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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

A look back at Davie sports 25 years ago …

• In the spring of 1998, Davie’s softball team pulled a huge stunner when it blasted North Davidson 12-0 in five innings in Welcome. It was Davie’s first win over Mike Lambros’ Black Knights in five years.

“We normally are intimidated by them,” second baseman Ashley Bracken said. “It felt really good to know that we can actually beat North Davidson.”

“Everybody wanted to cry because we hadn’t beaten them in five years,” outfielder Dana Smith said. “We made history.”

The story of the game was the pitching of freshman Shannon Handy, who struck out nine in a two-hitter. Melinda Richie led the offense with three hits, while Ashlie Sanders, Kim Hilton and Dawn Williamson had two each.

“I think I surprised a lot of people,” Handy said. “I surprised myself big-time.”

• North Davie’s baseball team rallied for a 6-5 win over South Davie despite only getting one hit. The Wildcats used 14 walks to win the season opener.

North was down 5-3 in the sixth and the first two batters were retired. But then came three consecutive walks. That brought up Dan Sullivan, who delivered a two-strike, two-run single for North’s only hit. Moments later, the tiebreaking run scored on a wild pitch.

“We definitely gave it away,” South coach Grimes Parker said. “Their pitcher (Jon Dull) threw strikes and ours didn’t.”

South had five hits, including two each by Neil Rice and Jason Hogue. Dave Poplin had the other hit.

• Although Reynolds’ baseball team was 3-0 in the CPC, the Demons were victimized by pitcher Charles Miller and lost 2-1 to visiting Davie. Miller tossed a three-hitter, lowered his ERA to 1.68 and also provided the game-winning hit in the second inning.

Davie held on by making sparkling plays in the sixth. With the score 2-1, Reynolds had runners at the corners with no outs. Brad Tuttle smacked a low liner, but second baseman Steven Nail caught it from his knees. The next batter flew out to center fielder Scott Cornatzer, who threw a one-hopper to catcher Drew Ridenhour for a double play.

Davie, facing a tough arm in Brandon Earp, got its two runs in the second. Nail had a bloop double, Ridenhour singled sharply and Shane Allen drilled a line drive off Earp that allowed Nail to score. Miller’s two-out RBI single up the middle made it 2-1 and made Miller 16 for 32. Victor Patti went 3 for 3. Miller, Jeremy Helton and Ridenhour had two hits each.

• Davie baseball used seventh-inning magic to extend its winning streak to six.

Davie was behind 5-3 in the top of the seventh, but South Stokes’ second baseman dropped Cornatzer’s popup, an error that set the comeback in motion. Helton walked and the Sauras errored Ridenhour’s bunt. Nail’s RBI groundout tied it at 5. Jonathan Creason hit a dribbler to the mound, but the pitcher’s wide throw carried the first baseman into Creason’s path. Creason and the fielder collided and two runs scored as Davie won 7-5. Earlier, Cornatzer slammed his team-high third homer.

• Ryan Desnoyers fired a one-hitter as Davie baseball blanked Reynolds 5-0. The No. 9 batter, Creason, went 3 for 3 with two doubles.

• Desnoyers (6-1, 2.54) was far from done. He pitched a five-hitter in a 6-1 win over South Stokes and a four-hitter in a 13-0 rout of West Forsyth.

“Ryan is our version of (Phillip) Rogers,” coach Jerry Walser said. “He really understands how to pitch. He realizes that he needs to work hitters in different locations at different speeds.”

In the blowout over West, Brian Campbell went 3 for 4 with a home run. Ridenhour and Desnoyers had two hits each. “Brian is a fabulous athlete,” Walser said.

• In a 6-2 win over West Forsyth, Patti pitched a three-hitter and also produced three hits at the plate.

• Samantha Murillo achieved track stardom as a freshman, winning the CPC championship in the 400 and placing second in the 200.

“(Murillo) lost by a tenth of a second (in the 200), and the girl who beat her (Mt. Tabor’s Angela Breeden) is undefeated in everything,” coach Cary Powers said. “So for a freshman to come within a half a step of beating the conference’s runner of the year is great for her.”

Murillo, Susan Delaney, Tiffany Peoples and Stacy Joyner captured the 1600.

The Davie boys produced CPC champs in seven events: Garick Hill in the 1600 and 3200; Kenny Collins in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles; Darien Brown in the 400; Nick Propst in the triple jump; and Matt James, Clifton Redmon, Ryan Barnes and Collins in the 1600 relay.

• The top two seeds met in the CPC Tournament final in softball. No. 1 South Stokes scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to deny Davie, 3-2, at Rich Park.

Davie had charged to a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Richie broke up Jennifer Long’s no-hitter, stole second and scored on Leann Spillman’s hit. After Williamson singled, Davie took the lead on Handy’s infield hit.

• In the CPC Tournament final at Rich Park, Davie baseball lost 4-1 to Mt. Tabor. Davie had a chance to rally in the seventh. After Cornatzer doubled, two walks loaded the bases with one out. But the Spartans escaped the jam and won their fourth straight CPCT title.

• With two minutes remaining, Brittany Walker of South Davie soccer converted a penalty kick to give the Tigers a 1-0 win over North Davie. South goalie Ryanne McDaniel was instrumental in the outcome.

“We controlled most of the game, but their keeper made some great saves to keep them in it,” North coach Sean Garnett said.

North got revenge in the next meeting against South. The Wildcats won 1-0 on a goal by Allison Howell.

• Davie softball busted loose for five runs in the sixth inning to beat Crest 6-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Hits by Natalie Foster, Williamson and Handy fueled the big inning.

Jessica Whitley’s two-run single in the fifth broke a tie as Davie pulled out a 4-2 decision at Northwest Guilford in the second round. Foster went 3 for 4. Smith, Richie and Whitley had two hits each.

• In the 4-A track meet at UNC-Charlotte, Hill finished third in the state in the 3200.

“He ran the best race of his career in his last event,” coach Scott Young said.

Kenny White went 141-3 in the discus to finish fifth. Brown was sixth in the 400. For the Davie girls, Murillo took fifth in the 400 at 59.54.

• In the Midwest Regional at Bryan Park, Davie sophomore golfer James Stewart shot a 3-over 75. Freshman Josh Lackey shot 76.

• The Davie softball run ended in the quarterfinals, where South Stokes beat the War Eagles for the fourth time, 5-2. Davie took advantage of three errors to grab a 2-0 lead in the first, but that was all it could muster as Meriale Lineberry pitched a no-hitter with no walks.

“We don’t have anything to be ashamed of,” coach Darrell Steele said. “We had a heck of a run.”