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By Brian Pitts
Davie Enterprise Record

Freshman sensation Addyson Irving and Glenn gave Davie’s softball team fits for the second time this season. But Brianna Tolar, Carleigh Croom and Riley Potts did the heavy lifting as the War Eagles squeaked out a 2-0 win in Kernersville on April 23.
It was another sensational pitchers’ duel between Irving and Potts. In the first meeting on April 1, Davie slugger Jadyn Davis doubled in the first inning and scored the only run in a 1-0 victory.
A little over three weeks later, one mighty swing by Tolar provided the only offense that Potts needed, a thunderous solo home run that broke up a 0-0 game in the third inning.
“Glenn is dangerous,” coach Nathan Handy said after Davie nailed down third place in the CPC in the final regular-season game. “They could easily beat anybody. They just need to hit, but they can keep you from hitting. I don’t want to see Glenn again.”
Irving retired the first seven batters before facing Tolar in the third. The No. 8 batter cracked the homer to left field, a breathtaking moment for a sophomore who missed the first nine games with an injury and came in with six hits in 12 at-bats but never a homer in her softball life. Tolar broke into the lineup at second base when senior Hanna Steinour suffered a season-ending injury. This was Davie’s fourth game without Steinour.
“Brianna hurt her elbow before the season,” Handy said. “She was cleared to play two or three weeks ago and has worked her way into a spot. We needed a spark on offense and defense, too.”
Tolar had surely dreamed of a moment like this.
“She got an inside pitch, turned on it and drove it over the left-field wall,” Handy said. “It was a shot. I mean, she timed it up perfectly. I hated to lose Hanna, but it gives Bri an opportunity to get out there and shine, and she definitely did. That was her first home run ever, so it was definitely a big moment for her.”
Irving shook off that blast and promptly retired the next eight batters.
“She’s a solid pitcher,” Handy said. “She throws a rise ball and a drop ball. She stays outside a lot and she has a decent changeup. The second baseman made a phenomenal play on one of Raelyn Lankford’s balls that was in foul territory. She dove and made a great play.”
Davie got a little insurance in the sixth. After a Glenn error, J. Davis reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on a passed ball. Irving had a one-hitter for 5.2 innings, but Croom came through with a run-scoring single to center to make it 2-0.
It was an absolutely fantastic at-bat and a most deserved clutch hit for Croom, who has experienced rotten luck during her senior year.
“Croom had an 11- or 12-pitch at bat,” Handy said. “She was fouling everything off. She fouled off seven or eight pitches. We needed that insurance run.
“In her first at-bat, she hit a rocket to right field and the girl didn’t do anything but pick up her glove up and catch it. I hate it for Croom. She’s had such a good year, but she just keeps hitting it right at people. There’s nothing you can do about it. She is hitting hard balls, but she is hitting it right at people. She’s getting frustrated with it, but you’ve got to stay positive because she’s doing everything right.”
Irving was the hard-luck loser, throwing a two-hitter with no walks and seven Ks as 82 of her 100 pitches went for strikes. How about Potts’ masterful numbers on the winning side: two-hitter with one walk and 14 Ks in 97 pitches, including 67 strikes.
After the first two Bobcats reached base in the first, Potts fanned three straight to stop Glenn’s biggest threat of the night. The senior retired 21 of the last 25 batters.
On top of that, the Davie career strikeout leader surpassed 500 career Ks, ending the night with 509.
“They had runners at third base a couple of times and Riley had some big strikeouts,” Handy said.
Special mention goes to Lankford, the senior third baseman who made a highlight-reel catch in the fifth.
“Raelyn dove for a pop fly,” Handy said. “She misread it and had to make a diving catch at the last second. But that’s Raelyn. She made up for an error (on the previous play) with that great play.”
Notes: One day before the Glenn game, Davie eased to a doubleheader sweep over visiting Parkland. The scores were 17-2 and 16-0. … The Mustangs (10-12 overall) have dropped seven straight by an aggregate score of 111-3. … Glenn fell to 12-11. … Although the War Eagles (15-6) are not thrilled about finishing third in the CPC for the third year in a row, they did notch 15-plus wins for the fourth consecutive year. … The final CPC standings: West Forsyth 14-0, Reagan 11-3, Davie 10-4, East Forsyth 9-5, Glenn 6-8, Mt. Tabor 4-10, Parkland 2-12, Reynolds 0-14. … Steinour’s Davie career is likely over, but fortunately her softball career is not. She has signed with Brevard. “She will still get to play softball, so that’s the only thing that’s keeping her from being really torn up about it,” Handy said.