After Cary Bulls pitcher Michael King threw three straight strikeouts to complete an 8-4 win against Benson last Wednesday, there was almost a collective sigh of relief from the Bulls dugout.

The win finished off a brutal stretch of seven games in five days for Cary, leaving many players anxious for their Fourth of July break.

“These guys are tired,” said Bulls head coach Ron Powell. “They’ve never played that many games in that short a period of time and been expected to play at the level we expect to play at.”

King, a rising junior at Athens Drive, started out rocky in the fifth inning but didn’t show signs of fatigue. He struck out five batters over the last two innings.

“I just needed to pull myself together,” King said. “The last two innings felt really good. The main thing was just getting ahead on my pitches.”

“Michael King did a real good job. He’s a guy that usually doesn’t throw as many strikes as he did,” Powell said. “He just filled the zone up tonight.”

RBIs by David Hamm and Ben Snotherly, in addition to several errors by Benson, gave Cary a 5-0 lead after the second inning. Benson fought back with two runs in the fourth, but a solo homerun by Blair Betts kept the lead comfortable for Cary at 6-2. The win improves the Bulls’ record to 33-7 going into the playoffs this Friday. After a loss in the state championship game last year, Cary has its sights set on a second chance.

“I really want to win a state championship, but we just have to take it one step at a time,” King said. “I’m just looking forward to the playoffs.”

During the regular season, the Bulls take a strictly developmental approach to games, but a more competitive edge is the key come playoff time.

“Tonight, we finished the third leg of the race, and now we’re headed to the home stretch,” Powell said. “From now on, we try to put our best unit on the field at all times because it’s survive and advance.”