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Cougars take down Lake Norman in slugfest
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Updated May 18, 12 pm
Cougars take down Lake Norman in slugfest
By D.N. PENNELL, Jr.
The Alexander Central High School Softball Team’s dream of an eighth state title continued last Thursday night, May 16, with a 14-8 win over the Lake Norman Lady Wildcats in Iredell County.
The Lady Cougars ran their record to 28-1 and moved into the fourth round of the NCHSAA 4A State Playoffs with the six-run win over future league foe Lake Norman.
Alexander pushed across eight runs in the top of the fourth stanza to break the game wide open.
In the end, Alexander and Lake Norman combined for 22 runs on 26 hits in the offensive showdown. A total of seven errors were committed in the third-round game.
Alexander scored a pair of runs in the top of the first frame when junior Averi Miller blasted a two-run dinger to put the visitors in front 2-0.
The Lady Cougars doubled its lead to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. However, Lake Norman (21-3) rallied for three runs in the bottom of the third to pull within one run.
After seeing its lead trimmed to one run, the Cougars erupted for an eight-run frame in the top of the fourth stanza. The uprising put the Cougars in front 12-3 and erased any hopes of a Lake Norman win.
The two teams tacked on additional runs in the late innings before ACHS held on to take the 14-8 triumph.
Miller led Alexander’s offensive effort with a solid three-hit night. She hit a two-run homer in the first and added a double and triple on the night.
Mia Blochaviak and Kiana Millsaps added three hits each, while Brooke Sharpe and Bailey Rhoney tallied two hits apiece.
Amanda Sports and Christina Krider picked up one hit apiece, while Miller and Millsaps drove home three runs each.
In the circle, Kiana Millsaps pitched four innings to secure her 19th win of the season. She allowed three earned runs on six hits. Bailey Rhoney spelled Millsaps in the fifth inning and hurled the final three frames. Rhoney chalked up her third save of the season with her three-inning effort.
For Lake Norman, Dominique Wilson was charged with nine earned runs and was saddled with the pitching loss. She pitched three innings.
Offensively, Wilson led Lake Norman with a double and three runs-batted-in.
ACHS Travels to Porter Ridge Tuesday
The Lady Cougars advance to round four where they face the team that ended their season last spring.
Alexander will play at Porter Ridge on Tuesday, May 21, at 5 pm. Porter Ridge defeated Olympic High School on Friday.
The game features the past two 4A State Champions. ACHS won the title in 2011, while PR took the crown one year ago.
The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to a best-of-three series to determine the 4A Western Region champion.
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