Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

After three pitches out of the strike zone to the Edenton Holmes leadoff batter, Washington sophomore Emma Orr found her rhythm. That was bad news for the Aces, as the Pam Pack lefty pitched her third career no-hitter for a 6-0 opening night victory.

Orr struck out 10, walked three and hit a batter in an outing that wasn’t supposed to last seven innings according to coach Brad Horton.

“We were going to let our other pitchers get some work in, but the no-hitter kinda took care of that,” Horton said. “I felt like I had to leave her in until she gave up a hit, which didn’t happen. We’ve been working with her on being more efficient and not having as many 3-2 counts as she did last year. She threw 108 pitches, which is still a little high, but she pitched very well. Despite all her success, she’s still learning and developing confidence in pitching her own game. She’s comfortable shaking me off when she knows another pitch would be better in whatever the situation is.”

The Pack scored in the first inning, then Orr helped herself with a three-run home run in the third.

Leadoff batter Ava Mizell scored three runs, while Addison Miller, Peyton Youmans and Mica Lilley had two hits each.

The Pack is coming off a trip to the 2A state championship finals and an undefeated regular season. Despite graduating four senior starters, the 2023 team has to deal with high expectations.

“The girls have heard it from everybody all summer about how this season. Is supposed to go,” Horton said. “We are trying to focus on improving every game, because this is a different group. We are talented, but there will be a learning curve and our schedule is difficult by design. I think the girls were glad to get started, get a win and move on to the next opportunity.”

Meanwhile, just up the hill from the softball field, the WHS baseball team picked up a 9-5 victory over Edenton Holmes in their first home game after a 12-1 loss at J.H. Rose to open the season.

The Pack erupted for seven runs in the sixth inning to wipe out a 5-2 deficit to give head coach Will Tyson his first varsity victory.

“I told them to start being more aggressive at the plate and they listened,” Tyson said. “Good things happened when we attacked the baseball instead of getting ourselves into bad hitting counts. It was a solid bounce back win for us and it took a while to relax after the game.”

Bryce Williams and Hunter Baldree had two run doubles during the sixth inning rally and Williams went 3-4 on the night and picked up the pitching win with two scoreless innings.

Connor Edwards, last year’s Eastern Plains Conference Player of the Year, went 2-3 and scored a run.