Published: 05:54 AM, Sat May 22, 2010
Jones, Vicary lead Cape Fear to second-round win
By Earl Vaughan Jr.
Scholastic sports editor
Their jersey numbers - 10 for Leah Jones and 11 for Lindsey Vicary - were still on display on the outfield fence at Cape Fear's Doris Howard Field on Friday night, a leftover from honors paid to the two seniors during their final home game a few weeks ago.
Their respective performances against visiting Greenville Rose in the second round of the state 4-A softball playoffs suggested it might be a good idea to leave them up there a little longer.
Jones added to her state record for homers in a season with her 17th, a two-run blast to left in the third.
Vicary survived some shaky moments from her defense and her own personal battle with strep throat to allow three hits and strike out seven as the Colts advanced to the third round of the playoffs with a 2-1 win over the visiting Rampants.
Cape Fear (22-3) will be home again for its next playoff game Tuesday, and will once more face a team from the Mideastern 4-A Conference. Wilmington Ashley defeated Richmond Senior in the opposite bracket to advance to meet the Colts.
Rose, which is also in the Mideastern, ended the season at 13-8.
Cape Fear co-coaches Jeff McPhail and Mack Page said the Colts were fortunate to win the game, getting only three hits off Rose pitcher Kellie Beres while surviving a nearly fatal fifth inning that saw them allow a walk and two errors, yet only one run scored.
"The good Lord was looking out for us tonight,'' Page said. "We've got to be doing something right when we play a game like that and still come out with a W. Jones came up with the big hit when we had to have one and they played good enough to hold on.''
Jones struck out in her first appearance against Beres. She credited the Rose pitcher for her assortment of pitches. "She's got a lot of movement,'' Jones said.
When Brittany Freeman reached on an error by Rose with two out, Jones said her only concern was finding a way to move the runner.
"I hit that one pretty hard,'' she said. The ball was a line drive that sailed easily over the left centerfield fence to score both runs.
Vicary said she didn't feel pressure to make the home run stand up, even though it was evident both pitchers were throwing well and a low-scoring game was likely. In the late innings she lost some speed on her pitches, admitting she was fatigued from her battle with strep throat earlier in the week.
"I got my adrenalin,'' she said. Vicary didn't get rattled when Cape Fear allowed its only run in the fifth, thanks to two Colt errors and a walk. "I was just worried about keeping the ball out of the middle of the plate and getting them to ground out, pop up or strike out,'' she said.
The Colts also got a brilliant defensive effort from catcher Jillian Hendryx. Hendryx picked two Rose runners off base and blocked the plate perfectly in the fourth inning to prevent the Rampants from getting a run.
McPhail isn't sure the home field will help Cape Fear a lot against Ashley on Tuesday. "They've been to Garner and they've been to Richmond,'' he said. "Two long road trips. They throw two junk-ball pitchers and they're scrappy.''
Scholastic sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. can be reached at vaughane@fayobserver.com or 486-3519.
Cape Fear 2, Rose 1
Greenville Rose 000 010 0 - 1 3 2
Cape Fear 002 000 X - 2 3 3
Beres and Hargett. Vicary and Hendryx. W - Vicary (12-2 ). L - Beres (13-8)
Leading hitters: Greenville Rose - Payne 2-3 (2B); Phillips 1-3 (2B). Cape Fear - Jones 1-3 (HR, 2 RBI); B. Freeman 2-3.
Records: Greenville Rose 13-8, Cape Fear 22-3.