With five War Eagles hitting over .400, Davie’s varsity softball team picked up three convincing wins last week.

After routing Reynolds (18-1) and South Stokes (11-1), Davie scored six unanswered runs to beat Reagan 9-4. All three games were on the road.

Last year the top two hitters were Bridgett Tierney (.431) and McKenzie Barneycastle (.400). While Barneycastle, who is 3 for 6 on the season, missed last week’s action with a concussion, Tierney has reaffirmed her credentials as a standout player with an 11-for-18 (.611) start.

“Bridgett is a weapon,” coach Dawn Lowery said of the leadoff batter. “She has crazy speed. She is really hard to get out right now because she can soft slap and run it out or she can hard slap and hit it in the holes. So she’s a versatile player at the plate. She worked really hard in the offseason, and you can tell because defenses are struggling to get her out. They don’t know where to play her.”

After slumping to .197 as a freshman, Anna Devereaux, who batted second in the order with Barneycastle out, is performing like Lowery envisioned when she arrived at Davie, going 8 for 17 for a .471 average.

“She’s unstoppable at this point,” Lowery said. “She’s playing with more confidence than I’ve ever seen her play with. She’s aggressive at the plate. She’s hitting the ball harder than anybody because she is absolutely stroking it.

“I attribute (her .197 average in ‘15) to being young and being the only freshman on the team. We had high expectations for her and she put a little unnecessary pressure on herself. This year she is just playing. She doesn’t have to prove anything. It’s been fun to watch.”

Kasey Potts entered the week at .438 (7-16) and Webb at .412 (7-17). Barneycastle was expected back for Tuesday’s showdown with West Forsyth.

Davie Beats Reynolds

In the Central Piedmont Conference opener at Reynolds on March 8, Tierney (2 for 3, two RBIs), Makenzie Smith (2-3, four RBIs, homer), K’lea Parks (2-3, two doubles), Katelyn Webb (2-3, double) and Lindsey Custer (2-3) powered an 18-1, three-and-a-half inning wipeout.

Smith went yard for the first time in her Davie career. Davie also got hits from Devereaux (1-4), Jessie Beck (1-3, two RBIs), Potts (1-2), Hannah Woody (1-2, two RBIs) and Sierra Ferguson (1-1).

Pitcher Julie Gough checked the Demons on one hit in three innings. It was the first time Reynolds has scored on Davie since an identical 18-1 decision in Winston-Salem in ‘14; Davie had outscored the Demons 47-0 in the previous three meetings. Davie’s winning streak in the series grew to an outrageous 45.

Davie Beats S. Stokes

The War Eagles continued their offensive assault in a nonconference game at South Stokes on March 10, an 11-1, five-inning win highlighted by Webb’s home run, four RBIs and 2-for-3 hitting.

“She almost hit two out,” Lowery said. “Her first at-bat was a high fly ball that hit at the fence.”

Devereaux (2-4, double) and Potts (2-3, double) added multi-hit performances as Davie dropped the Sauras to 1-3 overall. Davie got one hit from Tierney (1-4), Smith (1-4), Parks (1-4), Ferguson (1-3), Beck (1-3, two RBIs) and Custer (1-3).

Gough had another stress-free outing in the circle, allowing one unearned run in five innings.

Davie Beats Reagan

You can not sleep on Reagan. In last year’s CPC Tournament, the Raiders shellshocked West Forsyth in the semifinals and gave North Davidson a run in the final. When Davie visited Reagan on March 11, the Raiders scored four runs in the bottom of the second to grab a 4-3 lead.

“I think we got a little comfortable,” Lowery said. “We had a bad inning. We didn’t look as sharp on the mound or on defense. Mentally, I think they caught us offguard.”

Reagan’s lead turned out to be a sugar rush for the Raiders. Davie quickly regained the upper hand and went on to a 9-4 victory to improve to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the CPC.

In the top of the third, Tierney led off with a single, Devereaux reached base and both advanced on Smith’s sac bunt. Davie had a 5-4 lead when Webb singled with two out. Davie extended the margin to 8-4 in the fourth.

“What I was really proud of is we came back the next inning,” Lowery said. “We didn’t hang our heads like the old Davie team would do.”

Tierney (2-3), Devereaux (2-3, two RBIs, two doubles, two steals) and Webb (2-4, two RBIs) led Davie’s nine-hit attack. Smith (1-4, two RBIs), Ferguson (1-2) and Potts (1-4) helped out as Davie remained perfect against Reagan in the all-time series (13-0).

Boger, the pitcher, got the win with a complete game. She offset six walks with eight Ks and only allowed one earned run.

“We’re scoring consistently,” Lowery said. “Last year we struggled with that. Our bats have improved tremendously. I think at this time last year we were batting in the .100s. Now we’re batting almost .400.”