You might say this past weekend’s jaunt down to Fayetteville was twice as nice.
For the second time in as many summers, the Morganton Senior League all-star softball team won the state championship, capping a 4-0 run in the tournament and advancing to the Southeast Regional with an emphatic 10-2 Monday victory over N.C. District 5 champions Transylvania County.
This year’s regional will be held in Fort Myers, Fla., from July 30 to Aug. 4.
On Monday, a seven-run fourth inning put things out of reach. A Michelle Hoyle walk preceded a Shelby Lowman, on which she reached base. Lindsey Auton then slapped a single before Vanessa Saunders walked and Temple Cook drove in two on a double. Paula Davis and Cassi Saunders also reached on hits before an out was recorded.
For the game, leadoff hitter Davis scored three runs, while C. Saunders added three hits and Cassidy Smith tallied three RBIs.
Sunday saw a hard-fought Morganton 5-2 win over hometown squad West Fayetteville. Morganton collected only four hits in the victory – singles by Hoyle, Lowman and Connor Townsend and a triple by Smith.
Smith’s three-bagger scored Tara Glazebrooks in the fifth inning, while Meah White tacked on a pair of RBIs. Glazebrooks notched an impressive four stolen bases and scored three of the team’s five runs.
The winning pitcher was Davis, who went four scoreless innings while striking out seven compared to just one walk and three hits. Hoyle pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing an earned run and one unearned run, and White pitched a perfect sixth inning to earn the save on two Ks and one hit.
Saturday’s opener was a 13-1 Morganton rout in six innings over Davie County. The local all-stars led off with three runs in the first inning thanks to a C. Saunders single to right, a Smith RBI double to right and a White RBI double to left. Hits continued with Hoyle connecting on a single to center and V. Saunders scoring White with a ground ball to shortstop.
Morganton scored an additional 10 combined runs over the fourth, fifth and sixth innings while collecting 10 hits. Leading hitters were Davis (four hits), C. Saunders (three hits), as well as Smith, White and Hoyle (two hits). Cook, Glazebrooks and Auton each added a hit.
Davis started and earned the victory in this one as well, tossing three scoreless innings while scattering three hits and striking out four.
(The Morganton team’s first win came by forfeit against Roxboro in the opening round.)
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