Middle Creek softball goes unbeaten in SWAC play
Kiley Majette did a little bit of everything for Middle Creek on Tuesday night.
Majette struck out 10 and gave up only two hits on the mound, and she drove in two runs with a double and had two walks at the plate to help her Mustangs complete an unbeaten conference season with a 5-1 victory over Fuquay-Varina.
“She’s done a little bit of everything all year,” Middle Creek coach Robbie Wray said. “It’s not just been tonight. She’s been unbelievable for us. She’s leading us in hitting, she’s throwing the pee out of the ball, and it’s been since February.”
Middle Creek finished the regular season 16-1 and 14-0 in the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference for the first time in school history.
“They made history for themselves and our school,” Wray said. “It’s an awesome feeling, something we haven’t experienced here before.”
The No. 1 team in the News & Observer softball rankings, the Mustangs are one of the teams to beat when the playoffs begin next week.
“I hope (we can go) all the way,” Majette said. “We definitely can, if we play together and play well like we did tonight. I think we could go all the way.”
No. 9 hitter Taylor Smith had both of Fuquay’s hits, a clean single to left in the third and an infield single in the seventh. The Bengals got their lone run in the fifth without a hit, as Smith scored an unearned run after a Majette wild pitch.
Still, Majette was in control most of the game, striking out the side on two occasions and finishing the game with a strikeout.
“I had to keep them off-balance and keep them guessing what I was throwing,” Majette said. “They’re a good-hitting team, so I had to keep them on their toes so they didn’t hit the crap out of the ball.”
Fuquay coach Deborah Clarke lamented not bunting earlier in the game, a tough choice when the middle of the Bengals lineup is usually strong.
“We’re a hitting team,” Clarke said. “A couple of our hitters made some bad choices, and I though the strike zone was a little large, which makes it a little difficult for us to choose good pitches. But that being said, 12 strikeouts – a lot of them looking – they’re getting frozen for some reason.”
Fuquay (12-5, 10-4) will still be a dangerous team in the state playoffs, treating its regular-season finale against Heritage like a tournament game.
“It’s like back-to-back playoff games into the playoffs, so we feel like we have two rounds going in,” Clarke said. “We’ve got to get more comfortable, we’ve got to feel like the game’s not on your shoulders every time you’re at the plate. You’ve got to have a little fun and be confident with what you’ve been doing all year.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 9:54 PM with the headline "Middle Creek softball goes unbeaten in SWAC play."