MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Like the two before it, the GPS softball class of 2009 will be remembered as one that went out on top.

The Bruisers bounced back from Friday night’s loss to St. Benedict in the first game of the Division II-AA final and defeated the Lady Eagles 5-1 in the double-elimination tournament’s closing game Saturday.

Coach Susan Crownover revealed afterward that her seniors may have been feeling some pressure trying to match their recent predecessors’ achievements. Some former teammates returned to watch the Bruisers compete this week at Starplex No. 3.

Nervousness may have played a part in Friday’s defeat, but ultimately Saturday’s victory leaves GPS with a 25-7 record and the sixth state title in program history. Crownover admitted this one took a little more work than the ones the previous two years.

“We had so many new people in different positions,” she said. “We knew we had a solid group coming back, but we had to move people to different spots and new positions. It took us this long to get it together.”

Get it together they did, and the seniors were at the forefront.

The game was scoreless heading to the bottom of the fourth, which began with No. 2 batter Whitney Hammond beating out a bunt. She eventually scored the first of her two runs on an error, and fellow senior Maddie Smith provided the inning’s third and final run with a sacrifice fly.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Hammond, who will join classmate Megan Givens on the University of Tennessee team, as GPS juniors Jackie Baird and Tory Lewis will eventually. “My tears are of joy, but underneath there’s a little bit of sadness. We wanted to go out winning it all, but it’s sad that I’ll never be a Bruiser again.”

Givens’ leadoff double in the second was the Bruisers’ first hit. Her flyout during the fourth-inning rally was deep enough to advance two runners a base each. She also delivered a two-out RBI single in the fifth.

“It feels so good to go out with a three-peat,” Givens said. “We knew we had to come prepared. This time there was no second chances. I was really focused today.”

Although junior Payton Leech was the winning pitcher Saturday, Crownover praised the season-long performance of senior right-hander Lea Capehart. Sharing the pitching workload enabled Leech to maintain stamina late in the season.

Freshman Morgan Lane, who had seven total bases when the Bruisers beat St. Benedict (32-15) in Thursday’s winners-bracket final, contributed a run-scoring double in the championship game. Sophomore pinch-hitter Haylee Blalock singled in the last run.

Crownover said it was no secret that this year’s team relied heavily on getting speedsters Lewis and Hammond on base in front of the middle of the order. In previous years, the program had depended more often on pitching, power and defense.

“We’ve been blessed with a lot of speed recently,” Crownover said. “There are some others on this team that can run, too, not just the first two.”

Regardless of how they’ve done it, the Bruisers have enjoyed a long run of success. They’ve competed in a state final in 10 of the last 13 years, including each of the last five. The coach wasn’t ready to speculate about next season, but her demeanor seemed to disclose a hint of optimism.

“You never know,” Crownover said. “You’ve got to get here first.”

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