Four out of five Tri-W area schools made appearances in this year’s NCHSAA softball state championship playoffs. Marvin Ridge, who entered the tournament as the number one seed, was eliminated in the regional finals by the Central Cabarrus Vikings after a dominant regular season and an impressive playoff run.
Marvin Ridge
The Marvin Ridge Mavericks under head coach Jeff Stovall, end their season with an overall record of 20-5, a number four state ranking and a rank of 95 nationally. The Mavericks began The tournament with two double digit shut-out games against North Forsyth and A.C. Reynolds. The Mavericks beat T.C. Robertson in a close third game with a score of 3-1. The Mavericks showed championship spirit in a 9-0 victory over North Buncombe for game four, but the Mavericks were unable to best Central Cabarrus in the semifinal series. The Mavericks lost the series with scores of 5-6, 5-2 and 8-11.
Cuthbertson
The Cuthbertson Cavaliers end their season with an overall record of 6-11 and a conference record of 4-8. Coach Jeremy East brought the Cavaliers to the state playoff tournament as the number 23 seed, they were eliminated in round one by A.L. Brown with a score of 8-0
Parkwood
The Parkwood Rebels, another team that made an impressive playoff run, ended their season under coach Tim Speakman with an overall record of 15-7. They finish the season with a state ranking of 22. The Rebels defeated the Enka Jets in game one of the state playoffs by a score of 7-1. Game two saw the Rebels in their best form defeating sixth seed Alexander Central by a score of 14-1. Game four saw the Rebels upset three seed West Rowan 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Rebels were eliminated by a score of 4-3 by the two seed Central Cabarrus Vikings.
Weddington
The Weddington Warriors, who ended their season with a record of 1-18 were unable to secure enough wins to earn a spot in the state championship tournament. Their last game of the season was a 13-3 loss to the Parkwood Rebels.
Sun Valley
The Sun Valley Spartans, under head coach David Collins, entered the state tournament as the number 30 seed with a record of 8-15. The Spartans were eliminated in round one of the tournament by the three seed West Rowan Falcons by a score of 11-1.
The final game of the NCHSAA state softball championship tournament will feature Eastern Alamance and Central Cabarrus on May 31 at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The first pitch will be at 5:00 p.m.
