Kinston, Pleasant Home take on the state

Kinston head coach Janie Wiggins and Pleasant Home Jimmy Reeves say the rivalry between their two softball teams is a “healthy” one.

They certainly have played each other enough to know.

The state Class 1A powers, located less than 25 miles apart, have played eight times this season, including area and regional championship games last week.
They could play each other as many as three more times over the next two days at the Class 1A state tournament at Montgomery’s Lagoon Park.

And like two years ago, there is still the possibility of playing for a state championship against each other.

“I want to see them in the finals and I hope we make it too,” Pleasant Home’s Reeves said. “I want us to keep it down in the south. That is the best way to do it.”

The two teams open a star-loaded Class 1A tournament today. Seven of the eight teams are ranked in the state poll. Fifth-ranked Kinston (31-16) faces sixth-
ranked Lynn (33-9) at 9 a.m. Second-ranked Pleasant Home (31-10) meets top-ranked Speake (33-5) at 10:30 a.m.

Also opening play today are Class 3A Wiregrass teams Wicksburg and Straughn. Wicksburg (20-21) faces sixth-ranked West Morgan (38-11-3) at noon.
Straughn (32-8), last year’s state runner-up, faces top-ranked and defending state champion Pisgah (45-13) at 10:30 a.m. in a rematch of last year’s finals.

Kinston and Pleasant Home have been the top Class 1A Wiregrass programs this decade and like this year, they have been in the same area many of the years. Those factors, along with their close geographic distance, has helped create one of the top softball rivalries in the area.

“It is a healthy rivalry,” Reeves said. “They are the kind of people you want to play. They are always a good, solid program and we look forward to playing them.

It’s always a war.”

Kinston’s Wiggins agrees.

“It is healthy,” Wiggins said of the rivalry. “They push us and I feel we do the same for them. We bring out the best in each other, and it’s always a good ball
game.”

Pleasant Home has gotten the better end this year, winning five of the eight games.

The two played four times in four days last week in area and regional competition. Pleasant Home took the area title Wednesday, but Kinston won the regional Saturday.

Two years ago, the two battled in the state finals. Pleasant Home beat Kinston 6-0 to force a second game, but the Bulldogs then won a classic to win the
state title, 6-4.

Both teams know they have business before any possible meetings this year.

Kinston meets Lynn in its opener.

“We just know they have decent pitching and their defense is really sound,” Wiggins said of Lynn.

Pleasant Home opens against Speake in a highly-anticipated matchup.

“Speake appears to be the favorite,” Reeves said. “Everybody says they are pretty sporty. They have a great pitcher who has been pitching since the seventh
grade. She is a dynamite pitcher, so it will be tough.”

Panthers ready to prowl

Though it is the only team in the entire state tournament with a losing record, Wicksburg goes in confident behind a recent surge.

The Panthers have won six of their last 10, including four straight in the losers’ bracket Saturday at the regional tournament, to advance to state.

“Our girls have been up to the challenge of late,” Wicksburg head coach Josh Cox said. “We started out rusty, but the girls have stepped up and played good ball lately.”

Cox credits leadership of seniors Erica Johnson and Arica Dykes and junior Brittany Treadaway plus the return of two players from injuries as key to the surge.

“My three older players — the two seniors and one junior — have really stepped up,” Cox said. “They have come up with quotes and have made the girls
believe we can win.”

After losing the regional opener to Straughn last week, the trio helped push Wicksburg to the four wins to reach the finals.

“After we lost, they just refused to lose,” Cox said. “We were down big twice, but we came back to win both games.”

The return of pitcher Ginny Woodham and Treadaway as a hitter also helped.
“I feel if we had stayed healthy, it would have been a different story (record wise),” Cox said. “We have had girls playing out of position all year.”

Wicksburg opens up with West Morgan and star pitcher Lauren Seibert.

“We have got a tough opening opponent,” Cox said. “They are one of the picks to win it. They have a really good pitcher who averages in the low 60s — has a
lot of velocity. I also know they are good defensive team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”