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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

The big showdown at West Forsyth was a nightmare for Davie’s softball team, but on the bright side, pitcher Riley Potts returned to form and Raelyn Lankford delivered an electrifying hit in a nonconference win over Northwest Guilford.
West 12, Davie 2
In a matchup of two unbeatens in the CPC, Davie was outplayed in every possible way by West Forsyth on March 25.
The War Eagles were outhit 13-6, made two errors and trailed 9-0 in the fourth inning as a piano fell on their nine-game winning streak and their best start in 24 years. The Titans (11-0, 6-0 CPC) have been destroying everything in their path. Davie (5-1 CPC) slipped to second in the league with its fourth straight loss in the series.
“They hit really well,” coach Nathan Handy said. “They beat us offensively up one side and down the other. And we made mistakes that we haven’t made this year. It was one of those games; it almost felt like South Iredell (in the 16-1 loss on Feb. 25). It wasn’t as bad of a beating, but nothing was clicking. Those games happen, but it stinks that it happened in a big game like that. But the positive thing is, we see them again.”
The bright spot was Jadyn Davis, who went 3 for 3 with a double to raise her average to a flashy .566 (17 for 30). Carleigh Croom, Lankford and Delaney Parsons had the other hits.
West’s shortstop/leadoff batter, Sydney Horton, is a monster who has signed with North Carolina. She went 2 for 3 with three runs, a home run and two walks.
“She’s a phenomenal athlete,” Handy said. “She’s a great hitter. She’s just a game changer. If you can get her out more than half the time, you’re doing good. We got her out once. She might be more dangerous than Emma Clarke was (at West Rowan from 2021-24), just because of her speed. Her speed is unreal.”
Davie 4, NWG 1
Two days later, Potts was back to looking untouchable, throwing a three-hitter with 15 strikeouts as her team rallied for a home win over Northwest Guilford.
Potts was one K short of her single-game record set last year at Starmount. It’s the third time a Davie pitcher has recorded 15-plus Ks in a seven-inning game in the 29-year history of fastpitch, and Potts has authored two of the three.
The Vikings held a 1-0 lead in the third and had two runners on. But Potts slammed the door right there, whiffing eight of the next 10 batters, along with fanning three in the seventh.
“Without Riley, we would have been in trouble,” Handy said. “There were not a lot of balls put in play.”
Offensively, the War Eagles stranded two runners in the second and left the bases full in the third. But their offense got right in the fifth.
After the first batter was retired, Croom provided a spark with a single. J. Davis followed with a hit. With runners at second and third and Davie still behind 1-0, Lankford pulled a two-run double down the left-field line.
“It was fair by a couple of inches, and it went all the way to the corner,” Handy said.
Lankford, who is tied for first on the team with Landry Parsons with four doubles, ambushed the first pitch.
“That was probably because I jumped on them a little bit in the third inning,” Handy said. “We were popping up. The pitching wasn’t West Forsyth or Reagan and we weren’t letting it travel far enough. We were making bad contact. When you take first-pitch strikes, you may not get another great pitch to hit. So Raelyn listened and she drilled it down the left-field line. Autumn (McEwen) did the same thing in the fourth inning (and hit a double).”
Lankford stole third and Addie Brown walked. Brown purposely got in a rundown and Lankford scampered home to cap the three-run uprising.
“Addie got out on a 1-6 play,” Handy said. “We gave them that out on purpose because we wanted some insurance.”
Davie got an add-on run in the sixth. After L. Parsons walked and advanced on Hanna Steinour’s sac bunt, she scored on a single by McEwen, who is hitting .444 (8 for 18) after seeing one varsity at-bat as a sophomore.
“Autumn’s been consistent this year,” Handy said. “She’s on base just about every game in some shape, form or fashion. She’s a real disciplined hitter. She’s had some big moments. If you’re going to be the DP, you’ve got to find a way to get on base.”
Notes: J. Davis and McEwen both went 2 for 3 in the win. Davie got one hit from Croom, Lankford, L. Parsons and Steinour. … Brown unselfishly accepted three walks in three plate appearances. The sophomore leads the team with 14 base on balls. “Addie’s got that true team mentality,” Handy said. “It’s not all about me, it’s about the team.” … Davie raised its record to 10-2. … Although Northwest is just 6-8 overall, it is first in its league at 6-1.