By Brian Pitts Davie Enterprise Record Davie’s varsity softball team romped past Central Davidson in the season opener. The euphoria did not last long as Davie lost 7-1 to Forbush in the next game. The War Eagles were a wrecking ball at Central Davidson on Feb. 29, winning 10-1 with 15 hits and flawless defense. “It was a great way to start the season,” coach Dawn Lowery said as Davie extended its regular-season winning streak to 10. “Our focus was to set the tone for the season. We did that offensively with 15 hits, defensively with zero errors and mentally by finishing the game strong.” Davie led 5-0 before Central got on the board. The No. 2 batter, Bridgett Tierney (4 for 5, three RBIs, triple), and No. 7 Kasey Potts (3 for 4, two RBIs) drew the most praise for their offensive work. Davie got 2 hits from McKenzie Barneycastle (2-3, triple two walks), K’lea Parks (2-5, double) and Anna Devereaux (2-4, two RBIs). “Tierney had a killer game,” Lowery said. “I think we’re finally getting her to realize how big of an asset she is. Two of her hits were meant to be sacrifices, but with her speed we never consider them as sacrifices. She got on safely both times. So the fact that we can move runners and get her on base is a win-win (situation). We had bases loaded and I gave her the green light. She ripped it down the first-base line and was in for a stand-up triple. She works hard on her game and it shows everyday. “Potts has had a hot bat lately. She is so strong and works so hard. She hit well in our scrimmages, including a home run. She was clutch with a two-out, two-RBI single in the third. That really gave us a spark (as Davie took a 3-0 lead). It’s fun to watch her hit because she has such a great swing.” Lowery said the defense was lights out. “We had outfielders (Barneycastle and Devereaux) diving to make catches, middle infielders making double plays and catchers (Katelyn Webb and Lindsey Custer) working hard behind the plate,” she said. “I couldn’t ask any more out of our defense. Webb set the tone early in the first, gunning a runner trying to steal. She is so tough back there.” Pitcher Olivia Boger went five innings to get the win. She gave up one run on four hits. Julie Gough relieved, working two scoreless innings. “Boger and Gough were great,” she said. “Boger took charge early in the game and Gough finished the game strong. They work really well together.” Loss To Forbush Davie, one of the top teams in the area in 4-A, and Forbush, a favorite to win the state in 2-A, had a showdown at Rich Park on March 4. The Falcons made a statement, breaking open a tight game late to win 7-1. Their second-year coach, Jeremy Helton, left the ballfield thrilled after Forbush outhit Davie 11-4. “Davie is a solid team,” Helton said. “I was kind of worried going into that game. I knew they were really talented. They have good pitching and they gave us trouble last year.” The outcome was in doubt through five innings. Davie trailed 1-0 at that point, with Boger dueling Forbush senior pitcher Sydney Miller. “I knew it was going to be a tight game,” Helton said. “They are well coached. Dawn does a good job with them. They’re going to do well this year.” Davie, though, had a meltdown in the top of the sixth. Forbush’s No. 6 batter led off with a single. Following a sac bunt, Forbush drew a walk. Two throwing errors later, Forbush had a 3-0 lead and Lowery was removing Boger and inserting Gough. Forbush greeted Gough with a two-run hit. When the dust settled, it was 5-0. “We had to put a little pressure on them (with small ball) because the pitching was so good,” Helton said. “They made a few errors, we put together some hits and it opened things up for us.” Tierney (2 for 3), Barneycastle (1-3) and Devereaux (1-2) had the only hits for Davie. Parks had the only RBI. Davie committed three errors. It was cuffed by Miller, a two-time regional pitcher of the year. “She’s pretty talented,” Helton said of his ace arm. “She had great command. She was hitting spots well.” While Davie (1-1) suffered its first regular-season loss since last year’s 10-0 decision to Richmond County, the Falcons improved to 2-0 after going 27-2 in 2015. Davie can’t let the loss linger. Last year it fell short 2-1 to Forbush but responded with an 18-8 record and a second-place finish in the Central Piedmont Conference. After all, Forbush is loaded. It returned every starter except the second baseman and center fielder. The moment was extra special for Helton, a 1998 Davie graduate. He was a football-baseball athlete for the War Eagles. “I have very talented players,” he said. “That special run last year, it’s going to be tough (to repeat that). I think we do have the pieces in place to do that, but it takes a lot of team chemistry and luck at that point to make that deep run.” Notes: Davie’s junior varsity started 1-1, losing 4-0 to Forbush and winning 6-4 over Eastern Alamance.

