SILER CITY — Wheatmore erupted for six runs in the opening two innings and cruised to a 10-4 victory over Jordan-Matthews in opening round action of the 2A PAC 7 Conference softball tournament Monday night.
Jordan-Matthews (5-14) will now wait and see if it qualifies for the state playoffs while the win likely sealed a bid for Wheatmore (10-10).
A Skyler Swaney single and an RBI-double to the center field wall by Abbey Parrish with two down sent the visiting Warriors up 1-0 after one before singles from Victoria Blevins, Kailey Wilbanks, Kynnedy Thrift and Swaney, and a double by Kendall Lewis highlighted the five-run outburst in the second to up the lead to 6-0.
Jordan-Matthews got on the board in the home half of the third when Avery Headen stroked a two-out single to right and later scored on an Eve Long RBI-double to the centerfield fence.
Trailing 6-1, the Lady Jets could not muster any runs in their next two at-bats, and Wheatmore made the locals pay in the top of the fifth with a four-run outburst which pushed the lead to a comfortable 10-1 for the visitors from Randolph County. Lewis doubled to start the onslaught before Thrift and Swaney followed with singles, Blevins was hit by a pitch, and Wilbanks and Parrish added RBI-singles.
Jordan-Matthews continued to battle and plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh behind Navi Gould mashing a two-run home run after a Joanna Nino single, and Ashlyn Ray singled and later scored on an RBI-triple off the bat of Headen to make the final 10-3.
Headen was 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a triple to pace J-M at the plate while Gould was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI, Long 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Ray 1-for-4 with a run.
Wheatmore was led offensively by a 3-for-4 effort with two RBI from Swaney while Wilbanks was 2-for-4 with two RBI, Lewis 2-for-4 with two doubles and tow runs, Parrish 2-for-4 with a run, a double and an RBI, and Thrift 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.
Jocelyn Mitchell took the loss on the mound for the Jets after going all seven innings and allowing 13 hits, 10 runs (nine earned), and striking out two.
Taking the win on the mound for the Warriors was Swaney who went all seven innings and yielded six hits, four runs, one walk and fanned six.