Ozark coach Jimmy Nimmo's decision to delegate added duties to catcher Nya Morgan on Saturday and the timing of that choice certainly proved notable.

Beginning in the seventh inning of Ozark's Class 4 District 10 title tilt with Nixa and for the first time all season, Nimmo opted to have Morgan make the call on pitch selection.

Thus, it was Morgan who called for the biggest pitch of the day in Ozark's 13-8, eight-inning victory played on Parkview's hybrid of a turf/grass, softball/baseball field.

The extra inning was needed only after a changeup on the outside corner called by Morgan and delivered by winning pitcher Lily Sullivan induced a pop out off the bat of Nixa's Sam Aring to center fielder Emma Taylor.

The popup stranded Katie Faulk at third base with what would have been the wining run for the Lady Eagles.

"I let those last two innings go to Nya and she did a great job," Nimmo said about Morgan calling pitches. "I've tried to make this team believe that it is their team. I felt in my gut to allow Nya and Lily to take charge. I also let Nya take the reigns in the last inning with Hattie (Depee). Nya called for a couple changeups I probably wouldn't have called and we got two outs from those changeups."

Morgan's experience as a summer-ball teammate with Aring led her to call for a changeup on the outside half of the plate. Also, the right-handed hitting Aring ripped two inside fastballs for a single and a double Saturday. Bot were hit to left field.

"I've played with Sam and she loves inside pitches," Morgan said. "She hits those really hard. I wanted something outside she couldn't reach."

"That was a great pitch," Nimmo said of Sullivan's offering. "It was a game changer."

Ozark (22-8) quickly took time to breathe a collective sigh of relief and proceeded to put up five runs in the eighth. Depee retired the Lady Eagles (15-15) 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth and the Lady Tigers claimed their third straight District championship.

A solo home run by Ashley Coonrod, an RBI single by Abby Ford and a two-run single by Taylor, all in the eighth, made it 13-8.

Ozark, which also received home runs from Morgan and Kara Ford, pounded out 13 hits.

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Dana Harding, for Ozark Sports Zone

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