Prep roundup: Panther Creek soccer nips Fuquay to reach semifinals

Justine James scored from outside the penalty box with 1:23 left in the second overtime to lift Panther Creek to a 2-1 victory over Fuquay-Varina in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A girls soccer quarterfinals.

The Catamounts will be at home 6 p.m. Tuesday against Wilmington Hoggard, a 1-0 winner over Broughton, for the Eastern championship.

Panther Creek and Fuquay were tied 1-1 after regulation and through the first overtime.

Panther Creek opened the scoring on a goal by sophomore defender Meredith Hamby in the 13th minute. Fuquay-Varina tied things up on a score by junior midfielder Kelley Suggs in the 25th minute.

The meeting was third between the two school’s this season. Fuquay-Varina ends the year with an 18-3 record in coach Nick Acost’a first year at the school.

At Wilmington, Hoggard’s Siara Southerland scored on a rebound shot three minutes into the second half for the only goal of the game of the other Eastern 4A semifinal.

Baseball

Lee upsets Orange: Lee County scored a couple of runs and made them stand up for a 2-1 victory over Orange in the NCHSAA 3A baseball quarterfinals. The Jackets will play a best-of-three series against Pikeville Aycock, a 10-0 winner over Wilson Fike, for the 3A title.

Vikings reach semis: South Granville defeated Croatan 6-2 in the 2A quarterfinals.

Softball

Apex scores late: Apex scored three runs in the sixth inning, including a two-run home run by Julia Cerasi, to rally past South Central Pitt in the 4A softball quarterfinals.

The Cougars will play Greenville Conley, a 2-1 winner over Fayetteville Cape Fear, in the best-of-three Eastern Regional championship.

Lee County falls: Northern Guilford’s Katie Bilbrey drove in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 2-1 victory over Lee County in the 3A quarterfinals.

Lee had led 1-0 on Savannah Patterson’s home run before Northern Guilford rallied to score two runs in the seventh.

Granville blanks Panthers: Hunter Mundy’s three-run homer with none out in the sixth lifted South Granville to a 3-0 win over North Johnston in the fourth round of the 2-A softball playoffs.

Sophomore Miranda Barker was the winning pitcher for the Vikings (21-2), allowing two hits while striking out 10 against five walks in the shutout. Barker is 21-2 on the season.

Emma Turner took the loss for the Panthers (18-7), allowing the three runs on five hits with three strikeouts against just one walk. Turner is 12-5 on the season.

South Granville, which has seven state titles and was runner-up two years ago, begins its best-of-3 Eastern Championship Series on Tuesday night against Northern Carolina conference rival Bunn, which won both regular-season matchups with the Vikings.

Erin Boone had two hits and scored a run for the Vikings.

Bunn softball advances: Bunn (21-1) advanced to the NCHSAA 2A softball semifinals with a 6-0 victory over Wilson Beddingfield. The Wildcats have not allowed a post-season run.

Junior Erica Davis limited the Bruins to four hits while striking out 10 and walking none.

Lincoln Memorial University recruit Parker Brantley had a two-run single in the third and a three-run double in sixth.

This story was originally published May 22, 2015 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Prep roundup: Panther Creek soccer nips Fuquay to reach semifinals."