Marissa Yow’s dramatic, three-run bomb in the eighth inning lifted West Rowan’s softball team to a 5-2 SPC win against visiting Central Cabarrus on Friday.
“Central got us with a walkoff when we played them down there,” Yow said. “So it was our turn.”
It was the biggest regular-season softball game the Falcons have played in a while, and it pushed them into first place alone in the SPC.
“I didn’t want to put too much pressure on the girls, but we did talk about how big a game this was for us,” West coach Jimmy Greene said. “I told them to go out there and have fun and to enjoy it.”
It wasn’t much fun for a while. West stranded 10 runners in the first five innings against Central’s hard-throwing Brittany Guidera.
“She’s good, the fastest pitcher we’ve seen this year,” West second baseman Taylor Martin said.
West (9-3 SPC) scored in the third when Kristine South knocked in Martin.
Central (8-4 SPC) made it 1-all in the fourth on McKayla Greenwood’s RBI single.
Central threatened to take the lead in the sixth, but West center fielder Cat Whitley threw a strike home to Yow. Yow tagged out sliding Taylor Caviness, who tried to score from second on a single.
Central took a 2-1 lead on a two-out error in the top of the seventh.
“I’m just glad we still kept our heads up,” Yow said. “We kept fighting.”
Two Central errors helped Whitley score the run in the bottom of the seventh that sent the game to extra innings.
West pitcher Peyton Greene, who struck out nine, stranded two Central base- runners in the eighth, and the Falcons sent up the top of their batting order in the bottom half of the inning.
Martin slapped a sharp single, her third hit, to start the inning. Hunter Gibbons followed with another well-stroked single, her third hit.
Yow was up next, and she’d had a frustrating afternoon. Martin and Gibbons had been on base all day long, but Yow had been quiet.
“Genius that I am, I almost had Marissa bunt,” Greene said with a laugh. “But she’s been a rock for us all year, and I let her swing.”
He’s glad he did.
Yow, a junior slugger committed to Radford, crushed her three-run homer, and the Falcons celebrated like it was Christmas.
“I hadn’t hit all day,” Yow said. “I was just trying to get a base hit, but I got a homer.”
There’s a long way to go and West still has four league games left, but first place always feels pretty good.
“We beat a really good team and a really tough pitcher,” Greene said. “This was huge for our girls.”
• Carson won 5-3 against South Rowan in SPC action on Friday.
Mariah Morgan had three hits for the Cougars, including a homer. Kinsley Bean had a double. Morgan Peninger, Rachel Freeze, Michaela White and Kayln Ellenburg also had hits.
Krista Penninger was the winning pitcher.
South had 10 hits but left 12 runners on base. Caitlin Waters had two doubles. Kacie Stamey had three hits, and Abby Fields and Beth Ann Martin had two hits each.
• East Rowan won 7-5 against Northwest Cabarrus in a Friday SPC game.
• Davie beat Reagan 12-2 in CPC softball on Friday.
Morgan Hendrix had three hits and scored four runs. Abby Daniels and winning pitcher Sarah Myers drove in three runs each. K’lea Parks hit a home run.
East Rowan won 7-2 at second-place finisher Central Cabarrus on Friday to complete a perfect SPC season.
East Rowan won 2-0 against Concord in SPC action on Friday.
Carson won 2-1 in eight innings at Northwest Cabarrus on Friday for another SPC victory.
Colton Laws had a dominant outing for the Cougars. He struck out 14, with no walks, and he came within one out of a perfect game.
NWC hurler Philip Faggart also pitched brilliantly, and it was still 0-0 going to the seventh.
That’s when Carson finally scored. John Patella was hit by a pitch, Matt Saul sacrificed him to second, John Daugherty singled Patella to third, and Patella scored on a dropped flyball that would’ve ended the inning.
With Laws one out away from perfection in the bottom half of the inning, Northwest scored on hits by Eric Hamilton and Adam Barrows.
Carson got the deciding run in the eighth when Matt Jones reached on an error, moved to second on Michael Morrison’s bunt and scored on Heath Mitchem’s single.
Daugherty pitched the eighth, struck out two, and earned the save.
• West Rowan won 10-8 at Concord on Friday to split their South Piedmont Conference series. Jeremy Simpson had two hits for West. and Juan Garcia drove in two runs. Nick Collins and Austin Love combined to strike out seven Spiders.
Chance Clark drove in three runs for Concord.
• North Rowan lost 7-2 at first-place East Davidson on Friday in CCC action.
Nick Williams (4-1) pitched a complete game, and he also had a bases-clearing double in the fifth that gave the Golden Eagles a 7-0 lead.
Ryan McIntyre also knocked in three for East Davidson, while Nathan Campbell drove in two.
North was held to four hits. Noah Gonzalez went 1-for-3 and knocked in a run.
Gonzalez shut out East Davidson until the fourth but took the loss.
• West Davidson won 10-0 against Lexington in CCC play on Friday. Justin Freeman threw a perfect game and struck out 12.
West Davidson (8-6, 5-1 CCC) collected nine hits.
• A.L. Brown won 3-2 against Mallard Creek in MECKA play on Friday.
Jordan Reid, Christian Griffin and Mason Hooks produced three early runs with hits.
Trace Hagler struck out 10 and limited MC to two singles and no earned runs. Hagler ended the game with two strikeouts.
Hagler will pitch at UNC Pembroke.
The Wonders host MECKA opponent Robinson on Tuesday.
Catawba won 8-6 at Tusculum in the opener of a SAC series on Friday and moved back into first place.
Blake Houston led off the game with a home run.
T.J. Wharton had a three-run double, and Craig Brooks (9-2) won his ninth straight game on the mound.
Sean Grant and Michael Trombino pitched well in relief.
The Kannapolis Intimidators were pounded 13-2 at Greenville on Friday in South Atlantic League action.
Carl Thomore and Danny Hayes knocked in runs for Kannapolis.
Owen White struck out 11 batters and led West Rowan Middle to a 6-3 win against Erwin. White had four hits, including a three-run homer.
Bryant Young and Olen Stamper had two hits each for the Bulldogs.
• In Corriher-Lipe’s 6-5 loss to Erwin, Jared Nelson and Cory Moss pitched well for the Yellow Jackets.
Chandler Teal drove in two runs for Corriher-Lipe.
Erwin’s tennis team earned its third victory of the season by defeating Corriher-Lipe on Thursday.
Winners in singles for the Eagles were Jesus Baron, Jacob Hall, Drew Walker, Osvaldo Fuentes and Nick Shoemaker. Winners in doubles were Baron, Hall, Walker and Fuentes.
West Rowan Junior Legion baseball is holding sign-ups on Sunday, April 13, at 4 p.m. in the West Rowan High media center.
Players need to bring a birth certificate to the meeting and at least one parent needs to attend. Contact Jeff Link 704-310-6529 or Jeff Bernhardt 704-267-1146.
Junior Legion baseball is for players born on January 1, 1997, or later.
South Rowan American Legion sign-ups are set for Saturday, April 26.
Sign-ups are at Gary’s Barbecue at 4 p.m. Players should bring a birth certificate and need to have a parent present. Contact coach Ben Hampton at 704-490-2691 or Craig Honeycutt at 980-521-2646 for information.