Holly Springs' Erica Nunn struck out 14 batters, but the Bengals' sophomore combo of Alissa Dean and Heather Ratcliff held host Golden Hawks to just one hit in a 2-1 victory. It was the first loss of the season for Holly Springs.

Softball pitchers typically go the full seven innings, but since last season, Fuquay has alternated Dean and Ratcliff since they first arrived on campus. The combination got the team to the 4-A East Regional final last year despite finishing fourth in its own conference, and has been maturing ever since.

"Now that they're sophomores, they've already experienced a Final Four," Fuquay-Varina coach Deb Clarke said. "The tag team that we have with the right-hander and the left-hander, I think it keeps a lot of teams back. They don't have a chance to see the same person three times. They don't have a chance to catch up."

In the fifth inning, Dean was pulled after pitching 4 2/3 innings with one hit and four walks. Ratcliff entered with runners on first and second with two out. The lefty struck out the Hawks' Kelly Barnes to end the threat, then promptly retired six of the next seven batters she faced to close out the game.

Clarke said a lot of credit goes to junior catcher Alyssa White.

"She frames fantastically, she blocks all their change-ups, calls time and goes out and speaks to them," Clarke said. "She takes charge and allows the pitcher to catch their breath."

Nunn, a junior and University of South Florida recruit, was dominant except for one crucial third inning.

With one out, Fuquay's Camise Patterson walked, then advanced to third after a pickoff throw by Hawks catcher Cianna Burt floated into right field. A bunt by Shelby Tigbayan didn't elicit a throw to first in order to hold Patterson to third, but with no one covering second, Tigbayan ended up on with a stand-up bunt double.

Hannah Wallace also walked, and with the bases loaded and one out, senior shortstop Alexa Cannon delivered with a shot up the middle that hit the tip of Nunn's glove and went into center field for the Bengals' only runs.

"I was down in the count and she was bringing it," Cannon said. "I just followed through, hit it up the middle and it tipped off her glove -- thank goodness."

Holly Springs answered in the bottom of the fourth when a two-out RBI single by Burt drove in Kelly Barnes from second.

But Fuquay's pitching held its own the rest of the way. Fuquay (14-2, 11-1) is now tied with Holly Springs (13-1, 12-1) for first place in the Tri-Nine 4-A Conference.

"I told my girls, 'This is the first time you've been in this position, but now you have to win out,'" Clarke said. Holly Springs hopes it does the same in hopes to at minimum force a tiebreaker game for the conference's top playoff seed.

"We had some runners on, we just didn't get them in and that was the difference in the game. We'll see them again," Holly Springs coach Jill Minchick said. "We won the first one, they won the second and I'm sure there's going to be a third."