CHOCOWINITY — For the third straight year Southside opened up the playoffs against North Edgecombe and for the third straight time the Seahawks delivered a first round knockout as they beat the Warriors 20-0 in three innings.
After Southside pitcher Savannah Mumford struck out the side to start the game, the No, 1-seeded Seahawks (18-3, Four Rivers) pounced on No. 4 North Edgecombe (6-8, Tar Roanoke) with a 17-run barrage.
Warriors pitcher Adriana Eatman walked the first five batters she faced and hit the sixth, which brought the score to 2-0 before the Seahawks batters could even put the ball in play.
On the next at bat, Southside’s Valarie Hodges smashed grounder that sailed through the Warriors’ shortstops legs, which plated two more runs to up the score to 4-0. Hodges would eventually cross home in a wild sequence of events in which she and Sondra Sparks both stole home one wild pitch.
From there the rout was on as the Seahawks would enter the top of the second up 17-0.
“We just came out and took care of business,” Southside coach John Lohman said.
After the game Lohman praised his team for its discipline at the plate
“I told them don’t swing at junk,” Lohman said. “They did a good job of waiting and when it was time to hit they hit the ball.”
The same could not be said for the Warriors who went three up and three down each inning until the game was called in the third as a result of a mutual agreement between the teams that if one team led another by more than 15 runs after three innings the contest would come to an end.
Macy Paramore came out of the bullpen to pitch the final two innings of the game and struck out three batters.
With the win, the Seahawks now advance to the second round of the playoffs were they will host the winner of the No. 2 Columbia-No. 4 Riverside matchup on Tuesday.
“It’s always good to survive and move on,” Lohman said. “Now it’s time to get ready for the next one.”

North Edgecombe 000    —    0    0    3
Southside    (17) 3 X — 20        12    0
WP: Savannah Mumford; LP: Adriana Eatman
Hitting: N – 0; SS — Savannah Mumford 1-2, (RBI), Macy Paramore 2-2 (2 RBI), Valerie Ruffin 1-1 (RBI), Tia Hardy 1-2 (2 RBI), Marlin Edwards 1-2 (RBI), Sondra Sparks 1-1 (2B, RBI), Valarie Hodges 2-3 (2B, HR, 3 RBI), Morgan Harding 2-2 (2 R), Aliyah Jones 1-1 (RBI).