PLAYOFF CAPSULES: Softball

By Brandon Davis
Published in Sports on May 10, 2016 1:48 PM

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Charles B. Aycock

PIKEVILLE -- The word "pray" has been used by some Wayne County coaches who were scheduled to face Charles B. Aycock's softball team on the diamond.

No wonder.

The Golden Falcons (22-1 overall) dominated their opponents and held their county and Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference foes to less than nine runs this season -- partly due to the left-handed pitching of senior Allie Phillips.

Phillips threw her first perfect game on May 4 against J.H. Rose.

"She's (Phillips) been a great asset for us," said CBA head coach LaVon Matthews. "She's been one of our top pitchers in the four years. Even when she was a freshman, she threw J.V. and varsity that year. She's been very consistent -- able to rely on."

Matthews not only has solid pitching, but his main hitters -- well, according to the coach -- all of his hitters are his best. Senior Madison Walton, juniors Conner Vinson, "Mookie" Powell and Allison Shingleton and sophomore Hannah Vinson lead the Golden Falcons in hits and in base running.

Aycock won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3-A state title in 2012 and finished state runner-up in 2014.

However, Matthews believes any team in the conference playoffs or state playoffs can present a challenge, but he welcomes teams with great pitching.

"Our hitting drops off a little bit depending on the team that you are playing," Matthews said. "Because when you face good pitching, you're not going to used as many hits as you do when you are facing weaker teams. But it seems like my girls love the better pitching anyway. So we got to hit the ball harder.

"I think they're up for the challenge. We're looking forward to the playoffs. We should be the number one seed."

The Golden Falcons grabbed the number one seed in the 3-A playoffs as predicted, and they play host to county rival Southern Wayne on Wednesday.

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Princeton

PRINCETON -- Hailey Wood stands on the mound.

Kelsey Peedin kneels down behind home plate.

The Princeton tandem set the tone for winning each time the Bulldogs took the field over the regular season. Whether Wood threw a strikeout or Peedin tagged a runner out at home, the duo found a way to lift their team to victory.

The Bulldogs (15-1 overall) allowed just 10 runs in regular-season play, but seven occurred in a one-run loss to North Duplin on April 5. Princeton turned around 19 days later and defeated the Rebels, 1-0, with the help of Wood's nine strikeouts and Casey Mitchell's home run.

Head coach Terry Braswell said after Princeton's victory over North Duplin that he has many hitters on his team that can knock it out of the park. Those hitters -- Mitchell with a .500 batting average, Wood (.488), Taylor Carroll (.511), Brianna Myers (.508) and Beth Braswell (.420) -- look to make a dent against opposing teams in the postseason.

The Bulldogs lost in the third round of the NCHSAA 1-A playoffs to Northside, 1-0, in 2015. Seniors and team captains Wood, Peedin and Carroll could wear their blue and gold uniforms for the last time this year in the finals.

Princeton defeated North Duplin, 3-0, on Saturday to determine the league's No. 1 seed for the playoffs. The Bulldogs play Northampton County on Wednesday, while the Rebels take on KIPP Pride. A game time has not been determined.

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North Duplin

CALYPSO -- Some people say there's nothing in Calypso.

They've never watched a North Duplin softball game.

The Rebels (16-3 overall) allowed a total of 12 runs this season and earned a share of the Carolina 1-A Conference title. North Duplin dropped a 1-0, 11-inning loss to co-champ Princeton despite a 17-strikeout performance from junior right-hander Rylee Pate.

However, Casey Mitchell ripped a two-run home run to all but seal the outcome for the Bulldogs.

"As great as a softball player she is, she's a fantastic individual," Rebels head coach Ricky Edwards said about his starting pitcher.

Though Pate and relief pitcher Haley Brogden threw seven strikeouts total and allowed no walks against Princeton last Saturday, the Rebels fell to the Bulldogs, 3-0, for the chance to grab a number one seed in the 2016 NCHSAA 1-A playoffs.

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Rosewood

Three's a crowd.

But the Rosewood softball team wants to prove -- in the playoffs -- that it can make a run just like Carolina 1-A Conference foes North Duplin and Princeton did last year.

The Eagles (7-11) finished third behind the Bulldogs and the Rebels in the conference standings -- falling to both teams twice during the regular season.

"There's great pitching on both teams with Hailey Wood at Princeton and Rylee Pate and Haley Brogden at North Duplin," said Rosewood head coach Shay Campbell. "Those girls probably overpower a lot of batters.

"When you put the ball in play against either one of those teams, you stand the chance of making something happen, and that's where our trouble's been. We've put a lot of balls in play, but we need to capitalize on opportunities."

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Spring Creek

SEVEN SPRINGS -- Despite key losses to graduation and players who opted not to return this season, Spring Creek (6-11 overall) is making its third consecutive appearance in the playoffs.

Junior Ashley Marriner leads the Gators' offense with a .586 batting average. She has cranked out a team-leading 25 hits, scored 24 runs, collected six RBI and belted one of the team's two home runs this season.

Freshman Ivey Rouse is batting .302 with 13 hits hits. A. Robinson has a .300 batting average, while senior Daisy Martinez has logged a .278 average at the plate.

SC hits .266 as a team and has stolen 53 bases this season.