Northern Nash made sure that Nash Central's hope of sharing the lead in the NEW 6 Conference remained just that – a flicker of hope.
The Knights seized control from the game's opening pitch, a Brianne McKenney double that paved the way for three runs as Northern Nash eased to a 6-1 victory over rival Nash Central on Tuesday.
A Nash Central victory would have placed the neighboring schools in a tie for first place in the NEW 6. A Bulldogs' victory would also have been a milestone for a program that has never been atop the league standings this late in the regular season.
Instead, the outcome was never in doubt. Mc-Kenney's double set the tone for the evening, Melissa Avent followed with an RBI single, Melissa Williams drove in three runs on the night and Northern Nash (14-4, 7-1 NEW 6) looked comfortable in its role as the NEW 6 frontrunner.
All six of the Knights' runs were earned. They managed eight hits off Bulldogs' ace Ashley Bone, who struck out eight batters, but struggled with her control. Bone walked five batters and many of her pitches missed high, hitting off the backstop. Northern Nash had a base-runner in every inning.
"We knew this was a big game," Avent said. "We all played as a team. Everybody kept everybody up and it carried over into the field. We knew how important this was. I think we were very prepared. We played great."
Avent, the Knights' starter, could not have pitched better. She allowed only one hit over five innings. In that span, she threw only 50 pitches, striking out five and walking none. Avent threw only nine balls, and she retired the last 10 Bulldogs she faced.
Nash Central coach Gary Smith said he spoke to his team before the game about taking advantage of the opportunity in front of them. The Bulldogs (6-10, 5-3 NEW 6) instead found themselves down before they took their first swings at the plate.
"I think that kind of got them down," Smith said. "Not hitting the ball, that was the big thing."
Jessie H. Nunery can be reached at 407-9951 or jhnunery@coxnc.com
NN 300 100 0 – 6 8 0
NC 000 000 1 – 1 2 0
WP: Melissa Avent (5IP, 0R, 0ER, 1H, 0BB, 5K); LP: Ashley Bone (7IP, 6R, 6ER, 8H, 5BB, 8K).
2B: Brianne McKenney (NN). 3B: Lindsay Bailey (NN).
