Washington softball got its greatest influx of talent four years ago. Hailey Harris, Jada Lodge, Meghan Horton, Meghan Moore, Sarah Lynch, Jordan Pierce, Chaleigh Baynor, Haley Witham and Briley Waters had been playing together long before they became part of the Lady Pack family.

This past Tuesday, the girls referred to by coach Doug Whitehead as “The Nine” played their last game for Washington. Eastern Randolph scored in the bottom of the seventh to break a 5-5 tie and walk off with a ticket to the fourth round of the 2-A state softball playoffs.

“You don’t want to see them go out. It was just an unfortunate way that we lost,” Whitehead said. “I told them we’re proud of them. We played against a very good team. I wanted them to go out at least where we were last year. They got a taste of it last year. That sort of leaves a bitter taste.”

It was the end of an era. “The Nine” helped Washington come within striking distance of a 2-A championship appearance last season. Even though South Granville swept the Lady Pack in a pair of one-run games, it was the first regional-championship appearance in program history.

This year ended earlier than any of the seniors had hoped. They all felt like there was unfinished business after last year. From start to finish, though, they all helped take Washington softball to new heights.

The beginning

Washington had been building a strong softball program before the arrival of “The Nine.” When they were wrapping up their middle-school careers, a group of five seniors and young studs like Catie Dority, Haley Hutchins, Chrissy McKissick and Style McKissick helped lead the Lady Pack to the fourth round of the playoffs.

The deep playoff run was exciting also because Whitehead and the community knew the flood of talent that was coming over the next few years.

“I had heard I was getting a great group of girls,” Whitehead said. “I had followed them through their travel ball teams. Brad Horton … had had these girls since they were about 9 years old. He had them in various stages, off and on, but they all played sort of together. So, we had nine girls that knew the basics of softball.”

Horton would come on board as a junior varsity coach and varsity assistant. The coaching continuity helped prime the Lady Pack for three or four years of success.

As freshmen, Harris and Lodge were the only two of “The Nine” to crack the varsity lineup. Harris batted .319 as a rookie. Both were lauded for being strong. Harris’ versatility was valuable, and Lodge’s height and speed were special.

“Hailey had pitching on her résumé, catching on her résumé, and she was one of those girls I could put in all positions,” Whitehead said. “She was strong as a freshman. Jada came in six or seven inches taller than other girls when she came in as a freshman. Jada was strong and lightning fast.”

Whitehead added that he doesn’t like to bring players up to the varsity team to have them sit on the bench. The other seven freshmen cultivated their talents on the junior varsity team that season.

The gradual takeover

Harris and Lodge helped Washington win five in a row to start their freshman campaigns. The team also put together a seven-game winning streak down the stretch, but fell to Bunn, 3-2, in the second round of the 2014 state playoffs.

All nine made their way onto the varsity roster in some way during their sophomore seasons. Still, though, with six highly talented seniors, many of “The Nine” didn’t take on large roles that year.

Lodge, in her second varsity season, showed improvement as her batting average ballooned to .390. Moore and Lynch were regulars. They batted .294 and .260, respectively. Baynor, Pierce, Witham. Horton and Waters were used less frequently, but showed plenty of promise.

Bunn, again, bounced Washington in the second round of the 2015 playoffs. It was disappointing, but there was plenty to look forward to.

“The Nine” lived up to the hype in 2016.

The McKissick twins and Sarah Alligood — Washington’s three seniors in 2016 — were the team’s leaders, but “The Nine” went into their junior years with something to prove.

As juniors, four of “The Nine” batted well over .300. All nine combined to score 124 of Washington’s 198 runs that season. They anchored many defensive spots that helped the Lady Pack concede just 75 runs over 27 games.

Harris assumed a ton of responsibility in 2016. She pitched all but one of Washington’s 27 games. She dazzled. Harris amassed a 2.10 ERA and 18-8 record, which included seven shutouts. Strikeouts piled up game after game as she finished with 227 on the season.

“The Nine” helped Washington go further in the postseason than it ever had. The 12th-seeded Lady Pack outlasted No. 5 Currituck County in the second round. Then it walloped No. 4 East Duplin, 17-5, before handing a 6-1 loss to first-ranked Jordan-Matthews.

“These girls have been part of, I think, a 69-23 four-year involvement with the program,” Whitehead said. “… We’ve been more on the map in the state of North Carolina.”

Their show to run

Washington’s softball program was almost completely handed over to “The Nine” this season. Stellar juniors Mary B. Dixon, Grace Lassiter and Mariah Gurkin, and standout freshman pitcher Abbigail Tucker rounded out the team.

After years of playing together, though, “The Nine” had become a unit. No one had ever stood out as a singular leader. They each had a voice. One girl would be more vocal on one day, but they all fed off of each other.

“These girls, there’s really never been a leader amongst the nine of them,” Whitehead said. He said that he gave them a speech on leadership early in the season, but each member of “The Nine” said they fed off the others. They didn’t have a need for one to rise up as an undisputed leader.

“They are like sisters. They fight each other like cats and dogs at times, then they love on each other and cry on each other’s shoulder,” Whitehead explained. “… They have been close. They’ve had their battles, but they’ve come back and united the team for two solid years.”

They each wanted to continue captaining Washington into uncharted waters. They wanted to play for a championship.

North Johnston managed to beat them out for the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference title, leaving the Lady Pack as a No. 14 seed in the playoffs. They ran into a stout Eastern Randolph team that, Whitehead said, they could beat nine times out of 10.

Washington didn’t have its best game at Eastern Randolph, and their careers came to an end.

Even if they had moved on, “The Nine” would have played together for the last time soon. Maybe it would have been one more time, but at most, there would have been seven more games left.

The legacy of “The Nine” will remain one of excellence. At Washington, they all helped put together a special span in program history. The community will never forget them not just for their time in Lady Pack uniforms, but also their dominance beforehand. It’s impossible to stroll around the Susiegray McConnell Sports Complex and not see their names plastered on the sides of dugouts from their dominance during their Dirt Devil days.

“These girls have established a name for themselves,” Whitehead said. “Coach Horton and I don’t know what the starting point of the Dirt Devils was. … The Dirt Devils have become associated with Washington, Northside and Southside girls. It’s a Beaufort County thing.

“I wish these girls the best. We’re going to miss them. The class of 2017 was a special group. I wish them the best in the future and that they never forget once a Pam Pack, always a Pam Pack.”

Thanks to “The Nine,” the best of Washington softball may still be ahead. There’s plenty of talent from varsity and junior varsity ready to come back a year from now.

“The Nine” laid the groundwork. Now it’s time for others to step in and continue building.