Spanish Springs softball coach Jeff Davidson is usually a cool customer, but that changed Saturday. He doesn't show much emotion on the diamond, but the third-year Cougars' coach could barely hold back tears during a postgame interview.

That's because the usually stoic skipper had just watched his Spanish Springs squad dominate cross-town rival Reed, 17-0, in the title game of the NIAA 4A State Softball Tournament at Bishop Manogue High School in South Reno.

"This is the greatest team I've ever coached," Davidson said, choking back tears. "They can do everything: pitch, play defense, hit, hit for power and run. They are a really legitimate team. ... I'm just so happy for the seniors. They've earned it."

The five-inning lopsided victory gave Spanish Springs (31-5) its second straight large school Nevada crown. SSHS softball is the first athletic program at the seventh-year school to capture consecutive state championships.

Spanish Springs joins Reed (1978-79 and 1988-90), Galena (1996-97), Wooster (2000-03) and McQueen (2005-06) as the only Silver State schools to earn consecutive softball crowns.

Reed (30-16) - which had already beaten Shadow Ridge, 3-2 in eight innings, Saturday morning to earn the right to face Spanish Springs - had no answer for the potent SSHS lineup. The Cougars hit the ball hard all day.

"It's always tough coming from the losers' bracket, but like I've said all year, we respect every opponent and we'd be ready. There was just no denying this team," Davidson said.

Spanish Springs scored its 17 runs in four innings, rapping out 15 hits, including five home runs. The Cougars broke the game open with six runs in the third inning and eight more in the fourth.

"I think we've made teams afraid to play us. I don't think there's a lot of players out there who want to catch the ball when we hit it," said Spanish Springs senior third baseman Amanda Collier, who will play her collegiate softball for Pacific.

The Cougars' offense has been steady all season but exploded in the postseason. During the regional and state playoffs over the past two weeks - a span of seven games - Spanish Springs has outscored opponents 99-5. Five of those wins were of the 10-run, mercy-rule variety.

Spanish Springs wasted no time jumping on Reed in the title tilt. The Cougars, who also took home High Desert League and Northern Region championship banners this spring, took the quick lead. They got three runs in the bottom of the first.

Ashley Decker walked and trotted home on Jaci Carlsen's two-run homer. The SSHS nine added another run in the first when Jen Martensen connected on a solo home run.

"We knew it was pretty much our last game. We had to go out and play like it. We had to be ready to play. That's what we did," said Martensen, one of four Cougars who has already signed to play Division I college softball.

Reed's ace right-hander, junior Chelsea Cohen, looked to have righted the ship. She retired the Cougars for a scoreless second inning, but the slumber was short-lived for the Cougars' lumber.

Spanish Springs got a leadoff single from Decker and Dani Ming proceeded to bash a two-run homer, extending the Cougars' lead to 5-0 with no outs in the bottom of the third. Carlsen followed and drew a walk. She got an easy jaunt around the sacks when Ashley Collier drilled a two-run dinger of her own.

Spanish Springs added two more runs in the outburst. Martensen singled and scored on an Amanda Collier double, who raced home after a groundout and a passed ball.

"You have to give them their round off applause. They are a good team. They have good players and they hit the ball," Cohen said.

The big inning left Spanish Springs with a 9-0 lead just three innings into the playoff contest. The Rail City's newest high school pushed its advantage to double digits with the eight-run fourth.

Amanda Collier and Ming laced run-scoring singles in the big inning. Carlsen, who has signed to play collegiate softball at Cal State Northridge, capped the explosion with a three-run homer in what turned out to be the final at-bat of her standout prep career.

Reed again struggled to muster much offense against Spanish Springs senior Mallary Darby. The hard-throwing right-hander collected her third shutout against Reed in eight days. Saturday's pitching victory was a two-hitter in which she struck out nine, including six in a row at one point. Darby did not give up a walk and faced just two hitters over the minimum.

"They're pretty good, but Mallary Darby's the X-factor. She's a great pitcher," Reed coach Ray Charles said when asked if Spanish Springs is the best team he's ever seen in Nevada.

Brooke Silva and Alex Corona both singled, accounting for the Raiders' two hits.

"We've got a great team, but we came up one game short and we ran into a buzzsaw. I'm proud of our kids. We'll move on," Charles said. "They hit the ball. You have to give them credit. I'm not going to make any excuses. You just tip your hat."

Earlier Saturday

Reed 3, Shadow Ridge 2

The Raiders earned a berth in the state final by beating Sunset Region champion Shadow Ridge for the second time in two days. However, it wasn't easy. A day after beating the NW Las Vegas school 12-6, Reed needed an extra inning to scratch out the one-run win.

Reed broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the top of the eighth inning. Tia Wunder singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ali Berry. Cohen then ripped a double, plating Wunder for the game-winning RBI.

Shadow Ridge had pulled into a 2-2 tie with solo home runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Reed took the 2-0 lead with single scores in the second and fourth frames. Sidney Jones singled and scored on a Davenport triple in the second. Kristy Pasley singled and came plateward in the fourth on Davenport's run-scoring single.

Cohen picked up the pitching win for Reed, scattering four Shadow Ridge hits in the complete-game.