'These guys find a way': Ashley baseball claims Game 1 of East regional final in extra innings

It's the moment every baseball player dreams of, and it's happened three times in six days for the squad at Ashley High School .

The top-seeded Screaming Eagles never looked scared as visiting Cardinal Gibbons took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning in Game 1 of the NCHSAA 4A East Regional Final on Tuesday night.

Ashley (25-3) quickly tied things up in the bottom of the sixth, a score that would send the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the ninth, junior Will Hartzell hit a ground ball down the left-field line and past the outstretched glove of the Crusaders third baseman to secure the 3-2 walk-off win.

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"I was really excited to get that hit," Hartzell said of his winning single. "It feels great to step in that spot and we just have to keep this going into our next game."

Junior Tanner Berry scored the game-winning run.

The playoff walk-off victory is the third straight in less than a week for the Screaming Eagles, who beat Holly Springs (11 innings) and Pinecrest (9 innings) last Thursday and Friday.

"These guys find a way," Ashley coach Ben Stroehl said. "We feel like we can send guys up to the plate that can are gonna get the job done in clutch situations."

Ashley will head to Raleigh on Thursday night for the second game of the best-of-three series. If the team falls short, they'll have one final chance in Wilmington to secure their first state championship appearance since 2007.

But the momentum is already with the Screaming Eagles, who are entirely aware of just how remarkable their postseason run has been.

"We have to go up and take care of business," Stroehl said of Thursday's game at Cardinal Gibbons. "It's a good feeling (To win). It's been 17 years since we've been to the state championship, and we're pushing to get there again."

South Brunswick softball annihilates South Central

It's not ordinary to see a regional final game end in just five innings, but that's precisely what the South Brunswick softball team achieved Tuesday, shutting out visiting South Central 11-0 in Game 1 of the NCHSAA 3A softball East Regional Final to win by mercy rule.

"I told the team what I wanted to see is what the offense can do," South Brunswick coach James Pierce said. "Our approach was to just have a good day at the plate."

Junior Kina Davis threw a one-hitter, striking out 10 in five innings pitched. Fellow junior Carly Clewis went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a double.

The Cougars head to Winterville on Wednesday for Game 2 of the best-of-three series. A victory would secure the program's first 3A state championship appearance and first title game in any classification since 2007.

"It's kind of a surreal feeling," Pierce said of his team's victory. "I told the players tonight to stay humble and stay hungry. We're going to approach (Game 2) as just another game."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 'These guys find a way': Ashley baseball claims Game 1 of East regional final in extra innings