HobbsDailyReport.com
TAYLORSVILLE – Lydia Berkley and Lexi Bryant each hit a home run and visiting North Davidson High survived making three errors to beat Alexander Central 9-6 on Thursday night, ending the Cougars’ softball season.
Bryant led a 12-hit attack for the third-seeded Black Knights (25-5) and drove in four runs as North Davidson won a fourth round state playoff game to advance to a best-of-3 series for the West 4A title next week.
The Black Knights will face Friday’s winner of No. 10 Mooresville (21-3) at No. 2 Richmond County (24-4) – they play in Rockingham – in a series that is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
Top-seeded Alexander Central, also knocked out in the fourth round two years ago by North Davidson, finished 26-4.
The Cougars scored first, taking a 1-0 led in the first inning, before the Black Knights scored five runs in the second inning.
Alexander Central scored twice in the fourth to get within 5-3 and North Davidson was up 7-3 after it scored twice in the sixth inning.
The Black Knights’ lead was 9-3 after they scored two runs in the seventh, and the Cougars scored three times in their final-at.
Sydney Snyder had a team-high three hits and Faith Jarvis, Berkley and Foster Sharpe added two each for North Davidson.
Two Black Knights pitcher, starter Regan Spencer and reliever Katie McNeill, combined to five-hit the Cougars. Spencer got the win, throwing four innings (four hits, three runs, four walks, one strikeout) and McNeill earned a save (three innings, one hit, three runs/one earned, two walks and five strikeouts).
Brittney Krider led Alexander Central with three of its five hits. The other hits were by Alexis Walter and Kelsea Dejarnette. Krider, Chesney Millsaps and Ashley Seagle drove in runs for the Cougars.
Kendra Mayes started and took the loss for Alexander Central (3 1/3 innings, seven hits, five runs, three walks, two strikeouts), and Millsaps pitched the final 3 2/3 innings (five hits, four runs, four walks, no strikeouts).
KNIGHTS VERSUS COUGARS
There’s a long history of state playoff softball games between North Davidson and Alexander Central. Here are their previous postseason meetings and outcomes since 1984:
1994: Alexander Central 7, N. Davidson 1 in Final Four opener in Raleigh (AC won state title).
1995: Alexander Central 3, N. Davidson in Final Four second game in Raleigh (AC won state title).
1996 (slo-pitch): N. Davidson 9, Alexander Central 2, third round.
2009: Alexander Central 3, N. Davidson 0 in Final Four first game in Raleigh; Alexander Central 2, N. Davidson 1 in final (AC won state title).
2011: Alexander Central 6, N. Davidson 2 in Final Four first game in Raleigh; N. Davidson 2, Alexander Central 1; Alexander Central 3-2 in final (AC won state title).
2014: Alexander Central 12, N. Davidson 3; Alexander Central 4, N. Davidson in West best-of-3 title series (AC won state title).
2015 — N. Davidson 10, Alexander Central 5, fourth round.