Members of East Wilkes’ softball program helped Wilkes Post 31 break even this past week in the win column.
With the victories, the Flashers improved to 5-3 this summer with all of their games coming in Area IV play of the North Carolina American Legion Lady Fastpitch League.
Post 31 is scheduled to be off this week as the Body Armor State Games are taking place this week. The Flashers will return to the diamond on June 28 when they travel to Burke Post 21.
Two players from the Flashers — East Wilkes’ Jayden Hutchison and West Wilkes’ Lily Proffit — are playing in the games, which began on Tuesday and conclude on Thursday. The pair will be representing Region 6.
Here’s a breakdown of this past week’s action:
Wilkes Post 31 vs. Hickory Post 48
Wilkes County earned a sweep over Hickory with 5-3 win in the one opener and then took the nightcap, 8-4, to extend its winning streak to five games.
In the opener, the Flashers got off to a great start with four first-inning runs and then extended the lead to 5-0 in the second behind a solo home run from Western Carolina-commit Becka Wonsick.
Hickory battled back with one run in the fourth and then two more in the fifth to cut the deficit to two after an RBI single from Zoe Broten.
But pitcher Profitt buckled down and induced a Kyla Hollar fly out to Kylee Martin in center field.
Kacey Triplett, from West Wilkes, went 2-for-2 at the plate to lead all hitters and reached base in all three at-bats. Madison Fletcher, also of West Wilkes, went 2-for-3 with a double.
East Wilkes’ Jayden Hutchison finished 1-for-3 with a single.
Post 48 did not register a base-hit until the top of the fifth.
Lady Cardinals Chloe Andrews took the ball in the nightcap and picked up the win inside the circle. The rising East Wilkes sophomore struck out 10 and scattered three hits in a complete-game effort. She also went 1-for-2 at the plate.
Andrews received quality run support behind a two-run homer from Proffit in the bottom of the first and Fletcher tacked on a home run to push the lead to 6-1 after two innings.
Martin added an RBI double in the third inning.
Fletcher went 2-for-2 at the plate and Proffit finished 2-for-3 with a double to go along with the long ball.
Wilkes Post 31 at Alexander Post 170
Despite a strong outing from Zoe Cheek, Post 31 dropped a 2-0 decision in the first game against Post 170 at Alexander Central High School.
The rising East Wilkes sophomore allowed three hits and two runs with a pair of strikeouts in four innings of work.
However, Post 170 broke the scoreless deadlock behind a two-run homer from Mcartney Harrington.
Cheek went 1-for-2 at the plate as the Flasher mustered just three hits in the game. Kaitlyn Wayne and Presley Dancy had the only other hits in the game.
In the second game, Post 31 found its offense but it wasn’t enough to overcome a big first inning from Alexander in a 9-6 loss.
Fletcher led off the game with a solo homer in the top of the first, but Post 170 answered with five first-inning runs, highlighted by an RBI double from Laney Wike.
Triplett headlined the Flashers with a pair of triples while going 2-for-3 at the plate and Kylee Martin finished 1-for-2.
Cheek (1-for-2), Martin and Isabelle Curry each had one hit in the game.
