North Duplin repeated as the Carolina 1A Conference softball tournament champion with an 11-1, six-inning win over Rosewood on Thursday evening. (Photo submitted)
North Duplin weathered a late-game rally and held off Rosewood, 6-5, to claim its second straight Carolina 1A baseball tournament title. The Rebels earned the league’s automatic bid to the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. (Photo submitted)
NEWTON GROVE — The “double” is complete.
North Duplin collected the Carolina 1A Conference tournament championship in baseball and softball at Hobbton High School on Thursday evening..
The second-seeded Rebels overcame a shaky seventh inning and held off Rosewood, 6-5, to claim their second straight league tournament crown. They earned the automatic bid to the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs, which begin May 9.
Reece Outlaw and Lilly Fulghum each slugged a home run during the Rebels’ 11-1, six-inning conquest of second-seeded Rosewood (11-8 overall) on the softball diamond.
The NCHSAA is expected to release the postseason brackets Saturday.
Baseball
The Rebels led 6-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
With the two outs, the top-seeded Eagles (17-7) closed the gap to 6-5 on Wyatt Lassiter’s RBI single and two defensive miscues.
Esteban Santos Clark forced Worth Best into a game-ending groundout and earned his second save of the week.
Richard Noble emerged as the winning pitcher. The right-hander yielded five runs (one earned) on four hits, walked three and sat down five Eagles on strikeouts.
Rosewood plated single runs in the second, third and fifth innings. Anderson Clucas (2-for-4, RBI) belted a lead-off, solo home run in the third.
Lead-off batter Hunt Pate (RBI) and right fielder Wesley Holmes (RBI) paced the Rebels’ offense with two hits apiece. Tanner Kornegay, Austin Duff (RBI), Brady Byrd (RBI), Garris Warren and Tyler Johnsey each supplied one hit.
Pate, Holmes, Johnsey and Clark each had a stolen base.
North Duplin seized a 4-0 lead through 1 1/2 innings.
The Rebels (20-3) plated three second-inning runs on hits by Johnsey, Holmes and Duff. Byrd delivered an RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
Best took the mound loss for the Eagles.
Softball
Outlaw batted 4-for-4 and collected three RBI for the Rebels, who extended their win streak to seven.
Fulghum also went 4-for-4 with two RBI and emerged as the winning pitcher inside the circle.
Addy Higginbotham provided three hits.
Lead-off batter Riley Hatch, M’chelle Jaco, Ady Spence and Sarah Tucker contributed one hit apiece.
Fulghum limited the Eagles to three hits, walked two batters and sat down 11 RHS batters on strikeouts. She retired 16 of the final 18 hitters she faced after giving up a first-inning run.
Hayley Bedford finished 2-for-2 with a first-inning RBI double. The freshman endured the mound loss. She permitted 11 runs (five earned) on 10 hits, issued two walks and logged eight strikeouts.
North Duplin (17-2) picked up its eight consecutive win and 17th overall against Rosewood since 2011.
