By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
YEATESVILLE — Talk about domination.
Charity Watson and Lily Ann Arnold were virtually unhittable. Meanwhile, Washington’s bats were simply on fire. That lethal combination helped the Pam Pack win the championship in the first Washington Daily News/Northside Easter Softball Invitational.
The Pam Pack beat Southside, 6-0, in the championship game on a gray, cold Saturday evening at Northside High School.
Currituck took third place in the tournament after taking an 18-7 win over Northside.
Edenton beat West Craven in the fifth-place game, while Manteo topped Farmville Central in the seventh-place contest.
Championship Game
Watson and Arnold combined on a one-hit gem in the championship game. Arnold, who started, tossed two innings of hitless ball while striking out three. Watson took over and kept the Southside bats silent. The junior allowed just one hit, a fourth-inning single up the middle by Chelsi Chandler, over five innings of work. Watson struck out nine and walked three.
Southside coach John Lohman was happy with his team, which took runner-up and went 2-1 during the tournament.
Watson and the rest of the players at Saturday’s tournament had to contend with much different weather conditions compared with Friday. After sunny skies and the temperature hovering around 80 degrees a day earlier, Saturday was cold, windy and wet as rain fell on occasion.
The Washington (7-0) dugout was certainly rocking. Marissa Fucito, Kayla Spain and Watson all had two hits off Southside (8-2) pitching ace Gabby Cilluffo.
The Pack scored what proved to be the game-winner in the third. Amber Alligood hit a double on a ball that fell just in front of Chandler in left field. Alligood later scored when Brittany Moss reached on a fielder’s choice.
Fucito and Stacey Mayer, who singled and reached on a fielder’s choice, respectively, both scored off wild pitches in the sixth to make it 3-0.
The Pack added three insurance runs in the seventh. Fucito had an RBI single and scored on an error, while Watson also had an RBI single.
Semifinal
Washington 14, Northside 0
Washington cruised to a 14-0 win over Northside in one semifinal.
Arnold and Watson dominated on the mound in Washington’s victory. Arnold went the first two innings and allowed one hit while fanning one. Watson tossed the final three innings, giving up a hit and fanning nine.
Fucito led the way offensively. She ripped a home run, triple and double while driving in three runs. Spain hit a home run and drove in two, while Kristy Wood also had a home run and two RBI.
Wood set the early tone with a home run in the first inning. The Pack made it 6-0 with a five-run third. Fucito’s two-run homer in the fourth made it 8-0, while Spain’s two-run blast highlighted a six-run fifth.
Wood, Arnold, Spain, Watson and Moss also had two hits for Washington.
Amanda Daw had both hits for Northside (4-4) in the loss.
Semifinal
Southside 4, Currituck 3
Southside rallied for a 4-3 victory over Currituck to reach the championship game.
The Knights held a 3-0 lead early. The Seahawks scored twice in the sixth to pull within 3-2, then scored the tying and winning runs in the seventh.
Mandy Harding led off the seventh with a single. Standing at second base with two outs, an errant pickoff try by Currituck pitcher Erin Buchan allowed Harding to score the tying run.
Sydney Harding drew a two-out walk, stole third and eventually scored the game winner on an error.
Cilluffo, who got out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, struck out the final two batters in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.
Third-place Game
Currituck pounded out 18 hits in an 18-7 win over Northside to capture third place.
Logan Howlet led the way with five hits, including two doubles and a triple, and three RBI. Amber Harrison and Rachel Bonds hit homers for the Knights, while Buchan drove in three.
Currituck coach Karen Buoker said her team responded well following the heartbreaking loss to Southside.
The Knights used six hits to score eight runs in the second for an early 8-0 lead. It was 11-0 after the top of the third, but Northside didn’t give up. Lauren Rodriguez ripped a bases-loaded triple to score three runs, while Heather Ussery had an RBI single in a six-run inning to pull the Panthers within 11-6.
Currituck tacked on five more in the fourth to help pull away.
Champions: Washington (3-0)
Runner-up: Southside (2-1)
Third: Currituck (2-1)
Fourth: Northside (1-2)
Fifth: Edenton (2-1)
Sixth: West Craven (1-2)
Seventh: Manteo (1-2)
Eighth: Farmville Central (0-3)
Championship Game
Washington 6, Southside 0
Washington 001 002 3 — 6 11 0
Southside 000 000 0 — 0 1 2
WP: Charity Watson; LP: Gabby Cilluffo
Hitters: W — Marissa Fucito 2-4 (2 runs, RBI), Charity Watson 2-4 (RBI), Lauren Allen 2-4, Kayla Spain 2-4, Brittany Moss 1-3 (RBI), Amber Alligood 1-4 (2B), Stacey Mayer 1-4 (2 runs); SS — Chelsi Chandler 1-2.
Consolation Game
Currituck 18, Northside 7
Currituck 083 502 — 18 18 0
Northside 006 010 — 7 7 2
WP: Erin Buchan; LP: Whitney Lewis
Hitters: C — Logan Howlet 5-5 (3B, 2 2B’s, 3 RBI), Amber Harrison 2-3 (HR, 3 RBI), Hillary Helms 2-4 (2B), Brittany Asche 2-4, Erin Buchan 2-5 (3B, 3 RBI), Rachel Bonds 1-2 (HR, 2 RBI), Megan Grahm 1-2 (3B, RBI), Ashley Craft 1-4 (RBI), Dy Huckoby 1-3 (2B, RBI), Jordan Terrell 1-2 (RBI); NS — Lauren Rodriguez 2-3 (3B, 3 RBI), Amanda Daw 2-4, Tiffany Jackson 1-2, Heather Ussery 1-3 (RBI), Whitney Lewis 1-4.
Semifinal
Washington 14, Northside 0
Washington 105 26 — 14 15 1
Northside 000 00 — 0 2 5
WP: Lily Ann Arnold; LP: Amanda Beirne
Hitters: W — Marissa Fucito 3-4 (HR, 3B, 2B, 3 RBI), Kayla Spain 2-2 (HR, 2 RBI), Kristy Wood 2-3 (HR, 2 RBI), Brittany Moss 2-3 (RBI), Lily Ann Arnold 2-4 (3 runs), Charity Watson 2-4 (2B), Amber Alligood 1-3 (2B, RBI), Stacey Mayer 1-4 (RBI); NS — Amanda Daw 2-2.
Semifinal
Southside 4, Currituck 3
Southside 000 002 2 — 4
Currituck 003 000 0 — 3
WP: Gabby Cilluffo; LP: Erin Buchan