NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE 4-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS—DAY ONE
ALEXANDER CENTRAL WINS TWO TO ADVANCE
RALEIGH— Freshman pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson helped lead Alexander Central into the championship game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A softball championships at Walnut Creek Softball Complex on Friday night.
The young righthander fired a complete game shutout and struck out 13 in the Lady Cougars’ opening win by 3-0 over North Davidson in a battle of 28-1 teams. Then Jessica Childers got her first pitching victory of the season, giving up just two hits and striking out nine as the Lady Cougars blanked Fuquay-Varina in a five-inning 10-0 game.
In the opener, Wilkinson limited North to just three hits and Alexander Central pushed three runs across in its half of the fourth inning. Kirsten Morris had three hits and Jessica Childers two, including a double, for the winners.
Chelsea Sherrill had a couple of hits in Alexander’s second victory. The Lady Cougars, now 30-1, will await the winner of the Fuquay-Varina—North Davidson game Saturday morning in the loser’s bracket final.
Fuquay-Varina got by New Bern 1-0 in a 10-inning pitcher’s dual, as Alex Ryan of Fuquay-Varina struck out eight and allowed just three hits while New Bern’s Kelsey Sanfilippo fanned nine and gave up just two hits in the first nine innings.
But in the 10th, Ashley Canoba doubled with one down and then Hannah Wallace singled up the middle to score Canoba with the only run of the game.
North Davidson then battled New Bern in an elimination game, scoring two in the third and one in the sixth en route to a 3-0 victory. Tess Swing limited New Bern to just one hit in picking up the win on the mound.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau are among the host city sponsors for the championships.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2009 STATE 4-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WALNUT CREEK SOFTBALL COMPLEX, RALEIGH
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
STATE SEMIFINALS
Fuquay-Varina 1, New Bern 0 (10 innings)
Alexander Central 3, North Davidson 0
WINNER’S BRACKET FINAL
Alexander Central 10, Fuquay-Varina 0 (5 innings)
ELIMINATION GAME
North Davidson 3, New Bern 0
LOSER’S BRACKET FINAL
Fuquay-Varina (21-5) vs. North Davidson (29-2), Saturday at 11 am
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Alexander Central (30-1) vs. Fuquay-Varina—North Davidson winner, 1:30 p.m.
If team from loser’s bracket wins, another game will follow at 4 p.m.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION STATE 3-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS—DAY ONE
SOUTHWESTERN RANDOLPH MOVES INTO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
RALEIGH – Anna Maness had a pair of complete game pitching victories to lift Southwestern Randolph
to the championship game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 3-A softball championships after Friday night action at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.
Maness struck out 14 in the opening game as Southwestern beat Asheville T.C. Roberson 4-1 and also helped her cause offensively with a couple of hits. Then in the winner’s bracket final Maness struck out seven and scattered five hits in a 4-1 triumph over Pikeville C.B. Aycock.
Kelsey Hoover had a two-run homer in the sixth as Southwestern held on. Cynthia Burroughs was charged with the loss for Aycock, which got two hits from Torie Benton.
Aycock had beaten Triton in its opener, also by 4-1, as Burroughs went the distance in limiting Triton to three hits and fanned 11. Brooke Bell collected three hits for the winners in that one.
In the elimination game, Brooke McDonald of Roberson fired a no-hitter as the Rams ousted Triton 6-0.
Southwestern Randolph, now 29-1, is seeking its third NCHSAA softball championship this decade and is in its fourth straight finals appearance. Roberson and Aycock will battle Saturday morning at 11 am in the loser’s bracket final for the right to play Southwestern Randolph at 1:30.
If Southwestern loses that one, another game would follow at 4 p.m. for the title.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau are among the host city sponsors for the championships.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2009 STATE 3-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WALNUT CREEK SOFTBALL COMPLEX, RALEIGH
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
STATE SEMIFINALS
Pikeville Charles B. Aycock 4, Erwin Triton 1
Southwestern Randolph 4, Asheville T.C. Roberson 1
WINNER’S BRACKET FINAL
Southwestern Randolph 4, C.B. Aycock 1
ELIMINATION GAME
T.C. Roberson 6, Triton 0
LOSER’S BRACKET FINAL
C.B. Aycock (26-3) vs. T.C. Roberson (29-3), Saturday at 11 am
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Southwestern Randolph (29-1) vs. Aycock-Roberson winner, 1:30 pm
If a team from the loser’s bracket wins, the decisive game will
follow at 4 p.m.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION STATE 2-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS—DAY ONE
NOTE CHANGE IN GAME TIMES FOR SATURDAY
LEONARD LEADS CENTRAL DAVIDSON INTO FINALS
RALEIGH – Two-time championship Most Valuable Player Chelsea Leonard of Central Davidson turned in another dominant performance on Friday night in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 2-A softball championships at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.
