By Staff
Staff Reports
CURRITUCK — Hayley Stowe wants to make sure her final season of high school softball continues for as long as possible. The Washington Pam Pack senior cranked out three hits and drove in two runs, helping to lead Washington to a 7-1 victory over Currituck in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A state softball playoffs.
Stowe wasn’t the only hitting star for the Pam Pack (8-11), the No. 5 seed out of the Coastal Conference, on Wednesday. Kristi Wood collected a pair of hits and drove in two. Morgan Bryant also drove in a pair, while Sydney Gurkin had a hit and knocked in a run.
“It’s always good to get that first win,” Washington coach Doug Whitehead said. “You want to keep playing at this time of year.”
Brandi Hardison shut down the Knights (7-11), the top seed out of the Northeastern Coastal Conference. She struck out seven in notching the victory.
Washington will face South Johnston (19-8), the No. 2 seed from the Eastern Carolina Conference, in Friday’s second round. South Johnston advanced with a 1-0 win over Nash Central.
“South Johnston will be tough,” Whitehead said. “We just hope that we can keep on playing.”
Bears rally to beat Bruins
BEAR GRASS — There was simply no quit in the Bear Grass Bears.
Ashley White’s two-out, RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Bears to a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the Camden Bruins in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A state playoffs. White, the No. 9 hitter for the Bears, helped cap off a five-run rally after Bear Grass had trailed 5-1.
“That was a big win,” Bear Grass coach Danny Webb said. “Camden has a good team.
“It was a total team effort. The girls just never gave up.”
The Bears (14-8), the second seed out of the Tideland Conference, will play at Southside in Friday’s second round. The Seahawks (17-4), the Four Rivers Conference champions, cruised to a 15-2 win over North Edgecombe in the first round.
“We know they are good,” Webb said of the Seahawks. “We’ll have to play our best.”
Taylor Johnson was masterful in a relief role for the Bears. She entered the game with her team down 5-1 with two outs in the third, and proceeded to no-hit the Bruins (10-8), the Four Rivers No. 4 seed, over the next 3 1/3 innings.
That allowed the Bears to rally. Kimberly Mobley (3-3) tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a clutch run-scoring hit. It was her third hit of the game.
Lauren Ward and Taylor Hollis both went 2-for-4 for the Bears. Johnson, Kaitlyn Sitterson, Courtney Ward and Casey Peaden also had hits for Bear Grass.
BASEBALL
The Bear Grass Bears saw their season come to a close with a 6-0 loss to the Manteo Redskins in second-round baseball action.
The Bears, the Tideland Conference champions, finished with a record of 17-4.