North Duplin’s M’chelle Jaco, left, Addy Higginbotham, second from left, Reece Outlaw, background, and Gracie Higginbotham, right, celebrate with Sarah Tucker after the sophomore hit a walk-off home run to cap a 12-2 win over Martin Riverside on Tuesday evening. It was Tucker’s first home run of the season. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Addy Higginbotham steals third base as assistant coach Steve Kylis looks on during first-inning action against Martin Riverside on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Riley Hatch slides past the tag from Martin Riverside catcher Whitney Stevens on Tuesday evening. Hatch hit a lead-off home run for the Rebels, who prevailed 12-2 and advanced to the eastern semifinals in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1A softball playoffs. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin shortstop Reece Outlaw tags Martin Riverside’s Ty’Hiera Wooten after her foot came off the bag at second base Tuesday evening. Wooten was called safe, but got tagged out two pitches later on a laser pickoff throw by Rebels catcher Kasey Jones. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin first baseman Ady Spence touches the bag after scooping up a hard ground ball during middle-inning action against Martin Riverside in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1A softball playoffs Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin players Sarah Tucker, left, Lillly Fulghum, center, and Kasey Jones, right, celebrate after Riley Hatch belted a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first inning against Martin Riverside on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
CALYPSO — Riley Hatch’s lead-off home run set the mood. Sarah Tucker’s walk-off dinger sealed the outcome.
Welcome back to the Elite Eight, North Duplin.
The fourth-seeded Rebels (20-2 overall) advanced to the eastern semifinals for the first time since 2016 with a convincing, 12-2 mercy-rule conquest of Martin Riverside on Tuesday evening.
North Duplin continues play Friday at top-seeded Pamlico County (22-3) in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1A softball playoffs. The Pirates defeated Chatham Central, 3-0.
“They were ready to go,” said Rebels assistant coach Steve Kylis. “They play in a bubble and it’s a total team effort here. Nobody’s the star. Nobody’s a hero. Everybody is the same.”
There was extra motivation, too.
The Rebels competed without their head coach, Jaime Kylis, who missed the contest due to undisclosed reasons. Her absence further fueled a team eager to silence nay-sayers who felt a weak conference schedule would rear its ugly head against stronger competition in the postseason.
ND has allowed just two runs in 16 innings with two shutouts.
“One thing we kept saying was control the controllables,” senior catcher Kasey Jones said. “We wish she could be here, but we can’t control that. So, we had to focus on the things we could control such as hitting, base running, fielding [and] throwing.
“We needed to keep our energy up and focus on the game.”
Hatch amped up her teammates a little more.
She rode an outside pitch over the center-field fence that sparked a three-run, first-inning uprising. Her solo blast knotted the game at 1-1.
Addy Higginbotham reached on a bunt and moved into scoring position on Reece Outlaw’s sacrifice bunt. Lilly Fulghum plated Higginbotham with a triple and she trotted home on M’chelle Jaco’s RBI double.
“That very much set the tone … got everybody riled up, pumped up and we knew this was going to be a good game,” Jones said.
More like a dominant game.
The Rebels tagged Riverside’s pitching staff for 13 hits. The Knights’ defense also obliged with some defensive bobbles, passed balls and wild pitches.
Tucker swatted her walk-off home run, her first of the season, with one out in the sixth. The junior outfielder tallied two hits along with Hatch, Higginbotham, Outlaw, Jaco and Ady Spence cranked out two hits apiece.
Fulghum batted 1-for-4 and claimed the mound win.
The right-hander permitted two runs on three hits, sat down 12 Knights on strikeouts and issued one walk. Spence backed her with three stellar defensive plays at first and Jones gunned down a runner at second.
“Lilly is one of the most competitive players I’ve ever met,” Kylis said. “She’s all in 110 percent, gives you everything she’s got. Even on a bad day she’s unbelievable.”
