CLASS 1-A, GAME THREE
PATE LEADS NORTH DUPLIN PAST HIWASSEE DAM IN GAME 3
GREENSBORO— Sophomore Rylee Pate had a couple of hits and pitched effectively in relief to lift North Duplin to a 7-3 triumph over Hiwassee Dam in the third and decisive game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 1-A softball championship series at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
Pate was selected as the championship series Most Valuable Player.
Hiwassee Dam had won the opening game Friday night 7-0 behind a one-hit shutout by Haylie Shope. North Duplin evened the series earlier on Saturday when Haley Brogden pitched a two-hitter and had two hits in a 2-1 victory.
North Duplin jumped in front with four in the top of the first and the Rebels made it stand up. Soph Brooke Cottle helped the North cause with two hits in three trips and drove home three runs.
Morgan Helton paced the Hiwassee Dam attack with two hits and a pair of runs batted in.
Shope was the losing pitcher, yielding nine hits and striking out 11.
Both teams were in their initial appearance in an NCHSAA state softball championship. Hiwassee Dam finished 25-5 overall while North Duplin, a young team with only two juniors and the rest of the roster freshmen and sophomores, wound up 20-4-1.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
UNC Greensboro Softball Stadium
Class 1-A: Game Three
North Duplin 4 0 0 0 2 1 0—7 9 1
Hiwassee Dam 1 2 0 0 0 0 0—3 6 1
WP—Rylee Pate. LP—Hailey Shope.
CLASS 4-A SOFTBALL , GAME THREE
CONLEY BLANKS NORTH DAVIDSON 1-0 IN 4-A SERIES CLINCHER
RALEIGH— Emily Kirby tossed a two-hit shutout in the decisive third game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A softball championship series as Greenville D.H. Conley nipped North Davidson 1-0 on Saturday afternoon at Dail Softball Stadium at North Carolina State University.
Conley manufactured a first-inning run with a base hit, a bunt single, a ground out, fielder’s choice and a dropped third strike, and the Vikings made it stand up. Championship Most Valuable Player Madison Maloney and Makenna Matthijs each had hits in the inning for the Vikings, with Matthijs later scoring the run on the dropped third strike.
Hailey Coles had two of North Davidson’s three hits.
Katie Taylor of North Davidson doubled in the seventh to give the Knights some hope, but was off the base and was tagged out to end the threat.
North Davidson scored three unearned runs Friday night en route to a 3-2 victory in the series opener. Conley evened the series with a 5-0 victory earlier on Saturday behind a three-shutout pitched by Rachel Weidner.
D.H. Conley won the championship for the third time in the last five years, with previous crowns in 2011 and ’13. The Vikings wound up 27-3 overall while North Davidson, back in the championships for the first time since 2011, completed a 26-7 season under veteran coach Mike Lambros.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Dail Softball Stadium, N.C. State
Class 4-A: Game Three
North Davidson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0—0 3 0
D.H. Conley 1 0 0 0 0 0 x—1 2 2
WP—Emily Kirby. LP—Blakely Thrower.
