Peyton Lane pitched a one-hitter and went 3-for-3 with five runs batted in as the Martin County softball team rolled past Manteo 12-1 in five innings in the first round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 2A state playoffs on Tuesday night in Williamston.
Martin County (23-2), the No. 4 seed, will play host to No. 20 seed Bartlett-Yancey in the second round on Friday. Bartlett-Yancey edged No. 13 seed North Lenoir 9-6 in another first-round game on Tuesday.
Lane, a senior right-hander who has committed to Pfeiffer University, finished with 10 strikeouts and three walks while allowing only a single in the top of the third inning.
As solid as she was on the mound, Lane was also potent with the bat.
Her two-run home run in the first inning erased a 1-0 deficit and her two-run single in the bottom of the third sparked a five-run frame and extended the home team’s advantage to 10-1. She also provided an RBI triple in the fourth.
Manteo, the No. 29 seed, ended its season 11-15 overall.
The Redskins scored first, using two walks, an error and a pair of stolen bases to make it 1-0.
That lead was short-lived.
Ty’Hiera Wooten led off MC’s bottom of the first and was hit by a pitch. She stole second and third, and with one out, Lane launched her homer over the centerfield fence for a 2-1 lead. Izzy Williams (single) and Gabby Bennett (walk) were left stranded.
Lane quickly struck out the side in the top of the second, and Martin went back to work on offense.
Kyla Beach walked but was caught stealing. Riley Cowan reached on an error and moved to second on a wild pitch. When Wooten’s sacrifice bunt became a single, Cowan took third and Wooten raced to second. Whitney Stevens’ sacrifice bunt resulted on an out but Cowan scored to make it 3-1.
Lane was intentionally walked to load the bases and lifted for courtesy runner Aniya Williams. Izzy Williams singled off the third baseman’s glove to bring in Wooten, and on a stolen base by Izzy Williams, Aniya Williams took home to make it 5-1.
Lane allowed her only hit, a two-out single to center by Bridgett Berry, but struck out the next batter to end the frame.
Martin County then came up with five runs in the bottom of the third.
Rylah Ethridge was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Beach. One out later, sacrifice/bunt single by Wooten placed runners on first and third. Stevens was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Lane smacked a bad-hop single over the shortstops’ glove to bring in Ethridge and Wooten. Izzy Williams was hit by a pitch to load the bases again, and Erica Sturgill connected on a two-run single to right field that plated Stevens and Aniya Williams (Lane’s courtesy runner). Izzy Williams scored on a wild pitch and Bennett and Ethridge were issued walks but left stranded.
After another 1-2-3 inning, Martin County added its final two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Cowan blooped a single to center, took second on a passed ball, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Wooten and scored on a two-out triple by Lane. Lane’s runner, Aniya Williams, scored on a single to left by Izzy Williams.
Manteo put its leadoff batter on base in the top of the fifth (PeeDee Berry), but a strikeout, a groundout (Lane to Sturgill at first) and another strikeout ended Manteo’s season.
In addition to Lane, Izzy Williams also went 3-for-3 and Wooten was 2-for-2 at the plate for Martin County.
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