Davis' HR sparks Falcons past Aycock in softball

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 2, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- Let Cameron Davis hit or put her on base intentionally?

The decision might be different the next time.

Davis deposited a sixth-inning, two-run bomb over the left-field wall and sparked South Central to a 5-2 triumph over Charles B. Aycock in an Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference softball game Wednesday evening.

Leading 3-2, the Falcons' Lauren Conway drew a lead-off walk to start the sixth. Stacey Shivers replaced Conway at first and two outs later trotted home on Davis' two-strike blast that Aycock's outfielders watched as it dropped at least 20 feet behind the fence.

"I was expecting to be outside and (the pitcher) not throw anything close to me," Davis said. "It looked like it was supposed to a curveball that didn't quite break, so it kind of stayed there. I had to let (my swing) go."

One day earlier, Davis homered against South Lenoir.

"We were in the ballgame until that girl (Davis) jacked one out," CBA interim coach LaVon Matthews said. "She went out there and pulled it. We did (think about walking her). Probably the next time that will happen. You learn by your mistakes."

Two infield errors allowed South Central to take a 1-0 lead in the top half of the first inning. C.B. Aycock (5-5 overall, 4-2 ECC) notched the equalizer on Abbie Walton's two-out single up the middle in the second inning.

SC right-hander Abby Rowell retired 10 of the next 12 batters she faced after Walton's hit. She coaxed the Golden Falcons into six groundouts, a shallow pop-up to center field and sat down three batters on strikeouts.

Rowell finished with a six-hitter.

"She has been throwing some really good games for us and is only going to get better," said South Central third-base coach Aubrey Reinhard, a University of Mount Olive alum.

"She's a position pitcher as far as pitching the ball, so they can put it in play. She's offering some good, but we've got a solid defense behind her and that's really key (for us)."

The Falcons (9-1, 5-0) moved back in front 3-1 in the fifth inning on Lindsay McCollum's RBI double off of the center-field wall, and Ensley Bailey's infield RBI groundout.

Allison Shingleton's one-out double landed in the same spot as McCollum's in the bottom half of the fifth. She scored on Mackenzie Wheeler's base knock to right field, but Aycock wouldn't scratch again.

Davis' sixth-inning homer sealed the outcome.

"We're losing some close ballgames," said Matthews, whose team stranded four runners at either second or third base, and hit just 2 for 10 with them in scoring position.

"We're in the game right down to the end, then something happens. We've had to fight back the whole ballgame and that's the way our season has been going against the tough teams."

CBA sophomore southpaw Allie Phillips permitted seven hits and logged three strikeouts in a complete-game effort inside the pitcher's circle. She threw 94 pitches, including 65 strikes, in the loss.