WEAVERVILLE Itturns out, Karlyn Pickens can still surprise herself. North Buncombes Peyton Whitson singled to lead off the sixth, but Carrigan induced a force out on the next pitch before striking out Pickens and Kiersten Gosnell to end the threat. The streak would have reached 15 if not for a wild pitch allowing a strikeout victim to reach base. Game 1 is at 5 p.m. Friday. She only walked three while striking out eight. Don't miss any of his coverage by subscribing athttps://subscribe.app.com. "Growing up, I went to a lot of their camps. Given the circumstances, Fergusonhoped her team would keep its accomplishments in perspective. North Buncombe blinked first in a Game 1 pitcher's duel between Pickens and Kenna Raye Dark that featured four hits and 26 strikeouts combined, putting the Eagles in the driver's seat in the best . The Northwestern Foothills Conference released is all-conference girls and boys golf teams this week. The Black Hawks will play Eastern Alamancein a best-of-three series June 3-4 at UNC-Greensboro. TAYLORSVILLE The hollow thud of a foul tip against North Buncombe catcher Julianna Mendoza's shoulder was followed by silence, broken up only by some soft weeps through her catcher's mask as she lay on the Alexander Central dirt Tuesday. MOORESVILLEOne win closer to 30. "That's just part of the game, stuff like that happens," Pickens said. Klicken Sie auf Einstellungen verwalten um weitere Informationen zu erhalten und Ihre Einstellungen zu verwalten. WEAVERVILLE Itturns out, Karlyn Pickens can still surprise herself. But you always want to be the team that puts the pressure on.". R-S Central High School. The Black Hawks now sport a 1-1 record. Following two quick outs, Julianna Mendoza singled, Lola Whitson walked and Shayna Higgins singled to load the bases. A comebacker and two foul outs later, the Black Hawks could breathe easy. "That's been our motto the entire season," Ferguson said. Chesney Stikeleather, Kirstyn Herman and Carrigan each recorded a hit for AC. They have a hunger for it,"Tiffani Ferguson said. "Things didn't really go our way on some of the things that happened tonight. It was crazy.". That date came after the summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, making for a strange recruiting cycle for Pickens and other class of 2022 players. "We put each other on our backs, and that's what you have to do to win these tough playoff games.". 11 South Stokes (19-6), No. "You have to be completely zoned in on your game," Ferguson said. Unfortunately, North Buncombe's recent struggles at the plate continued. She led offThursday with a doubleand hit a solo home run later in the game, doing her part to make sure she had run support. The Black Hawks entered last year's regional final against Alexander Central 15-0, with the few early-round playoff games their only chances to play anybody outside of their conference. I think Faith held her own tonight, said Hamby. 641 US Hwy 221 North, Rutherfordton, NC. It certainly shook up Mendoza, who nonetheless had to get right back tocorralling the elite velocity and stuff of ace Karlyn Pickens during the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A Regional Final. ", "This entire season, we've talked about playing with intensity and playing with aggression," TiffaniFerguson said. The rest of the Black Hawksunderstand their role: Make the defensiveplays on the opponents that don't strike out and create enough runs to make sure Pickens' pitching doesn't go to waste. This game is part of the "2021 Softball State Championship - 3A . Top four in the state, that's a big deal. See all the latest scores & stats from your favorite teams! "It's our job on offense to come back in and score some runs. Kirstyn Herman followed with a single to right, which scored Campbell with the first run of the night. West Zone. MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Whatever we have to do to win the game.". The righty only gave up three hits, two to the opposing pitcher. Thebest prep softball player in WNC history and one of the area's most gifted all-around athletes in recent memory, Pickens has combined her natural toolswith an indomitable competitive spirit to become an All-American flamethrower atNorth Buncombe. She went seven innings, holding the Mustangs to one hit. Find Tickets. The Cougars will attempt to win the 11th. Unfortunately, North Buncombe's recent struggles at the plate continued. ", North Buncombe Bests North Lincoln Softball. 6 Rockingham County (24-2), No. In the top of the fourth of Thursday's second-round playoff game against North Lincoln, the North Buncombe softball ace stuck her glove out ata hard line drive. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Fr nhere Informationen zur Nutzung Ihrer Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie. But we came together at the end. PICKENS:Could the multi-sport standout become WNC"s best athlete ever? "Us being the tough little team that we are, being young, we tried to do what we could with two outs. The Alexander Central varsity softball team won Tuesday's home playoff game against North Buncombe (Weaverville, NC) by a score of 3-0. "We weren't going home without a win. The approachwon't always work out a would-be insurance run in the fifth inning was thrown out at the plate but it's a risk North Buncombe (21-1)is willing to take, especially as the postseason wears on. Alexander Central softball players celebrate after defeating North Buncombe 3-0 in the 3A West Regional championship game Tuesday in Taylorsville. Pickens, of course, is also a big part of the team's offense. Just a couple of weeks removed from ACL surgery, the Black Hawks. "This entire season, we've talked about playing with intensity and playing with aggression," Black Hawks coach Tiffani Ferguson said. We're ready to jump on them.". North Buncombe senior Cheyenne Cable also had an "I can't believe this is happening" moment with Pickensthis year. North Buncombe wins series 2-0 East Eastern Alamance (25-2) vs. Cape Fear (25-6) Game 1: Eastern Alamance 1, Cape Fear 0 Game 2: Cape Fear 1, Eastern Alamance 0 Game 3: Eastern Alamance 3,. There was a problem saving your notification. North Buncombe's wins are by 4-0 and 4-1 scores. West Iredell opened the season Monday with a 2-1, rain-shortened victory over Bunker Hill. "Sometimes people rise to the occasion with pressure, sometimes people don't. "She knows what she wants, and she goes for it. Pickens' first 14 outs came via the strikeout. But you always want to be the team that puts the