ROBERSONVILLE — The postseason is when the cream rises to the top. It’s a time when a team’s leader rises to the challenge. That’s exactly what happened with Mackensi Swain in No. 14 Northside’s 7-1 win over No. 3 South Creek in Saturday’s second-round playoff game.

Freshman Lady Cougars pitcher Madison Johnson had been working around Swain throughout the game. She didn’t have an option when Swain stepped up to the plate in the top of the fourth. The Lady Panthers, leading 1-0, had the bases loaded with two outs.

Swain, who had been walked in both of her first two at bats, had one goal for her third plate appearance.

“I’ve got to put the ball in play no matter what,” Swain said, recalling what was going through her mind.

She did that and more. Swain took a 0-2 pitch, low and inside, and belted it over the fence in left field. The grand slam scored herself, Savannah Slade, Jessica Foster and Mariah Stanley. It blew the game wide open as, with one swing of the bat, Northside turned a one-run lead into a sizeable 5-0 advantage.

“It’s just a big-time hit that changes the momentum of the game,” coach Riley Youmans said. “And with a 0-2 count, that’s what kind of player Mackensi Swain is. She’s just a great, confident batter. It makes a difference. It kept our momentum going like we needed from the beginning.”

The first two innings went quickly and quietly. Neither South Creek nor Northside sent more than four batters to the plate.

The Lady Panthers were able to draw first blood in the third, despite having their first two batters retired. Swain drew her second walk of the game and moved over a bag on a passed ball. Whitney Cromwell doubled to right field to trade places with Swain and push across Northside’s first run.

South Creek threatened to get the run back in the bottom of the third. For the second straight stanza, the Lady Cougars had their leadoff batter reach thanks to an error. Also, for the second frame in a row, the Lady Panthers bounced back with a big defensive play.

Tori Pelt popped a bunt back up to Northside pitcher Rachel Lang. She then made the throw to Rebekah Williams, who was covering first, to gun down Michaela Rossamondo before she could tag up.

“Of course, it’s always important to shake off errors,” Youmans said. “We had some great double plays. If we had let the errors get us down, we might not have made (those plays). Shaking it off, that’s what this team is great at — coming back and battling hard.”

After once again stranding an opposing Lady Cougar in scoring position, senior catcher Kendall Alligood told her teammates that they had been getting breaks and that their luck would run out.

Then Swain hit a grand slam.

Lang led the defensive effort. She got ahead, 0-2, on the first three batters she faced and continued to do so throughout the evening. She finished the game with eight strikeouts. Despite a few errors, the defense behind her was stingy and allowed just one run.

“In softball, it’s always big to have a great pitcher like Rachel,” Youmans said. “You can’t say enough about her. She battles hard and she works hard. She does so much for this team.”

Northside added an insurance run in each of the last two innings. Mariah Stanley drilled a line-drive triple to centerfield in the sixth. Swain struck out, but South Creek’s catcher dropped the ball. While she made the throw to first, Stanley was able to score from third.

Alligood wrapped up the scoring with a solo homer to left-center field.

Northside moves on to play No. 6 Louisburg on Tuesday. The Lady Warriors are coming off a 7-5 second-round win over Riverside that punched their ticket to the third round.