ROCKY MOUNT -- The Southern Nash varsity softball team dispatched Nash Central, 4-1, Tuesday afternoon in the semifinals of the 3-A NEW 6 Conference Tournament at Nash Central.
The third-seeded Ladybirds rode the performance of Taylor Braswell into the title game where they will face Northern Nash Thursday night at 7.
Braswell struck out eight and scattered six hits in the complete-game win.
Southern Nash worked Nash Central starter Ashley Bone, forcing her to throw a combined 60 pitches in the second and third innings. Bone went on to strike out 11 but the Ladybirds scored two runs apiece in the second and third.
Southern Nash assured itself of a home game to open the state playoffs while Nash Central, the No. 2 seed in the tourney, will open on the road.
Score by innings:
Southern Nash 022 000 0 -- 4
Nash Central 100 000 0 -- 1
WP-Taylor Braswell. LP-Ashley Bone.
LEADING HITTERS -- Southern Nash: Olivia Lamm, 2B.
FIKE FALLS IN SEMIFINALS
The Fike varsity softball team jumped out to a four-run lead, but the defense didn't hold up the rest of the way in Tuesday's 5-4 3-A NEW 6 Conference semifinal loss to top-seeded Northern Nash.
Fike, the No. 4 seed, led 4-0 after Lindsey Orr's inside-the-park two-run homer and run-scoring hits from Haley Hart and Jenn Clayton.
But Northern Nash scored three runs in the third when a bloop single was misplayed in the outfield. Two throwing errors cost the Lady Golden Demons another pair of runs in the fourth.
"We jumped on them and then for two innings the wheels came off," Fike head coach Brent Pearson said. "We played them much better than the first two times we faced them, but unfortunately, we couldn't finish today."
Score by innings:
Northern Nash 003 200 0 -- 5
Fike 004 000 0 -- 12
WP-Raven Lee. LP-Katelyn Suggs.
LEADING HITTERS -- FIke: Lindsey Orr HR, 2 RBI; Haley Hart 2b.