By Staff
BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
WILLIAMSTON — So far this postseason the trend for the Tigers has been to look superior early and shaky late. In both its playoff victories Williamston has had to hold on with white-knuckle pressure as it extinguished its opponent.
That trend was bucked on Tuesday.
Tigers played consistently brilliant from beginning to end as it knocked off Pamlico 4-0 to win the District Round of the NCHSAA 1-A playoffs.
Williamston (17-7), the No. 2 seed from the Four Rivers Conference, will move on to play Southside (19-4), the top seed from the Four Rivers Conference Friday in Chocowinity for the Sectional championship and the right to move on to Raleigh.
Williamston coach Damon Hayes was thrilled to see his team play a complete game and said that the strive for perfection has led to a new team motto.
“I new word now is finish,” Hayes said. “We have to finish what we have come out here for, and that’s defensively. We can’t come out here and just do our job on offense, we have to come out here and play defense.”
Hayes got solid play on both sides of the ball against Pamlico (15-7), the No. 2 seed from the Coastal Plains Conference. Williamston produced nine hits on offense and only one error on defense.
Kellen Edwards continued to swing a hot bat going 3-for-3 and scored the game-winning run when Courtney Wynn blasted a grounder up the middle in the bottom of the fifth.
After that, the Tigers turned up the heat as Dasia Moore bounced back from striking out twice earlier in the game and rocked a Katie Lachman pitch over the left field fence to make it a 2-0.
Madison Brandon was hit by a pitch in the next at bat, then Heather Jackson and Cassie Harrell hit back-to-back singles, with the latter scoring a run to expand the lead to 3-0.
“We hit the ball hard today, I don’t think we ever gave up,” Hayes said. “We seem to be peaking hitting-wise, I think some of us are coming around. … When (hitters) No. 3, 4 and 5 does what they’re supposed to do we are usually successful.”
On Tuesday the Tigers’ heart of the order, Jackson, Harrell and Shepherd were a combined 4-9 with two RBIs and a run.
The final run crossed the plate after Harris Shepherd dropped a well-placed sac bunt to expand the lead to 4-0.
Shepherd was also the winning pitcher and baffled the Hurricanes’ hitters all game. Shepherd scattered four hits, while striking out one and walking one.