2016 NCHSAA Softball State Championship Series recaps
1A – Princeton takes two of three from North Stanly to win first fast-pitch title
Game 1 – North Stanly slides past Princeton 3-2
In a game that was tight the whole way, North Stanly got a pair of doubles from Sam Hogan, one in the first inning and another in the third, to push past Princeton 3-2. Hogan was 2 for 3 on the day and scored two of the Comets three runs. She also pitched seven innings only allowing five hits and two runs on her way to the win
Game 2 – Princeton rebounds in game two with an 8-1 win over North Stanly to force game 3
With their backs against the wall in game two, the Princeton Bulldogs came out swinging against North Stanly pounding out 11 hits and 8 runs on their way to an 8-1 victory over North Stanly forcing a decisive game three in the 1A Softball State Championship series.
The Bulldogs broke the ice in the third inning as Kelsey Peedin drew a one-out walk and Megan Bryant followed that up with a single. Brianna Myers rapped a double to the wall bringing both runners home and giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 that they would not relinquish.
Game 3 – Princeton claws back to beat North Stanly 3-2, clinch 1A crown
The Princeton Bulldogs entered game two with their backs against the wall, just a few hours after that game two win, they found themselves in a perilous situation once again. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning of the decisive game three of the 1A Softball Championship series, the Bulldogs scratched across a run in the bottom of the fifth as Megan Bryant raced home on the two-out RBI-single by Hailey Wood cutting the North Stanly lead to 2-1.
Casey Mitchell belted a two-run home run to lift the Bulldogs to the lead in the sixth inning, as the series M.V.P.'s shot gave Princeton a 3-2 lead and their first State Championship
2A – South Granville wins back-to-back titles downing West Lincoln 2 games to 1
Game 1 – South Granville holds off West Lincoln 5-4
South Granville found themselves down 2-0 to West Lincoln in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the defending 2A Softball State Champions would not go down quietly. With one out in the fifth, the Vikings managed to put a runner on off of a Rebel error before the next two batters singled. Then Viking clean-up hitter Megan White stepped in and delivered a grand slam home run to give the Vikings a 4-2 lead. They wouldn’t look back on their way to taking a 5-4 victory in game one of the best-of-three series.
Game 2 – West Lincoln blanks South Granville 4-0 to force decisive game 3
Cassidy Wise spun a complete game three-hitter shutting out South Granville to force a decisive game three in the 2A Softball State Championship Series with a 4-0 win. Wise was nearly flawless in the circle, allowing only three hits while striking out four batters on the afternoon. The Vikings never had a runner advance past second base.
Game 3 – South Granville wins back-to-back titles with a game 3 10-5 win over West Lincoln
South Granville secured their second straight fast-pitch softball State Championship knocking off West Lincoln 10-5 in game three of the 2A State Championship series. The Vikings exploded for 8 runs in the second inning as they batted around with nine hits in the inning.
3A – Enka goes back-to-back with series sweep of C.B. Aycock
Game 1 – Enka scores 4 in seventh to take 8-6 win over C.B. Aycock
Enka battled back from a two-run deficit after the first inning to take game one of the NCHSAA 3A Softball Championship over C.B. Aycock 8-6. The Sugar Jets answered the Falcons two runs in the bottom of the first, with a pair of their own in the second. Addison Harris followed that up in the top of the third with a two-run homer to make it 4-2.
The Jets exploded for four runs in the top of the seventh inning, all coming with two outs in the inning. Whitney Fletcher and Brittany Fletcher started the two-out rally with a pair of singles before Kloyee Anderson singled and Claire Crout doubled, all coming around to score in the inning and building an 8-3 lead for Enka.
Game 2 – Enka completes sweep of C.B. Aycock with a 5-3 win on walk-off homer by Harris
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh with two on and one out, Enka senior first baseman Addison Harris stepped into the box and drove the ball out of the park, lifting the Sugar Jets to a 5-3 win in game two of the 3A Softball State Championship series. The walk-off home run also delivered a series sweep and back-to-back State Championships for Enka. Harris was named the series M.V.P. for her heroics.
The last chance rally for the Jets started with a lead off single by Brittany Fletcher which Kloyee Anderson followed up with a single of her own. After Claire Crout grounded out back to the pitcher, Harris rose to the occasion driving a 1-0 pitch out of the park.
4A – West Forsyth Sweeps Cape Fear to win first championship
Game 1 – West Forsyth plates 3 in the sixth to down Cape Fear 3-0
One big inning, that was the difference between a chance to clinch a State Championship during game two or facing elimination, as West Forsyth got all of their runs in the top of the sixth to down Cape Fear 3-0 in game one of the 4A Softball State Championship series.
Cape Fear pitcher Aubrey Reep had been on cruise control until a one-out walk in the top of the sixth to the Titan right fielder Bri Lucero. Lucero then stole second base before a single by Taylor Ferrell. Brooke Perry, West Forsyth’s starting pitcher, helped her own cause with a single following Ferrell’s and that is when Anna Epling broke the ice with an RBI-groundout to give West Forsyth the game’s first run. Hannah Runge followed that up with a two-run double giving the Titans the final 3-0 margin.
Game 2 – West Forsyth wins extra inning thriller 4-3 to sweep Cape Fear
After pitching a complete game shutout the night before in a game one win, West Forsyth pitcher Brooke Perry came up big again for the Titans in game two of the 4A Softball Championship series, piloting the Titans to a 4-3 extra inning win and State Championship over Cape Fear.
Not only did Perry pitch the full eight innings, she led off the eighth inning with a double and Courtney Lamb came into run for Perry, crossing home on Anna Epling’s game-winning RBI double. Perry was named the series M.V.P. as she pitched 15 innings with a 2-0 record on the series, allowing three runs, only two earned, while only giving up 10 hits. She also struck out 10 batters in the two games with a single walk allowed.