Staff Reports

EAST BEND — Friday’s cold and drizzly weather didn’t seem to bother Forbush varsity baseball players one bit.

The Falcons pounded out 10 hits — including a trio of two-run homers — and beat North Wilkes 11-1 in the Mountain Valley 2A Conference opener for both squads.

The game ended after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

Neither team was able to scratch in the first two innings, and Forbush kept the Vikings off the board in the top of the third.

Then the hit parade began. The Falcons notched five runs in the bottom of the third, three more in the fourth and three in the fifth.

Adam Saunders hit a two-run homer in the third inning. Cole Hensley matched him with a two-run shot in the fourth, while Clint Hunter belted his two-run longball in the fifth.

Saunders, Hensley and Chad Faircloth each finished 2-for-3 from the plate. Hensley’s hit to centerfield in the bottom of the fifth brought Brett Baity around to score, putting the Falcons ahead by 10 and bringing the mercy rule into play.

Justin Williams hit a triple for the Falcons.

Saunders earned the pitching victory, holding North Wilkes to three hits — two singles and a double. The Vikings scored their lone run in the top of the fourth. It was unearned.

Dustin Bare took the loss for North Wilkes, which fell to 0-4, 0-1 MVAC.


Girls Soccer

FORBUSH 1, REAGAN 1: Reagan outshot the Falcons 13-4 in the first half last Thursday, but Forbush still held a 1-0 lead at the break.

Lindsey Lineberry scored the FHS goal on a counterattack, with help from Jessica Baity.

“We caught Reagan committing players forward, won possession, and played quickly through the midfield to a streaking Lineberry for the score,” coach Kenan James said.

The second half was more even in terms of shots on goal (5-4 Forbush), but the Falcons couldn’t keep Reagan out of the net. The tying score came with about 30 minutes remaining.

“Both teams dodged bullets during the game,” James said. “We had the better looks at goal (in the second half) ... Jessica Baity hit the post, and Katelynd Caudle, Tara Baity, JB and Whitney Matthews missed by just inches.

“I was really proud of my team. They battled for 80 minutes and played very well against a strong 3A team. It was like a playoff game with intensity on the field and in the stands.”

The Falcons are set to travel to Wilkes Central on Friday. The Falcons and Eagles battled hard for the Mountain Valley 2A crown last season, with Forbush earning the season sweep and then beating Central 1-0 in the state playoffs. Both teams look strong again this spring.

Next week, Forbush will play Eastern Guilford and conference foe Surry Central.

Softball

FORBUSH 7, EAST SURRY 1: For a new-look Forbush softball team, last Thursday’s convincing win in Pilot Mountain had to be an encouraging sign.

The Falcons took advantage of seven Cardinal errors to defeat the defending 1A state champions.

Forbush put East Surry into a hole early, taking advantage of Cardinal miscues and a walk by pitcher Anna Mitchell to build a 2-0 lead. The Falcons scored three runs in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth, holding off East, which notched its lone score in the bottom of the fifth.

“We didn’t do what we had to do defensively,” East Surry coach Derek Hill said. “I thought Anna (Mitchell) struggled a little, she didn’t pitch as well as she is capable of. She was kind of working from behind, but to her credit, we didn’t make plays behind her. We made all those errors and that was the difference in the ball game. We make the plays defensively, maybe they beat us 2-1.”

Jessica Dzeskewicz earned the pitching win for Forbush. The senior is taking the reins as the Falcons ace this spring after the graduation of three-time conference player of the year Lauren Harris. She helped her own cause with a double.

Forbush earned eight hits in all against Mitchell and did not commit an error defensively.

Over the past decade, East Surry and Forbush have established themselves as two of the premier softball programs in the state. The two teams have met in some classic matchups, and Hill said he thinks playing a team like Forbush, who is generally always in the hunt for a 2-A state title, helps his team improve.

“We try to play every year,” Hill said. “They are fundamentally sound. They have good pitching and they are going to hit the ball hard. There are a lot of things about them that we like. That’s why we play them, because we think it makes us better.”