Leonard, who has missed most of the season due to an injury and entered the state championships with just a 4-0 pitching mark, pitched a pair of complete game shutouts Friday, yielding only two hits and fanning a whopping 37.
In the opener, Leonard struck out 18 as Central grabbed an 8-0 victory over Black Mountain Charles D. Owen. Nicole Perry hit a pair of home runs for the winners, accounting for all three runs with a two-run shot and a solo homer, and Kara Lohr had two hits and scored two runs.
Then in the winner’s bracket finals, Leonard tossed a no-hitter and struck out 19 as Central beat previously unbeaten Richlands 3-0.
Richlands had advanced with a 5-2 triumph over West Stokes, led by Haley Klemm with three hits while Haley Catanzarito and Taylor Cloninger had two hits apiece. Cantanzarito also drove in two runs as Richlands scored three in the first and never trailed.
Soph pitcher Mikayla Jarman got her 27th win over ht year while Chancey Stone got the loss.
West Stokes then survived the elimination game and ousted Owen 4-3, breaking a 3-3 tie with a run on an outfield error in the sixth. Allie Brandon was the winning pitcher while Stone was the loser.
Brianna Bratcher had two hits for West, now 22-7 on the season. West Stokes will face Richlands in the loser’s bracket final, now scheduled for Saturday at 5:30 since West Stokes has graduation ceremonies Saturday afternoon.
The winner will face Central Davidson at 8 p.m. for the title.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau are among the host city sponsors for the championships.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2009 STATE 2-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WALNUT CREEK SOFTBALL COMPLEX, RALEIGH
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
STATE SEMIFINALS
Richlands 5, West Stokes 2
Central Davidson 8, Black Mountain Charles D. Owen 0
WINNER’S BRACKET FINAL
Central Davidson 3, Richlands 0
ELIMINATION GAME
West Stokes 4, Charles D. Owen 3
LOSER’S BRACKET FINAL
Richlands (27-1) vs. West Stokes (22-7), Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Central Davidson (20-7) vs. RIchlands-West Stokes winner, Saturday at 8 p.m.
If team from loser’s bracket wins, decisive game will be Sunday at 1 p.m.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION STATE 1-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS—DAY ONE
NORTH JOHNSTON WINS TWO TO ADVANCE
RALEIGH – Taylor Creech’s pitching and Lindsay Tippett’s hitting helped North Johnston to a pair of victories on Friday night in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 1-A softball championships at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.
North Johnston opened by blanking Jamesville 3-0, with Creech giving up just one hit in picking up the pitching victory and not allowing a Jamesville runner past second base. Tippett had two hits in three trips for the winners.
Caroline Tetterton was charged with the loss.
Then North blanked Swain County 1-0, as Creech struck out 11 and fired a two-hitter. Tippett also had two hits in that North win.
The most dramatic game of the night was the opener between East Surry and Swain, a 14-inning marathon in which Swain pushed the only run of the game across in the bottom of the 14th for a 1-0 victory.
Shelly Parker, who went the distance on the mound and fanned 23 while yielding five hits, had an RBI-double in the 14th to score Bop Walkingstick, who led Swain with three hits. Hayley Shelton struck out 29 in a losing effort.
In the elimination game, East Surry blanked Jamesville to eliminate the Bullets from the tournament. Jamesville finished 15-6 overall.
East Surry (28-3) and Swain (22-7) will hook up again on Saturday morning at 11 am in the loser’s bracket finals and the winner will advance to face North Johnston at 1:30 for the championship. If another game is needed, it will be played at 4 p.m.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau are among the host city sponsors for the championships.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION 2009 STATE 1-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WALNUT CREEK SOFTBALL COMPLEX, RALEIGH
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
STATE SEMIFINALS
North Johnston 3, Jamesville 0
Swain 1, East Surry 0 (14 innings)
WINNER’S BRACKET FINAL
North Johnston 1, Swain 0
ELIMINATION GAME
East Surry 5, Jamesville 0
LOSER’S BRACKET FINAL
East Surry (28-3) vs. Swain (22-7), Saturday at 11 am
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
North Johnston (23-4) vs. Swain-East Surry winner, Saturday at 1:30 pm
If team from loser’s bracket wins, decisive game will follow at 4 p,m,
