Game 2 in Hudson starts at 6:30 p.m.
HobbsDailyReport.com
MOORESVILLE – Held to a first-inning run on Tuesday night and falling 10-1 at Mooresville has the South Caldwell High softball team’s season on the line Wednesday night in Hudson.
Third-seeded Mooresville beat the Spartans in Mooresville in the opening game of a best-of-3 series for the West 4A title.
GAME 1: Mooresville 10, S. Caldwell 1
GAME 2: Mooresville at S. Caldwell, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
GAME 3, IF NEEDED S. Caldwell at Mooresville, Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Game 2 — which South Caldwell (21-4) must win — is Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at South Caldwell.
The Blue Devils (27-3) are seeded No. 3 and South Caldwell is seeded No. 5.
Should South Caldwell even the series on Wednesday, Game 3 will be played Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Mooresville.
The series winner advances to a best-of-3 series next week against the East 4A champion, No. 2 Heritage (19-3) or No. 4 Wilmington Hoggard (18-7).
Hoggard won Game 1 of that series 5-0 on Tuesday at Heritage, and the second game is Thursday at 6 p.m. at Hoggard.
South Caldwell is the defending West 4A champion and fell two games to one last season in the state title series against Fayetteville Britt.
The Spartans are in their sixth season under head coach Casey Justice, a former star athlete at South Caldwell, and they are 140-28 under Justice heading into Wednesday’s key game.
Mooresville did all of Tuesday’s scoring after the Spartans scored a run in the first inning on a throwing error.
A five-run second inning, with all the runs coming after two outs, put the Blue Devils up 6-1.
Macy Martin had a three-run home run in the fifth inning for Mooresville.
Caitlyn Mann, Ellie Goins and Olivia Marshall each had two hits for the Blue Devils while losing pitcher Jenna Pittman had two of the Spartans’ three hits.
Kali Morton gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four for Mooresville.
Goins, a freshman who had 10 home runs this season, went 2-for-2 and she twice was walked intentionally.
