PREP SOFTBALL: CBA rallies, extends win streak to 8

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on April 14, 2017 9:59 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- With two outs in the seventh inning, D.H. Conley's Cara Davis attempted to sneak a bunt past Charles B. Aycock's defense.

Golden Falcons' catcher Taylor Puetz quickly popped out of her stance, snatched the ball and sent a laser to first baseman Taylor Waddell.

The thump of the ball hitting Waddell's mitt solidified a 3-2 victory over the Vikings on Thursday night. It also concluded a defensive effort that Golden Falcons' head coach LaVon Matthews has been waiting for all season.

"I've always said, I'm not worried about our bats," Matthews said. "...We have worked a lot on our defense and our pitching, too...Like I tell those girls, when you're playing a good team like you're gonna play in the playoffs, you can't give a good team extra outs."

Since losing two consecutive games to South Central and Conley in Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference play in late March, CBA has reeled off eight wins in a row. In those victories, the Golden Falcons have outscored their opponents 103-8.

Conley -- which entered Thursday's matchup 13-1 overall -- started the game with a lead-off home run from Davis. In the second inning, the Vikings' Emily Kirby scored thanks to a sacrifice bunt by Alexis Phillips.

Conley held a 2-0 lead and appeared to have offensive momentum.

But Matthews wasn't lying when he expressed little concern for CBA's bats. The Golden Falcons scored three runs off three hits in the fourth inning. Puetz hit a RBI groundout and Allison Shingleton smacked a RBI double and later scored off an error.

CBA instantly grabbed a 3-2 advantage.

And Mackenzie Wheeler -- well, she took the wheel.

In the next five innings, the senior allowed just three hits and one walk. The Vikings had just five base runners during that stretch and none reached second base.

Conley's two runs were its lowest offensive output of the season. The team averages almost 13 runs per game before Thursday night.

"Mackenzie (Wheeler) hit her spots," Matthews said. "There were times she was getting the ball up, but they weren't hitting it. We tried to preach to her, you know, keep the ball down. We want ground balls. Fly balls are going to fly out of here with the batters they've got."

In a complete-game effort, Wheeler allowed five hits, one walk and struck out two batters. Mookie Powell and Hannah Vinson led CBA with two hits apiece.

Matthews said the earlier losses to South Central and Conley sparked a flame within the players.

Due to a rise in defensive effort, the veteran coach is now seeing his group transform into the championship-caliber team that many perceived them to be.

"I have really tried to pound it into these girls, if we're going to get beat, let's get beat with the bats," Matthews said. "And they have responded with pitching better and hitting their spots. It's just a total turnaround. They have a better attitude ...These girls are proud. There's a big tradition over here."