Washington’s softball team coasted by the region’s No. 1 team Monday evening, 6-1. Coaches and players poured out of the dugout, and the players in the field converged on pitcher Hailey Harris as soon as she struck out Carlie Mote to lock down the victory.

Indeed, the Lady Pack’s fourth-round win over Jordan-Matthews was historic. For the first time ever, the girls will contend for a regional championship.

The regional title and the east’s representative in the state championship will be decided in a best-of-three series between No. 12 Washington and No. 2 South Granville. The higher seed — in this case, the Lady Vikings — host the first game and the tiebreaking third game, if necessary. The series opened up Wednesday night in Creedmoor.

Now it’s the Lady Pack’s turn. South Granville makes the trek to Washington Friday evening for what will be Washington’s first home game since a first-round win over First Flight on May 10.

Beaufort County has seen some elite softball teams, especially recently. The Chocowinity 16U All-Star team earned a trip to the Babe Ruth Softball World Series last summer. Not long before that, top-seeded Northside hosted five rounds of games in the 1-A state playoffs before getting knocked off by North Duplin in the regional-championship series.

It seems Washington has plans to make 2016 an even bigger year for softball in the county. Friday’s homecoming for the Lady Pack has the potential to be the biggest softball game the county has ever seen.

The support on the road has been impressive through three rounds of road games that have spanned from Barco to Beulaville to Siler City. The Lady Pack’s faithful followers have logged a lot of miles following the impressive journey thus far.

Now it’s time to turn the support up a notch. Softball fans from across Beaufort County are encouraged to come out and cheer on a team that has already asserted itself as a dominant force in the east.

Come out Friday evening for what should be a historical evening in Beaufort County. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. and the first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Admission will be $7 and no booster club passes will be allowed for entry.