Kenzie Taylor's walk-off gives Eastern Alamance Game 1 win in NCHSAA softball championship
GREENSBORO — Eastern Alamance's Kenzie Taylor pulled a rabbit out of a hat with the game on the line Friday night.
In a game with a combined three hits between two teams, it was what originally looked like a routine single from Taylor that ended Game 1 of the NCHSAA Class 3-A softball state championship in walk-off fashion.
Taylor ripped a ball to center field that snuck past the North Buncombe outfielder and caused Taylor to turn on the jets.
"I turned it on," Taylor said. "I knew I was pretty fast, but not that fast."
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Eastern Alamance coach Danny Way waved Taylor home and she scored on a single with a three-base error, giving the top-seeded Eagles a 1-0 victory over No. 3 seed North Buncombe in a battle between two future Division I pitchers.
"All the way (I was sending Taylor home) because I knew the ball was a little slippery. And we do take chances," Way said. "We've always kind of been aggressive.
"She finds a way. She's the unsung hero. Her first year up here, she had a baserunning mistake as a freshman. She really took it hard. So, there you go. That really just kind of made it up."
Pitcher Kenna Raye Dark, the North Carolina signee, was dominant, allowing just one hit, one walk and striking out 13 in a complete-game effort for the Eagles (26-2).
"I really try my best," Dark said. "I said, 'I got ya'll. I just need y'all to support me. That's where I need y'all right now.' They came through the last inning. It was really big. It made me emotional, start crying."
Tennessee signee Karlyn Pickens struck out 13 batters and allowed just one run and three hits to lead the Black Hawks (25-2).
North Buncombe's first hit off Dark came in the top of the seventh inning, when Cheyanne Cable led off with a double. The Eagles tagged out Cable on a rundown between second and third, but that allowed Shayna Higgins to reach on her bunt. A ball thrown to first base after the out sailed into right field to allow Higgins to reach third.
Dark provided the game's first hit in the bottom of the fourth, blasting a ball to the warning track for a leadoff double. Melody Herrera entered the game to run for Dark and advanced to second on a wild pitch in the dark. On a second straight wild pitch, Herrera headed home where she was tagged out by Pickens to keep the Eagles off the board.
David Kehrli is a sports reporter at the Burlington Times-News and USA Today Network. You can reach him at david.kehrli@thetimesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidKehrliTN. Subscribe to the Burlington Times-News here.
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Eastern Alamance softball wins first game of NCHSAA championship series
