NORTH STOKES TAKES 1-A SOFTBALL CROWN WITH 10-1 WIN

                  RALEIGH—North Stokes batted around in the six-run second inning and coasted to a 10-1 decision over Whiteville in the third and decisive game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 1-A softball championship series at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.

                  Lindsay Brown had two hits and went the distance on the mound for the winners. She pitched all three games in the series and was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship.

                  The Vikings unleashed a 14-hit attack in the final game, with every starter hitting safely at least once. North Stokes scored one run in the first, six in the second and one more in the third to take command. Tana Frye, Emily Hughes and Ashley Smith also had two hits apiece for North and Sabrina Dodson hit a two-run homer.

                  Lauren Edwards led Whiteville with three hits in three trips to the plate.

                  North Stokes, which won its first NCHSAA state softball championship, finished 28-4 while Whiteville wound up 26-8.

                  On Friday night, North Stokes had won the opener 3-0, keyed by a two-run home run by Sabrina Dodson, and then Whiteville evened the series earlier on Saturday with a 6-3 victory. Lauren Worley had two hits and was the winning pitcher for the Wolfpack in the second game.

                  The Raleigh Sports Consortium and Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau serve as host city sponsors for the championship.

 

EAST RUTHERFORD TAKES 2-A SOFTBALL CROWN IN EXTRA INNINGS OVER JORDAN-MATTHEWS

                  RALEIGH— Savannah Davis had two hits, drove in two runs and was the winning pitcher as she led East Rutherford to a tight 4-2 victory in nine innings on Saturday in the third and decisive game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 2-A softball championship series at Walnut Creek Softball Complex

                 Davis was named the Most Valuable Player of the series. She was the winning pitcher and had two hits in East Rutherford’s 2-1 series-opening win on Friday night, but Jordan-Matthews tied the series at a game apiece earlier on Saturday with a 4-3 win, rallying from a 3-0 deficit.

                  East Rutherford carried a 2-1 lead into the seventh, but Jordan-Matthews tied the game in the bottom of the inning to force extra innings.

                  Dee DeCristofaro led the Jets with two doubles in four trips to the plate.  Emily Dobson had two hits and two RBI for East while Jordan Gray also had two hits.

                  The Cavaliers outhit J-M 9-5 in the game, and there were seven errors, four by East.

                  Jordan-Matthews finished 24-6 overall while East wound up 27-4.

                  The Raleigh Sports Consortium and Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau serve as host city sponsors for the championship.

 

ALEXANDER CENTRAL CLINCHES 4-A SOFTBALL CROWN WITH BIG WIN

                  RALEIGH—Bailey Sherrill had two hits and drove in three runs to help lead Alexander Central to a convincing 18-7 victory over Cape Fear on Saturday in the second game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A softball championship series at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.           

                  The victory by the Cougars gave them a sweep of the series and completed a perfect 35-0 season.  Sherrill, who had two hits on Friday night in Alexander Central’s 4-3 victory, was named the series Most Valuable Player.

                  Alexander has made seven trips to the championships since 1996 and has won four state titles in the last six years.

                  The game was close until the late innings, with Cape Fear leading 3-2 after two and then scoring twice in the fifth to cut the margin to 6-5 after the Cougars had scored four times in the third. But Alexander Central tallied five times in the sixth and then scored seven times in the seventh.

                  Tianna Batts hit safely four times for Alexander Central while Averi Miller had two hits and three runs batted in.  Haley Cashwell and Kelli Freeman had three hits apiece for the Colts, who finished 26-3.

                  The Raleigh Sports Consortium and Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau serve as host city sponsors for the championship.

 

SUN VALLEY CLINCHES 3-A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH SWEEP OF CHARLES B. AYCOCK

       RALEIGH— Sophomore Brittany Pickett was the winning pitcher and also had two hits, including a double, as Monroe Sun Valley completed a sweep of Pikeville Charles B. Aycock by a 6-4 count on Saturday in game two of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 3-A softball championship series at Walnut Creek Softball Complex.

       Pickett, who was also the winning pitcher on Friday night as Sun Valley took a narrow 6-5 decision, was named the championship Most Valuable Player. She won her 16th game in the clinching contest and struck out five, while Allie Philips took the loss.

       Aycock scored two runs on three hits in the second to open up a 2-0 lead, but the Spartans struck back with a run in the third and then three in the fourth to take the lead for good on the strength of just one hit and two of the Golden Falcons’ four errors on the day.

      Meredith Burroughs hit safely twice in four trips for Aycock, which ended the year 21-5.  The Golden Falcons have made eight trips in the last 15 years to Walnut Creek for state competition and won the state crown in 2012.

     Sun Valley finished the year 26-5 and earned its first NCHSAA state softball championship since 1997.