MOUNTULLA — West Rowan softball coach Vanessa Noe and her Northwest Cabarrus counterpart, Cristy Hayes, go back a ways.
Noe pitched for Georgia Southern. Hayes, two years younger, pitched for Marshall, GSU’s biggest rival.
“They were our nemesis,” said Noe. “Always.”
Monday afternoon at West, Hayes was Noe’s nemesis one more time. Hayes’ Trojans nipped West 4-3 in a 10-inning scrap for second place in the 3A South Piedmont Conference. Still on top of the heap is defending state champ, Central Cabarrus, which remains unbeaten after holding off Northwest 1-0 last week.
This was Northwest’s second one-run win over the Falcons. Northwest took last month’s meeting in Kannapolis, 1-0.
When Noe first ran into Hayes last season, she knew she’d seen her before. She just didn’t know where or when.
“I didn’t recognize her at first,” said Noe. “She was pregnant.”
Ditto for Hayes, because Noe was in precisely the same condition. The babies arrived last spring, just a a few weeks apart.
“Small world,” said Noe.
“Sure is,” said Hayes.
The coaches’ teams are pretty close together, too. The Trojans are 10-3 overall, 8-2 in the SPC. West is 10-3, 8-3.
What’s more, West and Northwest appear destined for a third meeting in the SPC Tournament semis. There’s even a potential fourth meeting looming in the second round of the state playoffs.
This is Central’s last year in 3A, so SPC races over the next several years may come down to West, which has eight freshmen in its first 10 players, and Northwest, which has loads of underclassmen. Yesterday, Hayes employed just two seniors, familiar basketball stars, Jenny Volpicelli (third base) and Courtney Edwards (shortstop).
“West is so young and has a great coach,” said Hayes. “The difference in them from last year to now is amazing. They have definitely become an opponent we need to beat.”
West’s junior lefty Alicia Wilson and the Trojans’ Rachel Miller matched zeroes until the fifth.
Wilson got the first two outs in the fifth, but Alicia Dixon grounded a single through the right side and Erin Welch slapped one inches to the right of diving shortstop Lyndsey Gay. Volpicelli then lofted one to left that dropped between onrushing left fielder Cara Graham and Gay to plate the first run.
Jena Stevens followed with a wicked shot that froze Graham. By the time Graham realized the ball had been smoked, it was sailing over her head to the fence for a two-run double. The Trojans led 3-0.
“I was the one that dropped the fly ball that lost that last Central game,” said Stevens. “I was just trying to get a hold of one to make up for that.”
West promptly got back all three in its half. Blair Harkey opened with a solid hit and bunts by Stephanie Athey, Gay, Graham and Jackie White brought two runs around and filled the bases. Then, with one out, Ashley Dowdy drove a fly to medium left. A perfect peg home from Jess Willems to catcher Nicole Craven appeared to nail the speedy Gay, trying to tag from third, but the Falcon was ruled safe. West had a controversial 3-all tie.
West kept the momentum until the last of the ninth. That’s when leadoff batter Athey started the inning with an infield hit, but was erased when Edwards gloved Emily Wallace’s liner at her shoetops and turned it into a double play.
Volpicelli was hit in the foot by a pitch to open the 10th, prompting Noe to replace Wilson with Gay, a strategy which paid off last week at East Rowan. But not this time. Volpicelli swiped second as Gay’s first pitch bounced. Awild pitch moved her over to third. Then Stevens delivered again — hammering a solid single to right.
“I think it was looking up and seeing my dad here,” she said. “He can’t come often and seeing him got me all excited.”
The Falcons’ bottom of the 10th was exciting, too, but the Trojans made plays. There was a running catch by Edwards, a shot to left-center by White that was flagged down by Danielle Archey, and Hillary Hampton’s foul pop that Volpicelli snow-coned while banging into the chain-link fence back of third to strand Dowdy at first and end the game.
“It happened all day,” said Wilson. “Whatever we hit went right to ’em. But they got theirs to fall.”
“It could have gone either way,” sighed Noe. “Alicia pitched awesome. I hate we couldn’t get her a win. But against Northwest, it’s hard. Their outfield played us perfect.”
Northwest is nearly as tough as Central, which means it’s really, really good.
“I think we’re eye to eye with Central,” said Stevens. “It’s perfect competition. We just get psyched out because of the name — ‘Crystal Cox’ (Central’s junior pitcher, who’s the most celebrated player in the state).”
If Northwest can look Central in the eye than West has climbed to roughly the bridge of Central’s nose.
And time is definitely on the Falcons’ side.
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