Jerry Jarrell photo - Dexter's Kelsey Flanigan slides home ahead of the tag by Bloomfield catcher Lindsey Levitt during first inning action in the championship game of the SCAA softball tournament at Advance Thursday. Dexter defeated Bloomfield, 3-1, to capture its second-straight tournament title.

ADVANCE -- Dexter scored three runs in the first inning then used a solid defensive effort and the pitching of Stephanie Jackson to hold on for 3-1 win over Bloomfield in the championship game of the SCAA softball tournament Thursday at Advance.

"You've got to say something good about all the girls," Dexter coach Tammy Crowley said after the game. "It wasn't just one or two players, it was the whole team. They all played great and I couldn't be more proud of them."

Top-seeded Dexter started quick and appeared poised to make it a lopsided game when Taylor Adams, Kelsey Flanigan and Amanda Dooley all crossed the plate in the first inning, but Bloomfield pitcher Paige Fuqua and the Lady Wildcats' defense settled in to keep the Lady Bearcats in check over the next five innings.

Bloomfield, the tournament's No. 2 seed, broke through with a run in the third, but that would prove to be the last offense of the game, even though both teams had their chances.

The longer the game went on, the more momentum Bloomfield built, and when the Lady Wildcats put the lead-off runner on second in the sixth, the intensity for both teams pick up.

Jackson helped her own cause in the sixth with a strikeout, a routine ground out and Dexter made it a clean escaped when catcher Alec Jackson made a running grab of a foul ball to end threat.

"We lost our intensity after a good start," Crowley said. "But we talked about it, and there at the end I think we just wanted it more. It was just a great game by all the girls."

It was the second straight SCAA tournament title for the Lady Bearcats, who improved to 5-1 on the season.

THIRD PLACE GAME

No. 3 Bernie 10, No. 4 Woodland 3

Bernie overcame more that just Woodland to take third place honors on the conference's tournament Thursday.

Because of a school trip and a injury, the Lady Mules had to play the game with just eight players.

Jerry Jarrell photo - Pictured above are some of the members of the 2008 SCAA All-Tournament team as voted on by the conference's coaches. Team members are (front row, from left) Alanna Duley, Dexter; Taylor Adams, Dexter; Sarah Strickland, Bloomfield; Taylor Eggimann, Advance; (back) Paige Fuqua, Bloomfield, Amanda Dooley, Dexter, Alyssa Trewatha, Dexter, Tasha Rhodes, Woodland; and Jessica White, Bloomfield. Not picture are Sami Palmer, Bernie, Leslie Kean, Bernie and Hannah White, Puxico.

"We had to take an automatic out every time the ninth position came to the plate," Bernie coach Jeff Rodgers pointed out. "I couldn't be more proud of a team than I am of these girls."

Leslie Kean pitched the "finest game of her career," Rodgers said. "Leslie threw hard and was totally in command."

Kean went the distance, recording nine strikeouts while only allowing two walks.

Kean, along with Rachel Vernon, Rachel Palmer and Morgan Hurst each had two hits. Kean's day at the plate also included a triple and three RBI.

"We hit the ball very well and made four or five just outstanding defensive plays. Vernon made three that I remember on her own. This was easily the best game of the year so far."