Gary Ayers
Following an incredible nine-inning victory over Mountain Heritage in the first round of the NCHSAA 1-A playoffs, Swain County High School’s Lady Devils softball team had a rough second round bracket opponent in #1 seed Uwharrie Charter and saw its’ season come to an end on the road in the 7-1 loss.
After two scoreless innings that saw outstanding pitching from Swain sophomore Rylee Rawls and Uwharrie senior Mollie Bulla, the Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Swain answered in the sixth with the Lady Devils’ lone run before Uwharrie scored three in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin.
The Lady Devils, after a long road trip, got three hits on the day with Makenzee Bird, Molleigh Woodard, and Kennedy Anthony reaching base with Anthony scoring the only run. The Lady Devils had to continually fight at the plate with 0-2 and 1-2 counts on the day while Uwharrie hitters had several 3-1, 2-0 counts going to their advantage.
“Although it was not the result we wanted, I am very proud of this group of young ladies. We fought with an effort that we hoped would make Swain County proud," said Head Coach Toby Burrell.
Rawls finished with six strikeouts while giving up only one walk with Uwharrie Collecting nine hits. Rawls finished the season with an impressive 170 strikeouts and a strong 1.91 ERA.
"This team showed a lot of growth from the start of the season to the end. I believe it is safe to say they grew up as softball players along the way and learned how to compete as well as win. I am very proud of how much they have grown this year,” Burrel said.
The Lady Devils future looks very strong without a single senior on this year’s team.