East Surry makes it four titles in a row

The East Surry softball team entered unchartered waters Saturday at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex, and did so by dealing with a feisty group of Hurricanes from Pamlico.

The Cardinals, winners of the past three Class 1-A fast-pitch softball championships, staved off elimination early Saturday against Princeton with a 2-1 win, then beat Pamlico twice to get their fourth straight fast-pitch title — a first in NCHSAA softball history.

Senior pitcher Beth Isaacs toed the mound for the Cardinals in all three games and threw more than 300 pitches in sweltering heat. She struck out 45 batters in five games in the four-team, double-elimination format.

East (29-5) has won six 1-A titles (1999, 2005, 2008-11) in the past 13 years, but this one was much different than the other five, in which the Cardinals had an overpowering pitcher on the mound. That's not to say that Isaacs wasn't outstanding, but the games were much higher scoring than the typical low-scoring title games.

"We can now say that we've done something nobody else has done," coach Derrick Hill of East said. "Three in a row had been done by a number of schools, but this is so special because of the people we lost from last year's team."

In the first championship game, East scored seven runs in its last three at-bats after trailing 2-0 early to win a wild 7-5 game. The Cardinals trailed 5-4 in the top of the seventh, but scored three runs with one out to keep their title hopes alive.

That set up the winner-take-all game — the third between the teams in less than 24 hours — and East came out firing on all cylinders early.

In the bottom of the second, East started a one-out rally with a single from Kristen Cummings. A passed ball and a walk later, Sarah Scott ripped a ball down the third-base line for an RBI double. Two miscues later, the Cardinals scored two more runs with two outs to go ahead 3-0.

The Hurricanes (26-6) pulled to 3-1 with an RBI single by Leigh Ward in the top of the fourth, and took the lead 4-3 with three more runs in the fifth.

Undaunted, the Cardinals' offense got going again.

East scored three runs in the fifth with two outs, two coming on a line drive by catcher Julianna Bullington that soared over the Hurricanes' center fielder to put East up 5-4. Tournament MVP and left fielder Kelsey Wilson followed with an RBI double to push the margin to 6-4.

After Isaacs retired three straight batters in the top of the sixth, the Cardinals got to Pamlico ace Katie Lachman, who failed to retire a batter in the inning and was pulled after a walk and a bunt single by East. Reliever Taylor Andrews struggled with her control and East took advantage, scoring on a bases-loaded walk and a two-run double by Isaacs that made the score 9-4.

Pamlico didn't go quietly in its final at-bat. The Hurricanes had two runners on with one out, and Darian Roberts laced a two-run double to pull Pamlico to 9-6. Daniela Norman followed with an RBI single to make the score 9-7, and the Hurricanes had the chance to tie the game with one swing of the bat.

Isaacs settled down after a visit to the mound from Hill and closed out the game with a strikeout and a fly ball to center.

"What a warrior Beth Isaacs is. She was great for us, and it has been phenomenal what this team has done behind her all year," Hill said. "I knew Beth was tired, but barring them tying the game, I was not going to take her out. Typically, these games are 2-1 or 1-0, but this one was different. Nobody could seem to get an out."

Isaacs, who played in each of the four straight state championships and is now one of four players in NCHSAA history to win four in a career — along with teammates Paula Kiser, Christian Smith and Bullington — said she wanted to end her career the way it began.

"We just really wanted to win," Isaacs said. "I'm pretty tired and I think everyone else is too, but I'm a senior and this was my last game. I wanted to go out on top and I wanted this for all of us."

Hill, who was also an assistant on East's first title team in 1999, said even if another team wins four straight titles, his team will be able to say it did it first.

"It's the expectation (to win every year)," Hill said. "We expect to be (at Walnut Creek) and when we get here, we expect to win. The target is a little bigger now. Nobody can ever take this away and we have won six titles in 13 years. If there's a better program around in North Carolina, then I don't know who it is. I am not one to brag, but it is incredible the run we've had. We've been pretty good for a while now."