Published: 12:08 AM, Wed May 19, 2010
Freshman Reep pushes Cape Fear into second round of state softball playoffs
When Rebekah Reep was a bit speechless during her first interview, Cape Fear senior Leah Jones came to the rescue.
"Yes she's a freshman, but she's a good freshman and we love her," Jones said. "Did you see that hit? What about that catch?"
Coming off the bench Tuesday in the first round of the Class 4-A state softball playoffs against Wilmington Hoggard, Reep admitted to having a few nerves that led to an early bobble in the field. But she wiped that miscue away with the game-winning RBI and made a nice play on a line drive down the third-base line to preserve the Colts' 6-5 win on their own field.
While Cape Fear (21-3 overall) entered the postseason the Mid-South's No. 1 seed and the tournament champion, coaches Jeff McPhail and Mack Page knew they'd have their hands full with the wildcard Vikings (10-11). The Wilmington area is known for its softball teams, and the Colts beat Hoggard only 6-4 when the two squads met earlier this season.
The Vikings struck first in what turned into a back-and-forth affair with both teams committing two errors. Cape Fear trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning when leadoff hitter Brittany Freeman hit a two-out double to center field. This set up Leah Jones to add to her state single-season home run record.
Jones golfed a low delivery to left-center for her 16th home run this season. The N.C. State signee helped the Colts reach the sectional championship game last year, but she said this squad knows not to look too far ahead. Her freshman and sophomore years, Cape Fear didn't get past the second round.
"We started the season with two goals - to win the Mid-South regular-season and conference tournament championships," said Jones, who finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs. "Now our only goal is to get to Walnut Creek."
That's where the state championship game will be played, and Reep kept that dream alive with a couple of timely plays in the final two innings. After the Colts went three up, three down in the fifth, the freshman stepped to the plate in the sixth with Jillian Hendryx on second after reaching on an error.
Hendryx stole third before Reep knocked a double to left field that brought her home for the go-ahead run. Hoggard tried to answer in the top of the seventh, but Cape Fear pitcher Lindsey Vicary got the first two Vikings to fly out to right field and pop out to second.
Vicary struck Charlotte Gill to give Hoggard a base runner, bringing Catherine West to the plate. West laced a hard shot to third - only inches away from Reep's face - but she caught it for the third and final out. Cape Fear will play J.H. Rose (13-7) in the second round.
"This shows the character this team has," McPhail said. "We can boot it around and boot it around, but we don't quit."
Staff writer Paul Shugar can be reached at shugarp@fayobserver.com or 486-3513.