The defending 3A state champion Tooele Buffaloes didn't let cold winds, chilly temperatures, wet weather or the defending 4A champion Murray Spartans stop them Thursday as they took the state 4A softball title with a nail-biting 4-3 victory at Valley Regional Complex in Taylorsville.

The title was Tooele's fifth state championship in six years -- the previous five coming in 3A. The team's only non-championship season was in 2006, when they lost the title to Canyon View.

"I knew we could do it," said Tooele head coach Barry Pitt. "These girls are fantastic and they aren't quitters. They know the game of softball."

The score was tied 3-3 at the bottom of the seventh inning when Brittany Gonzales belted a shot into left field. Freshman Whitney Holt came in as a pinch runner. When Marissa "Bug" Mendenhall came to the plate with only one out, she said the only thoughts going through her mind were to get on base and advance the runner.

Instead, she belted a line drive to left-center, driving in a speeding Holt to win the game.

"I was just trying to get a base hit, I didn't think I'd hit it that hard," Mendenhall said after the game as her team was awarded the championship trophy from the Utah High School Activities Association.

Pitching in the last game of her high school career, senior Lauren Folta struck out four Spartans to get the win.

Tooele waited anxiously at Valley Regional Complex in Taylorsville before the championship game to see who they would play. Bountiful was up 9-3 over Murray, but the Spartans rallied with six runs in the fifth inning and another run in the bottom of the seventh to advance to the final game.

"Murray has always been our rival," Pitt said. "The teams are good friends. They go after each other on the field and are friends off the field."

After Tooele received the trophy, several Murray players came over to congratulate the Buffs.

Tooele was all smiles as "We are the Champions" by Queen blared from the speakers. Coach Brad Patch took away some of the fun when, after celebrating Holt's winning run, he ran back to the bench and dumped the remaining water out of a cooler so the coaches wouldn't get hit doused as they did last year.

The game was scoreless after two innings with Tooele making contact, getting on base and advancing runners, but not getting anyone across the plate. Then in the bottom of the third, Matison Snow reached first on an error by Spartan second baseman Ciera Nordin. Snow ran to second on a wild pitch from Taylor Gallegos and scored on a double up the third base side by Kelsey Mendenhall.

Mendenhall then scored on a hit up the middle from Gonzales. Tooele led 2-0 at the end of three innings. But Murray came back with vengeance in the top of the fourth when they got their bats going.

Things started out on a single by Taylor Gallegos, who moved to second after a Tooele error, allowing Mallory Hyland to get on base. Nordin then made up for her error in the previous inning when she smacked a one-out, three-run home run over THS center fielder Whitnie Griffith's head. Murray was back in the game, leading 3-2.

Despite a single from Snow, a double from Gonzales and a sacrifice hit from Kelsey Mendenhall, the Buffs couldn't score in the fifth inning of play. Neither could Murray and they stayed up 3-2.

In the bottom of the sixth with two outs, junior Jordan McMain belted a ground-rule double into left field. Snow stepped up to the plate with a 2-1 count and sent the ball to right-center field allowing McMain to score and tying the game at 3-3.

Murray had one last chance to score before Tooele could try to win the game. Spartan senior Monica Moffitt hit an easily fielded infield ball but Tooele couldn't make the out. They were able to tag her out on a sacrifice hit from Lyndi Miller. Gallegos then steeped up to hit one right back at Folta to make the second out of the inning. Designated player Madison Woodard hit an easy grounder to Folta who got the ball to Gonzales at first base and ending the inning.

Tooele was in a great place to score the winning run. With Marissa Mendenhall's game-winning RBI, she helped prove to the 4A teams that the Buffs are definite contenders for another dynasty run in the higher classification.

"I was just running and looking at home to see if [Holt] would score," Marissa Mendenhall said. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates."

Tooele will lose three seniors for next years team -- Gonzales, Folta and Kelsey Mendenhall. Although they are losing one of the best pitchers in the state in Folta, Snow, a sophomore, is ready to take over.

"We've got two fantastic pitchers," Pitt said. "Lauren's one sharp player. She struggled a bit in the middle innings but worked it out strong."

Pitt added that if it weren't for Folta's excellent pitching, Marissa Mendenhall could be named the MVP for 4A.

"Marissa and her sister Kelsey both had a good tournament, especially at the plate," Pitt said.

At the end, the Buff softball players stood on the field and Pitt placed another championship ring on his finger, showing off the hard work he's put into the team.

As the trophy was passed around from player to player, each taking a moment to look at it in awe, Folta raised it above her head to get a photograph taken and simply said, "It's heavy."

missy@tooeletranscript.com