TAHLEQUAH — Spring showers pushed back Tahlequah's Class 6A regional softball tournament a day from Thursday to Friday, and for the Lady Tigers, the wait was worth it.

Tahlequah's bats, hot all day, didn't cool off in 16-8 championship victory over Stilwell. The Lady Tigers were relentless in all three games, beating Locust Grove 12-3 and Sallisaw 24-6 before rolling against Stilwell in the finals.

The state tournament begins Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

“We’ll probably play Jenks in the first round and be in a bracket with them, Muskogee and Fort Gibson and we’ve beaten two of those three teams,” Tahlequah coach Ronnie Rogers said. “We hit the ball today exceptionally well in all three games. We put back-to-back hits together repeatedly and that’s what you have to do.”

Whatever inconsistencies had been ailing the Tahlequah bats late in the season were cured by Thursday. Included in the Sallisaw win was a 13-run sixth inning.

The Lady Tigers (25-7) scored 11 runs in the first two innings of the championship game. Ashley Fisher singled with one out in the top of the first and scored, along with Shelbi Bowin, on a double by Paige Crow. Tahlequah would add two more runs on RBI singles by Ashley Boswell and Jessie Patrick.

The second inning was more of the same. Katie Bowin singled to lead off the inning and scored on a double by Angela Dry. After a groundout by Erica Sampson, Fisher roped a liner to right field — the first of six straight hits for Tahlequah — and came around to score when the right fielder and center fielder collided while attempting to make a play on the ball.

All in all, Tahlequah would score seven runs in the inning to take a commanding lead.

Stillwell scored five runs in the third and three more in the sixth to cut into Tahlequah's lead. The Lady Tigers added one more in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Sesily Whitmore that knocked in Crowe, and Tahlequah held on for the win.