Nonetheless, Braswell struck out 11 Rocky Mount hitters in hurling the No. 3-seeded Ladybirds to a 5-0 softball victory in the 3-A NEW 6 Conference Tournament quarterfinals on the Nash Central diamond Monday evening.

Opening-round wins by Southern Nash and No. 4 Fike assured both teams of berths in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A playoffs. The Ladybirds (11-8) oppose No. 3 Nash Central at 7 this evening in the semifinals at Nash Central.

Braswell, befuddling Rocky Mount hitters with a repertoire of six pitches, tossed a two-hit gem in boosting her record to 8-4. She issued two walks.

"My screwball and curveball were working best," Braswell reviewed her route-going performance. "I only threw three fastballs. I don't throw many fastballs."

Braswell also resorted to a change-up, a rise ball and a drop.

"I just try to get ground balls and pop-ups -- easy outs," Braswell said of her approach.

Southern Nash's pitcher anticipated a duel with junior Rocky Mount left-hander Laura Alford.

Alford allowed but five hits, issued but one walk and struck out seven. However, she was befell by a season-long malady -- unearned runs. All five Ladybirds runs were unearned.

"If it's pitcher against pitcher, she wins head up," first-year Rocky Mount head coach Michelle Huffman said of Alford. "But other factors play into it. This has happened to her all season long, but she has carried me through the entire season."

Rocky Mount finished 4-13, but Huffman noted: "If you go by the earned runs, we should be 10-and whatever."

In the fourth, the Ladybirds' Brittany Wood and Mallory Bass each singled. Both scored when right fielder Brittany Hall's two-outs fly ball was dropped in right field.

In the fifth, a walk to center fielder Ashley Tharrington, her stolen base and a dropped throw by the first baseman with two outs pushed the Ladybirds' lead to 3-0.

Next, shortstop Olivia Lamm scorched the ball just inside the third-base line. The ball rolled to the corner of the left-field fence and Lamm wound up with a two-run, inside-the-park home run.

"I've coached Laura before and played against her," Southern Nash head coach Christy Bailey said of Rocky Mount's hard-luck pitcher. "Our girls did really good. They stepped up, put balls in play and did the job that needed to be done.

"Taylor did an outstanding job. The weight of the team has been on her shoulders and she has done an outstanding job."

Huffman noted Rocky Mount's only conference win came against Southern Nash and, in that outing, her team sparkled defensively.

"That team can show up every day," she contended. "I am disappointed because I have believed in them all season. I thought we would have wanted it a little bit more. I expected something a lot closer."

And Braswell admitted: "I was a little concerned coming in. Every time we have played them, it's been pretty close."

Now, the Ladybirds bid for the upset against host Nash Central.

"It could be another pitchers' duel," Bailey predicted. "The team knows it has got to be ready to play."

Braswell doesn't plan to alter her approach on the mound.

"They always come back and get us at the end," she pointed out. "Hopefully it will be different (this evening)."

hammer@wilsontimes.com | 265-7809

Score by innings:

Rocky Mount 000 000 0 -- 0

Southern Nash 002 300 x -- 5

WP -Taylor Braswell (8-4) 7 IP 2 H 0 R 2 BB 11 SO. LP - Laura Alford 6 IP 5 H 5 R 0 ER 1 BB 7 SO.

LEADING HITTERS -- Southern Nash: Brittany Wood 2-3 2 R, Olivia Lamm 1-3 2-R HR; Rocky Mount: Nichole Taylor 1-2, Domonique Battle 1-3.