Zack Ciboth, Sports Editor
The ten-seeded UNC Pembroke softball team took on the seven-seeded Southern Wesleyan Warriors in a play-in tournament game Wednesday morning to open up the 2024 Softball Conference Carolinas Championship. The Braves and Warriors battled to the end with the Warriors coming out on top with a 6-5 win.
The Braves finish their season with a 19-33 overall record and a Conference record of 10-14. For the Warriors they advance and will face two-seeded North Greenville in a double-elimanation game starting at 5 p.m. later today.
Kaitlyn King got things started for the Braves with an RBI triple to left field to give the Braves the 1-0 lead early. Oliva Haag tied things up in the bottom of the third with an RBI groundout to second. Charlotte Rose gave the Braves back the lead with a RBI single.
Trailing 2-1 the Warriors retook the lead on a couple errors from the Braves that the Warriors took advantage of. Madison Truett added to the Warriors lead with a single giving Southern Wesleyan the 4-2 lead.
The Braves started to rally in the sixth and tied the game up thanks to a two-run homerun from Chloe Locklear and a RBI single from King gave the lead right back to the Braves to give UNCP the 5-4 lead. The Warriors put together a rally of their own in the seventh with an Avery Mercer solo shot to left field to tie the game back up at 5-5. Taylor Palfrey was the hero for the Warriors with a single that plated a run for the walk-off win.
Summer Bullard got the start in the circle for the Braves going 4 2/3 innings giving up four hits and four runs while striking out seven and walking three. Kinsley Sheppard came in and went 1 2/3 innings pitched giving up three and two runs while striking out three and walking two. Katie Neal came in as well and recorded one out, giving up one hit and walking one.