/20/2017