CHOCOWINITY — Southside’s playoff run started off with a trot as the team drew 13 walks and benefitted from three hit batsmen to fuel a 10-0 six-inning victory over Jones Senior in the first round of the NCHSAA 1-A playoffs.
With the win, Southside will advance to the second round where it will face the winner of the No. 2 Columbia-No. 4 Camden matchup at home on Tuesday.
The No. 1-seeded Seahawks (16-3, Four Rivers) registered five runs in the bottom of the first against the wild card Trojans (9-9, Coastal Plains) as Savannah Mumford scored on a wild pitch before Tia Hardy and Macy Paramore belted two-run doubles.
Jones’ starting pitcher Brittany Bougas never made it out of the first inning as she allowed five runs and three hits after facing eight batters, forcing Trojans coach Michael Sutton Jr. to remove her in favor of Southern Maready.
Maready got off to a shaky start as she hit the first batter she faced, but settled down to escape the inning with no further damage.
After racking up five runs in the first it would appear a blowout would be inevitable, but the Seahawks took on a rather nonchalant approach to the rest of the game.
Southside was out-hit 5-2 from the second inning on and didn’t close out the contest until Jones committed three errors and issued a slew of walks in the fifth and sixth innings that made it impossible for the Seahawks not to score.
“We didn’t come out sharp,” Southside coach John Lohman said. “I think we know in the first round that we often don’t see the most toughest teams so it’s hard for me to convince them to come out and play hard.
“(The players) made up their minds that this was going to be a cream puff — and not that (Jones) was, they have some skilled players and are coached well.”
Despite the uninspired performance, Lohman said he has faith in his team. When asked point-blank if the Seahawks had the killer instinct it takes to make it to Walnut Creek he replied, “Yes. When they know it’s serious they usually step up. I’m not too concerned about it. We’ll have a good practice on Monday.”
Southside went scoreless over the second, third and fourth innings as it failed to capitalize on the five walks issued during that span by going hitless.
Though the Seahawks let Jones linger, the Trojans simply could not figure out Southside ace Mumford, who struck out four batters in five innings to get the win.
Southside got back on the board in the fifth when Jones combined for three errors on back-to-back bunts by Sam Lore and Mumford, which allowed three runs to score. In the sixth, the Trojans sealed their own fate as Maready walked three straight batters and hit one to make it a 9-0 game before Mumford delivered an RBI single to end it.

Jones Senior    000    000    —    0    5    3
Southside    500    032    —    10    4    1
WP: Savannah Mumford: LP: Brittany Bougas
Hitting: J — Amber Jones 2-3, Cassidy Sutton 1-2, Paige Hart 2-2; Savannah Mumford 2-5 (2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Tia Hardy 1-2 (2B, 2 RBI), Macy Paramore 1-2 (2B, 2 RBI).