East Forsyth High School senior left-handed pitcher Kierston Deal was named the Gatorade North Carolina Softball Player of the Year on Thursday morning.
With its back up against the wall, D.H. Conley kept its season alive and forced a decisive Game 3 in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A softball championship series with a 2-1 win over East Forsyth at Duke's softball stadium.
D.H. Conley's Oliva Hadnott watched teammate Emma Adams excel on the mound during the Vikings' first two games in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A championship series against East Forsyth. Then, with a title on the line, Hadnott's name was called Saturday afternoon and she took the bump in Game 3 of the series, her team needing just one more victory to complete the climb out of a one-game hole and claim the Vikings' fourth softball title.
Senior Kierston Deal pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing no runs on three hits with 16 strikeouts. Deal also got it done at the plate with two hits, including a two-run home run to help seal the win for the Eagles (6-1, 4-0).