pressure on.". North Buncombe softball's mindset designed to support Karlyn Pickens. North Buncombe's wins are by 4-0 and 4-1 scores. But this team, I feel like were a family, were together, we love each other and we want to play ball. The smile that appeared on. 10 Roberson (20-6) vs. No. Im so ready to go to states with them, Im so pumped.. The team last year, I loved that team, she added of the 2020 Cougars, who were 6-0 before COVID-19 shut down the season. North Zone. "We knew going into it she's a very good pitcher," Cougars coach Kylie Hamby said. "[The Cougars] are playing in a conference with top-notch players and pitchers and 4A teams. Despite the fact that Alexander Central struck out three times for the fourth consecutive inning, the Cougars led 3-0 with three innings to play. In a new format and with a different attitude than last season, North Buncombe moved to within a game of the state championship series by beating the Spartans 2-0 on Tuesday, taking a 1-0 lead . ", "All my classes are special to me, but these girls have just been even more special to me," King said,"because I know they would be best friends with my daughter.". "They capitalized on some of the [wild pitches and] passed balls, and we didn't have that opportunity," Ferguson said. . 2022 12u northern district champions! "But I knew I wanted to take my time and get a good understanding of the school I wanted to go to. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, BASEBALL: West Iredell, Henderson debut with a win, WATCH NOW: Lake Norman rolls against Independence, advances to regional semifinals, Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years, WATCH NOW: Unbeaten Lake Norman rallies past North Meck, advances to regional championship, ROUNDUP: Moss throws perfect game in N. Iredell opener, Wake Forest moves on in ACC Women's Tournament with win over Virginia, Dan Snyder is under investigation over line of credit taken out by Commanders, Lionel Messi named men's Player of the Year at the 2022 Best FIFA Awards. "Because we all know in playoffs, it comes down to one-, two-run ballgames.". North Buncombes best chance to score came in the fifth. "[The Cougars] are playing in a conference with top-notch players and pitchers and 4A teams. Please subscribe to keep reading. I kind of knew that's where I wanted to go to begin with," Pickens said. "But they had a big season. However, they still needed runs at some point to avoid playing a winner-take-all Game 3 Saturday. Pickens struck out three more Cougars in their next at-bat, although one reached on a dropped third strike. And I kept pushing that and pushing that, so thats what we did.. For the Black Hawks, All-American Karlyn Pickens takes the circle with an ERA under 0.30. Karlyn Pickens was the losing pitcher despite striking out 17 and allowing only three hits and one walk. "We knew going into it she's a very good pitcher," Cougars coach Kylie Hamby said. Herman and Childers are two of the five freshmen who start for the Cougars. Nevertheless, the Black Hawks were able to squeeze out of the jam and keep the deficit at three. The Black Hawks' lineup is focused on manufacturing runs however they can to support Pickens in the playoffs, and the formula worked in a 4-1 win over the Knights to advance to the third round of the 3A playoffs, Tuesday against Rockingham County. Mark Parker Record Sports Correspondent May 10, 2021 Updated Jun 15, 2022 0 Alexander Central's Kirstyn Herman, left, and Darcy Childers. 2023 www.citizen-times.com. ROUNDUP: Alexander Central advances to softball state championship series. ", No. They have a love for the game like I havent seen and they have a really big love for each other too, which makes our chemistry really good on the field. Taylor's bouncer up the middle had eluded two of those their gloves and gone all the way to the wall. 3 North Buncombe (21-1) vs. No. SHELBY Allit took for North Buncombe softball to reach a second consecutive 3A regional final was a lifetime high in innings, pitches and strikeouts from the defending Gatorade State Player of the Year. "Everybody was on point today. Game 1 will be Friday night at 7 p.m., followed by Game 2 and the if-necessary Game 3 on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.. Below is a complete list of Citizen Times coverage of North Buncombe softball from the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Game 2 is at 10 a.m. Saturday. This year's team had three freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup, and Pickens was in her first year handling the pressure of being the team's clear-cutleader. "When COVID hit, it was kind of a slap in the face," Pickens said. This group of kids are all amazing, they are great kids just like they are great ballplayers. For the first time in program history, North Buncombe softball has advanced to the state championship series. Teams will have until the beginning of the fourth game to make roster changes. "I just tried to stay calm and collected and trust my stuff, and it got the job done. Past World Series Winners. Two-and-a-half hours later, as theyreconvened in right field with the trophy in hand, their would-be starting catcher was again part of the huddle joining the postgame celebration viaFaceTime. The rest of the Black Hawksunderstand their role: Make the defensiveplays on the opponents that don't strike out and create enough runs to make sure Pickens' pitching doesn't go to waste. Until recently, Pickens' recruitment likely would've dragged on for years. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). "We tried to be super aggressive.". So far, it's worked. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. An RBI single from catcher Kirstyn Herman was followed by a run-scoring wild pitch, and another run came across on a passed ball, a reminder that as challenging as it is to hit against the Tennessee commit, keeping her pitches in front of you is also a tough task, especially with an ailing shoulder. Beforethe regional final game at Central Davidson last week, the North Buncombe softball players didn't break theirhuddle with a typicalbattle cry of "family!" "We came out here to do what we always do," Pickenssaid. South Iredell is now 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference and plays North Iredell at Home Friday. "Once the third inning came around, we were kind of flustered not getting any runs. Down to one-, two-run ballgames. `` and gone all the latest scores & stats your! 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