Reece Outlaw swatted her 10th and 11th home runs of the season during North Duplin’s 13-5 triumph over top-seeded Pamlico County in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1A softball playoffs Thursday evening. The Rebels advanced to the east regional finals for the first time since 2016. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
BAYBORO — Just outside the city limits of Calypso sits a small, tight-knit rural school that is on a mission this season.
North Duplin proved it again Thursday evening.
The Rebels flexed their muscles, especially Riley Hatch and Reece Outlaw, during a resounding, 13-5 upset of top-seeded Pamlico County in round four of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1A softball playoffs.
Hatch and Outlaw each slugged two home runs, which helped propel fourth-seeded North Duplin (21-2 overall) into the eastern regional championship series. The Rebels play host to the Pinetown Northside-East Columbus winner Tuesday.
“Oh my gosh, amazing,” Rebels head coach Jaime Kylis said. “It’s still kind of a blur. I’m excited, proud, just blessed to be a part of this. It’s so much fun to watch. Ever since Tuesday [vs. Riverside], they’ve been playing with a little bit of a different edge to them and I love it.”
The pillaging of the Pirates started early.
Hatch connected on a first-inning lead-off single and moved into scoring position on Addy Higginbotham’s sacrifice bunt.
Outlaw jacked her 10th home run of the season to score Hatch.
“I don’t even know if it’s landed yet,” Kylis said.
North Duplin extended its advantage to 5-0 with timely execution and smart base running over the next four innings.
On the mound, Lilly Fulghum held Pamlico County (23-4) in check during that stretch. The right-hander induced an inning-ending pop fly in the third, which left the bases loaded.
Catcher Kasey Jones picked off a runner in the fourth.
The Pirates denied Fulghum’s shutout bid in the sixth. Taylor McHenry and Kyler Freeman each clubbed a two-RBI home run, which trimmed the Rebels’ lead to 5-4.
“We had to have a ‘come to Jesus’ after that,” Kylis said. “Mentally, we started to give in a little bit. One of our biggest mottos this season is if a team can’t beat you physically, they’re going to do it mentally. They were making some noise in their dugout.
“We had to do some adjusting on our side and there was a little resistance.”
Not for long.
Hatch started a seventh-inning uprising with a lead-off home run that deflated any hopes of a Pirates comeback. Eight batters later, she stepped into the box and slapped another pitch over the fence — this time a grand slam.
The senior third baseman ended the day 3-for-5 with five RBI.
“Riley is seeing watermelons [at the plate],” said Kylis, whose team pounded out nine hits in the seventh. “She has been a spark plug for us lately.”
Outlaw wound up 3-for-4 with four RBI that included a solo home run in the fifth. Addy Higginbotham contributed three hits and stole two bases.
Fulghum batted 2-for-4 with an RBI. She yielded five runs on 12 hits, walked one and sat down five Pirates on strikeouts during her complete-game effort on the mound.
“Lilly threw an unbelievable game,” Kylis said.
Jones, M’chelle Jaco, Ady Spence and Sarah Tucker contributed one hit apiece.
North Duplin extended its win streak to 11 and remained unbeaten in 10 road outings this season. The Rebels are in the eastern final for the first time since 2016 and just the third time overall in program history.
