By Eric Lusk
Sports Editor

Yadkin County is guaranteed a softball team in the 2A state championship series in Raleigh on June 4-5.

The question now is which one?

Starmount and Forbush both won third-round playoff games Tuesday night and now will play each other this Friday for the right to compete in the Final Four. The fourth meeting between the fierce county rivals is set for 7 p.m. in East Bend.

Forbush advanced with a quick 2-0 win over visiting Pisgah. Shey Steelman earned the shutout victory from the pitcher's circle. Steelman and the Falcons have given up just one run in the playoffs. Forbush's offense, meanwhile, has tallied 19 runs.

Starmount needed 10 innings to earn a 2-1 victory against a scrappy North Henderson team, which was making its deepest playoff run in school history. Twin sisters Jessica White and Brittany White teamed up to push the winning run across in the bottom of the 10th.

Jessica White led off the frame with a triple to deep left field, then Brittany White brought Jessica's courtesy runner, Courtney Barnes, home with another hard shot to left.

Courtney Groce earned the pitching victory, giving up just four hits. The gritty sophomore had a perfect game going until two outs in the sixth.

Starmount and Forbush have played three times this season already. The Falcons owned the regular season series, winning 3-2 in Boonville and 4-2 in East Bend. The Rams, though, won the conference tournament championship 11-4 at Alleghany on May 13.

The state championship series next weekend is double elimination, with two teams from the West and two from the East battling it out during the weekend. Forbush won state titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The Rams made the Final Four series at the 1A level in 2003.