Huntersville, N.C. – North Meck softball pitcher Morgan Hopper wasn’t scheduled to start Tuesday afternoon’s home playoff game against West Forsyth in the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs.
But she still made the biggest impact on the game.
Hopper took the mound in the second inning and shut down the Titan battery for a 4-0 victory. The Viking sophomore struck out 11 batters, allowing just one hit in five-and-one-third innings of relief.
Hopper replaced starter Sara Allen, who struggled early with a hand injury. Allen was the winning pitcher in the Vikings’ first two playoff victories, but allowed four of the first six Titan batters to reach base, prompting North Meck coach Paul Kikta to call on Hopper. Both Allen and Hopper effectively platooned throughout the season, but on Tuesday, it was Hopper’s night to shine.
“My screwball was really working and the umpire was giving me the inside pitch for a strike,” said Hopper. “Once I got (Titan batters) down in the count, I threw them the rise ball and they chased after it.”
The Viking victory wasn’t as easy as the score suggested.
North Meck (17-4) held to a slim 1-0 lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning. But during the changeover, umpires noticed lightning in the area and delayed the game for more than 50 minutes until the sky cleared.
After play resumed, the Vikings jumped all over West Forsyth pitcher Jordan Fulton to break the game open. North Meck hitters connected for hits on the first three pitches in the inning to score three runs. After catcher Sara Mooney and third baseman Carol-Anne Sherril singled, freshman first baseman Jasmyn Lindsay hammered her third home run of the season over the left field wall. Pinch runner Kayla Lemke scored after replacing Mooney on the base paths.
“The whole game, (Fulton) was throwing her first pitch on the inside corner for a strike,” said Lindsay. “I figured it was coming again, and I hit it on the sweet spot.
“Once I hit the ball,” added Lindsay. “I was thinking that they couldn’t come back down four runs. Once run maybe; but not four runs.”
Defense was the key to the Vikings’ early lead.
North Meck pinch runner Kate Finegan scored the first run off a third inning error by Titan third baseman Erica Gross.
Gross’ counterpart Sherril, however, stopped Fulton from scoring with a spectacular play in the first inning. Sherril tracked down an errant throw from Mooney and returned the ball to home plate before the West Forsyth runner could score from third. Mooney attempted to pick off Fulton at third, but her throw hit the ground several times, forcing Sherril chase after it for the run-saving throw.
“Carol-Anne’s hustle play bailed us out of trouble,” said Kikta. “It was a bang-bang play. Without it, we would have been down a run with (another) runner on third base and just one out.”
North Meck will move on to face the winner of North Davidson and Northwest Guilford – who played tonight at 7 p.m. – in the 4A West regional semifinals.
At North Meck
3rd round of the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs
North Meck 4, West Forsyth 0
West Forsyth 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
North Meck 001 003 x – 4 6 0
WP – Hopper; LP – Fulton
Leading hitters: WF – French 1-2, BB; Weaver 1-3; NM – Mooney 2-3, R; Lindsay 1-3, HR, 3 RBI.
NM record: 17-4