HobbsDailyReport.com
STILL ALIVE
Softball teams from the area’s four conference still alive in the postseason are:
2A– Draughn, R-S Central
4A — Alexander Central, Mooresville
Alexander Central High cruised into the fourth round of the state 4A softball playoffs on Tuesday night at home when Caroline Maltba collected three hits and seven RBIs.
The top-seeded Cougars ripped No. 5 Southwest Guilford 10-0 in six innings, advancing to play No. 3 North Davidson (24-5) in Taylorsville in the next round (must be played by Friday).
North Davidson beat No. 7 South Caldwell 3-1 in Welcome on Tuesday night to advance.
Maltba led a 14-hit attack by the Cougars with Brittney Krider adding three hits and Julie Gast and Chesney Millsaps two each. Jennifer Tipton scored four runs for Alexander Central, which has outscored three postseason opponents 25-5.
Kendra Mayes threw a complete game for the Cougars, going six innings. She gave up four hits, two to Nicol Wilson, while walking four and striking out four.
Alexander Central touched Southwest Guilford (21-4) starter Alisha Herndon for six runs, all earned, in four innings. She walked two and struck out none.
An Alexander Central versus North Davidson postseason battle in softball has been commonplace through the years. Since 1984, they’ve met 11 times with the Cougars winning eight of those. They last met in the fourth round in 2015 with North Davidson winning.
Alexander Central won state titles four times in which having to beat the Black Knights was a factor – in 1994, 1995, 2009 and 2011.
In 2011 in Raleigh, Alexander Central won 6-2 then, after a 2-1 loss to North Davidson, finished off a state title by beating the Black Knights 3-2.
In games involving other teams from the Greater Hickory area’s four conferences:
2A
No. 14 Draughn 5, No. 6 Parkwood 1: The Wildcats (18-6) ran their win streak to nine games, reaching the fourth round for the first time in softball in school history.
Draughn faces No. 6 Parkwood (21-6) in Monroe in the next round, which must be completed by Friday.
Parkwood earned its spot with a 5-0 win at No. 2 West Wilkes on Tuesday.
If Draughn wins again, it goes to a best-of-3 series that begins Tuesday against No. 5 R-S Central (21-2) or No. 1 Madison (24-0).
No. 5 R-S Central 4, No. 4 Lake Norman Charter 1: Despite being outhit 8-4, the Hilltoppers (21-2) advanced with a victory on the road on Tuesday.
The game was tied 1-all until the sixth inning, when R-S Central scored twice.
Lake Norman Charter (19-3) made three errors, and the Hilltoppers had two.
R-S Central now goes to top-seeded Madison for a fourth-round game that must be played by
Friday.
3A
No. 13 Sun Valley 7, No. 9 West Iredell 1: At West Iredell, the Spartans (18-6, lowest seed left in West 3A) beat the Warriors in a third-round game.
Sun Valley is on the road in the fourth round, playing at No. 11 Cox Mill (23-2), a 6-4 winner on Tuesday over second-seeded Ledford (23-3) in Ledford.
No. 4 Piedmont (21-3) and No. 1 Hickory Ridge (25-2) are in the opposite bracket.
4A
No. 3 North Davidson 3, No. 7 South Caldwell 1: At North Davidson, the Black Knights (24-5) eliminated the Spartans (21-7) in the postseason for the third consecutive season.
North Davidson won despite having two runners thrown out at the plate and another at third, The Lexington (N.C.) Dispatch reported.
Faith Jarvis had three hits and drove in the go-ahead run, and Katie McNeel (four innings) and freshman Regan Spencer (three innings of hitless relief), The Dispatch story said.
North Davidson got a big boost in the sixth inning, using a South Caldwell error to collect a 3-1 lead when Lexi Bryant singled.
Jenna Pittman, the starter pitcher for the Spartans, had a sacrifice fly RBI in the fourth inning for South Caldwell. That came after Lauren Huffman doubled and moved up on a hit by Allie Triplett, the said.
North Davidson, which next plays Alexander Central, ousted South Caldwell from the playoffs in 2015, winning a West Regional series 6-2 and 2-0. Last season, the Black Knights won 9-3 at home in the third round.
No. 10 Mooresville 5, No. 6 Charlotte Catholic 2: A three-run sixth inning carried the visitng Blue Devils (21-3) to the fourth round.
Mooresville outhit Catholic (18-5) by one (7-6) and the Cougars made three errors.
Next up for Mooresville is No. 2 Richmond County (24-4), in Rockingham, in a game that must be played by Friday.
The Raiders advanced by beating No. 11 Davie County 5-2.