Owen opens postseason with home victory

Warlassies outlast Burns, 5-1, to advance to second round

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 7, 2024

A flurry of runs, propped up by a stifling pitching performance, May 7, carried Owen to the second round of the NCHSAA 2A Softball Playoffs for the first time since 2017.

The Warlassies, who entered the postseason as a 5th seed, defeated No. 28 Burns, 5-1, celebrating head coach Pete Ledford’s birthday with his first career playoff victory.

Junior pitcher Sophie Neal, who struck out 11 batters while walking nine, allowed her only earned run of the contest in the opening inning, but Owen responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half. A two-run single by sophomore Elly Wright in the second inning put the home team ahead, 4-1.

The Warlassies added a run in the sixth, earning their 15th straight victory in a 19-2 campaign. As players huddled in centerfield after the victory, the team began singing Happy Birthday to Ledford, who also received a German chocolate cake from players.

“These ladies did what they needed to do to win tonight, and I appreciate that,” he said. “We didn’t hit the ball quite as well as we would’ve liked, but we’re just going to come right back out here and work on that like we have been all season.”

The win was also Ledford’s 50th as the schools’ head softball coach.

“It was a big night for us, and I’m really proud of the way these girls keep finding ways to win ball games,” he said.

The Warlassies will host No. 12 Bunker Hill, Friday, May 10. Game time will be announced at a later date.

The Bears will bring an identical 19-2 record to the Swannanoa Valley, following a 2-1 victory over Morehead in the opening round of the playoffs.

“Bunker Hill is a really good team with one of the best pitchers on this side of the state,” Ledford said. “So, we’ve got to go to work, and be ready to hit that pitcher.”

Ledford and his staff will continue to prioritize the team’s offensive approach, as they prepare to welcome their opponent in the second round.

“All season long we’ve taken a lot of swings, 75-100 pitches per player at practice,” the coach said. “These girls will see another 200 cuts in the next couple of days and another 50 before the game starts on Friday. We want them to adapt to the pitch speed, be disciplined at the plate and keep winning games.”

Photos of the Warlassies’ opening round victory in the 2024 NCHSAA 2A State Softball Playoffs can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.