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Opp won three of five games in Oxford and Jacksonville at the state softball tournament last week and capped a historic season as the 3A state runner-up Thursday, May 18.

The Lady Bobcats finished the season at 38-12 overall and earned their first second-place finish in the state tournament. The Lady Bears won their second title in three years with a 47-1 record.

“I felt coming into the season I had to have a schedule in place that was tough enough to keep us as a team hungry to get better and continue to work hard. Once the schedule was finished, I told one of my assistant coaches we could possibly end up having the worst record of any team in Gulf Shores. The plan worked, and the team worked extremely hard. Going into the state tournament, we had only been defeated two times since May 1, and both came to 7A Daphne,” Head Coach David McVay said.

McVay added that the state tournament was a goal the team set on their first day.

“You know going into the tournament, every team there is going to be very good. I just tried to make our players understand they belonged in this tournament and were as good as anyone there, and this team responded.”

McVay expressed gratitude to Caroline Courson, Haylei Henagan, and Brooke Moseley for showing great senior leadership. “I am so proud of the memories they have been able to make throughout this season,” he said.

Opening Round: Opp 2, Piedmont 1
Opp edged Piedmont in a pitching duel. Courson earned the complete game win and allowed one earned run on five hits with nine strikeouts. Reese Cauley and Taylor Adams were each 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Semi-final: Opp 9, Saint James 2
The Lady Bobcats used a five-run third inning and 14-hit attack against Saint James. Amaya Womack finished 4-for-4 with three runs and one RBI. Allie Wismer was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs. Cauley went 3-for-4 with two RBIs at the plate and threw a complete game with two unearned runs on two hits and nine strikeouts in the circle.

Winner’s Bracket Final: Plainview 4, Opp 2
OHS outhit Plainview but allowed all four runs in the second inning. Womack, Cauley, Courson, Adams, Madeline Wilson, and Jaidyn Ivey each had a hit in the loss. Cauley threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief and struck out nine.

“We played three games on day one and went 2-1. We had great pitching, defense, and timely hitting,” he said.

Loser’s Bracket Final: Opp 6, Mars Hill Bible 5
Opp overcame a 5-1 deficit with three runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth. Cauley was 3-for-4 with four RBIs at the plate and earned the complete-game win with five runs (four earned) on nine hits and four strikeouts.

Championship: Plainview 14, Opp 4
Courson gave the Lady Bobcats an early 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the first before the Lady Bears scored four in their half and won via mercy rule. Cauley threw the first 2 2/3 innings before Courson closed out the game. Womack and Cauley were each 2-for-2, as Addison Moseley and Henagan finished 1-for-1. Courson and Adams each went 1-for-3 and combined for three RBIs.

“We came out a little slow and flat but were able to pick it up and come from behind against a very good Mars Hill team to advance to the championship game. I am so proud of this team and the accomplishments they have made this season. It was the third time in school history to make the state tournament and first time in school history to play for a state championship,” he said.

Cauley, Wisner, and Womack were named to the All-Tournament Team for OHS.