Published 8:47 am Thursday, March 10, 2016

Davie’s varsity softball team romped past Central Davidson in the season opener. The euphoria did not last long as Davie lost 7-1 to Forbush in the next game.

The War Eagles were a wrecking ball at Central Davidson on Feb. 29, winning 10-1 with 15 hits and flawless defense.

“It was a great way to start the season,” coach Dawn Lowery said as Davie extended its regular-season winning streak to 10. “Our focus was to set the tone for the season. We did that offensively with 15 hits, defensively with zero errors and mentally by finishing the game strong.”

Davie led 5-0 before Central got on the board. The No. 2 batter, Bridgett Tierney (4 for 5, three RBIs, triple), and No. 7 Kasey Potts (3 for 4, two RBIs) drew the most praise for their offensive work. Davie got 2 hits from McKenzie Barneycastle (2-3, triple two walks), K’lea Parks (2-5, double) and Anna Devereaux (2-4, two RBIs).

“Tierney had a killer game,” Lowery said. “I think we’re finally getting her to realize how big of an asset she is. Two of her hits were meant to be sacrifices, but with her speed we never consider them as sacrifices. She got on safely both times. So the fact that we can move runners and get her on base is a win-win (situation). We had bases loaded and I gave her the green light. She ripped it down the first-base line and was in for a stand-up triple. She works hard on her game and it shows everyday.

“Potts has had a hot bat lately. She is so strong and works so hard. She hit well in our scrimmages, including a home run. She was clutch with a two-out, two-RBI single in the third. That really gave us a spark (as Davie took a 3-0 lead). It’s fun to watch her hit because she has such a great swing.”

Lowery said the defense was lights out.

“We had outfielders (Barneycastle and Devereaux) diving to make catches, middle infielders making double plays and catchers (Katelyn Webb and Lindsey Custer) working hard behind the plate,” she said. “I couldn’t ask any more out of our defense. Webb set the tone early in the first, gunning a runner trying to steal. She is so tough back there.”

Pitcher Olivia Boger went five innings to get the win. She gave up one run on four hits. Julie Gough relieved, working two scoreless innings.

“Boger and Gough were great,” she said. “Boger took charge early in the game and Gough finished the game strong. They work really well together.”

Loss To Forbush

Davie, one of the top teams in the area in 4-A, and Forbush, a favorite to win the state in 2-A, had a showdown at Rich Park on March 4.

The Falcons made a statement, breaking open a tight game late to win 7-1. Their second-year coach, Jeremy Helton, left the ballfield thrilled after Forbush outhit Davie 11-4.

“Davie is a solid team,” Helton said. “I was kind of worried going into that game. I knew they were really talented. They have good pitching and they gave us trouble last year.”

The outcome was in doubt through five innings. Davie trailed 1-0 at that point, with Boger dueling Forbush senior pitcher Sydney Miller.

“I knew it was going to be a tight game,” Helton said. “They are well coached. Dawn does a good job with them. They’re going to do well this year.”

Davie, though, had a meltdown in the top of the sixth. Forbush’s No. 6 batter led off with a single. Following a sac bunt, Forbush drew a walk. Two throwing errors later, Forbush had a 3-0 lead and Lowery was removing Boger and inserting Gough. Forbush greeted Gough with a two-run hit. When the dust settled, it was 5-0.

“We had to put a little pressure on them (with small ball) because the pitching was so good,” Helton said. “They made a few errors, we put together some hits and it opened things up for us.”

Tierney (2 for 3), Barneycastle (1-3) and Devereaux (1-2) had the only hits for Davie. Parks had the only RBI. Davie committed three errors. It was cuffed by Miller, a two-time regional pitcher of the year.

“She’s pretty talented,” Helton said of his ace arm. “She had great command. She was hitting spots well.”

While Davie (1-1) suffered its first regular-season loss since last year’s 10-0 decision to Richmond County, the Falcons improved to 2-0 after going 27-2 in 2015. Davie can’t let the loss linger. Last year it fell short 2-1 to Forbush but responded with an 18-8 record and a second-place finish in the Central Piedmont Conference.

After all, Forbush is loaded. It returned every starter except the second baseman and center fielder. The moment was extra special for Helton, a 1998 Davie graduate. He was a football-baseball athlete for the War Eagles.

“I have very talented players,” he said. “That special run last year, it’s going to be tough (to repeat that). I think we do have the pieces in place to do that, but it takes a lot of team chemistry and luck at that point to make that deep run.”

Notes: Davie’s junior varsity started 1-1, losing 4-0 to Forbush and winning 6-4 over Eastern Alamance.