Brock propels Rebels into state 1A softball finals with walk-off home run

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 30, 2015 11:26 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

CALYPSO -- Courtney Brock made the right adjustment at the plate at the right time.

And her textbook swing sent a standing-room-only crowd into a frenzy Friday evening.

Brock's walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning gave North Duplin a 1-0 victory and capped a series sweep of Pinetown Northside in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A eastern regional softball finals.

"At first, I didn't think it was going over," Brock said.

It did -- over the center-field wall.

"I didn't really know what to think ... did I just really hit that ball over?" Brock said as she firmly clutched the eastern regional trophy in her right hand and the memorable prize -- the home run ball -- in her left hand.

Brock's first bomb of the season vaulted the 11th-seeded Rebels (18-3-1 overall) into next week's state championship series against either Lincoln Charter or Hiwassee Dam. The best-of-three battle begins Friday at the UNC Greensboro Softball Complex.

School officials brought in extra bleachers to handle an over-capacity crowd that went four rows deep near the Rebels' dugout. Fans sat underneath tents behind the right-field fence. Other spectators sought out premium shady spots.

For six innings, Northside pitcher Rachel Lang and North Duplin's Rylee Pate locked themselves into a pitcher's duel. The duo combined to allow just seven hits and record 19 strikeouts inside the circle.

Lang permitted two North Duplin batters to reach second base in the second and sixth innings. Pate retired 11 of 12 batters during one stretch and wiggled out of trouble in the final two innings -- most importantly the seventh.

Knotted at 0-0, senior Kelsey Lang slapped a lead-off double to left-center field. Pate walked the next batter. After a strikeout, Whitney Cromwell reached safely on an infield bunt.

Rebels third baseman Haley Brogden held the ball instead of making the throw to first.

"The play Haley made where she didn't make the throw, but faked it to keep the girl at third was mighty big," ND head coach Ricky Edwards said.

Pate struck out the next batter, her 13th of the game, to end the inning.

"I thought we were going to score on that opportunity and we just didn't get it done (with) no outs and the bases loaded," Northside head coach Riley Youmans said. "I have to give it to their pitcher. She's outstanding ... we could not get the bat on the ball."

Brock stepped into the batter's box to start the bottom of the seventh and Lang's first offering just missed the outside corner. The next pitch appeared to handcuff Brock, but she stepped forward to meet the ball early and extended her hands.

"Go ball!" shouted a North Duplin fan.

The bright yellow sphere dropped over the fence and Brock's teammates quickly rushed to the plate to greet their heroine. The celebration continued into center field as Brock's father lifted his daughter onto his shoulders.

She proudly showed the home run ball to the crowd.

"Amazing ... am feeling good right now," Brock said.

Northside's players, who entered the regional finals unbeaten and as the No. 1 seed, walked back toward their dugout.

"When it's a pitcher's duel, eventually somebody is going to get hold of one and that's what happened," said Youmans, whose team managed just four hits in the two-game series and had 22 total strikeouts.