LEXINGTON, NC – After East Forsyth walked-off Hoggard 1-0 in 10 innings in Game 2 of the 4A Softball State Championship Series, the Vikings returned the favor in the final game of the best-of-three when Jordan Martin singled to left with one out in the bottom of the seventh plating Madison Scanlan and vaulting the Vikings to a 6-5 win. The victory gave Hoggard their first Fast-pitch Softball State Championship.
After a pair of 1-0 pitcher’s duels, it was no surprise to see the offenses get going for both teams in the finale. Hoggard went to work immediately in Game 3, pushing across two runs before the Eagles retired a batter. The Vikings got a leadoff single from Icess Tresvik before Allie Royal drew a walk, then Sydney Short pounded a double to center scoring both runners.
East Forsyth trimmed the Viking lead in the top of the second as Grace Flynn led off with a double, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kaitlyn King. Flynn stepped on the plate thanks to a wild pitch, trimming the Viking lead to 2-1.
The Hoggard pitcher, Tresvik, helped her own cause in the bottom of the third when she led off the frame with a solo homer to center to push the Viking lead to 3-1. Short followed that bomb up with one of her own two batters later, giving Hoggard what seemed to be a monumental lead in a series that had seen just two runs in two games prior to the start of the finale.
East Forsyth answered immediately capitalized on a leadoff walk and error in the top of the fourth, scoring a run on an Alex Brown double that left the tying runs at second and third with no one out in the inning. Tresvik managed to strike out King but Sophie Lecnar dropped down a perfect bunt for a single that pushed Flynn home to cut the lead to 4-3. With the tying run at third, Kendall Bowman tied the game at four on an RBI groundout back to the Tresvik.
The Eagles took their first in-game lead of the series in the top of the fifth when Kierston Deal drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She put the Eagles in front 5-4 when Flynn smashed a single to left. That is where things stood until the bottom of the sixth with two outs and an error allowed Skyler Walker to reach first. The next three Viking hitters drew walks, pushing the tying run across the plate.
East Forsyth left the go-ahead run 60-feet away, leaving a pair of runners stranded after drawing two walks in the top of the seventh. Hoggard got a leadoff single through the left side by Madison Scanlan who advanced to second on a single by Amber Small. Scanlan managed to move to third on a fly ball to right field by Isabella Colbert, leaving the winning run 60-feet from home with one away, setting the table for Martin’s walk off heroics.
Hoggard’s Tresvik was selected as the 4A Softball State Championship Series Most Valuable Player. She pitched 23.1 innings in the series striking out an incredible 34 Eagles batters. She allowed just six runs, only four of which were earned and scattered nine hits across the three games. She also went 3 for 9 at the plate and had a solo homer in the decisive Game 3.
East Forsyth wrapped up the year 19-2. The Eagles were 8-0 in the Central Piedmont 4A where they won the Conference Championship. They won the Western Regional Championship for the first time in program history and appeared in the State Series for the first time.
Hoggard capped off a stellar 20-1 campaign with the program’s first State Championship. The Vikings were 14-0 in the Mideastern 3A/4A, winning the league title. They won the program’s second straight Eastern Regional Championship and appeared in the State Series for the third time in the Fast-pitch era.
