Val Chapple figures Olathe East is now square with Shawnee Mission Northwest.

“The way I look at it,” said O-East senior Chapple, “is their seniors got two state titles, and we got two.”

Indeed, SM Northwest won Class 6A state softball championships in 2002 and 2003, and Olathe East captured titles in 2004 and 2005.

The Hawks made it two crowns in a row Saturday afternoon when they edged the Cougars, 3-2, in the championship game at Clinton Lake Softball Complex.

It’s also noteworthy that Olathe East and SM Northwest now are deadlocked with three state 6A championships apiece in the 21st Century. Northwest won in 2000 and Olathe East in 2001.

All three of O-East’s state titles haave been annexed in Lawrence, the first at Holcom Sports Complex and the last two at CLSC.

“Lawrence has been a good site for us,” O-East coach Jeff Hulse said. “We like coming here and playing here. It’s a great facility, and the people are great.”

Last year, sophomore pitcher Alex Hupp led the Hawks by pitching three consecutive shutouts. Hupp won three games again this year, but it was her bat that made the biggest impact Saturday.

SM Northwest had pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to snap a 1-1 tie, but Chapple opened the bottom of the sixth with a line single off third baseman Alyx Schmidt and, moments later, Hupp stroked a ringing double.

Chapple just beat the throw home, and Hupp went to third on the play where she scored minutes later on Casey Gorrell’s sacrifice fly. Hupp protected the 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh, and the Hawks finished with a spotless 25-0 record.

“We were bulls-eyed all year,” Hulse said, “but the girls were all about staying focused and getting better. They were never caught up in being undefeated. We had talented kids and we had great kids, and it was just a matter of going out and performing.”

Chapple, who had two hits in the title game and two more in the Hawks’ 10-0 run-rule drubbing of Emporia on Saturday morning, now looks forward to returning in August to Lawrence.

The Hawks’ third baseman signed last November with Kansas University.

“On my visit to KU, I loved those girls,” Chapple said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to earn a spot on the team.”