First, there was a move up in school-division size. Then, there was a week of rain delays. In the end, however, the result was the same – a Peoria Unified School District softball championship for Oakwood.

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Oakwood, winner of the small-school title last season, beat Cotton Boll 4-1 in the big-school championship, the Lady Raiders’ 19th straight victory over two years.

Oakwood has the smallest enrollment of the teams in the big-school field, but coach Heidi Thomason said that only served as motivation.

“This team really came together when it counted,” she said. “Last year, we won every game by 10 runs or more. This year, we had to battle to win our last three games. We hit, bunted, ran the bases, pitched, played good defense and had another perfect season.

“Nineteen wins in a row is something these girls will never forget.”

The Lady Raiders beat Alta Loma, Apache and Coyote Hills to set up their meeting in the finals with Cotton Boll.

Taylor Uden’s two-out single gave Cotton Boll a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Oakwood tied it in the bottom of the second when Kayla Dallman launched a bomb to right-center field for a double and scored on back-to-back illegal pitches.

After allowing two hits in the top of the first, Morgan Renyer struck out seven of the next 11 Cotton Boll batters to take control of the game. She also started the game-winning rally in the third with a one-out single to left-center.

Abby Swartz followed with an RBI double to left, giving the Lady Raiders the lead. Tayler Paradiso doubled, plating Swartz, and Dallman for a 4-1 lead.

Renyer and her defense took care of the rest.

Meghann Paradiso snagged a line drive and stepped on first for a fourth-inning double play.

In the top of the fifth and final inning, Allana Skidmore charged a hard-hit line drive to make a diving, rolling catch for the first out. Renyer recorded a strike out, and Swartz fielded a ground ball for the final out and the Lady Raiders’ second title in two years.

The Oakwood roster included Anahi Bravo, Alicia Carmichael, Saige Corrales, Kayla Dallman, Kara Maynes, Meghann Paradiso, Tayler Paradiso, Morgan Renyer, Celia Romero, Allana Skidmore, Abby Swartz, Kali Swichtenberg, Hannah Valdez and Marisa Wolf.