Holly Springs trailed 2-1 to host Wake Forest-Rolesville with two outs in the final inning. Following infield hits by Jenna Firestein and Kristen Krebs and an intentional walk to pitcher Erica Nunn, the Hawks’ cleanup hitter faced Cougar sophomore pitcher Brittaney Dahle with everything on the line in the third-round NCHSAA 4-A playoff contest.

Dahle fired the first two pitches inside, a ball and a strike. Burt took a small step backwards for the third pitch, which she lined down the third base line for a double, scoring all three runners to give Holly Springs a two-run lead.

Nunn took care of the rest in the bottom of the seventh, adding her 14th and 15th strikeouts, and the Hawks advanced to the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time in school history with a 4-2 victory.

“That’s an amazing softball game played by both teams,” said Holly Springs first-year coach Jill Munchick, who was given a celebratory Gatorade bath after the comeback win. “We hadn’t been in this position this year and I thought our girls fought back hard today. It’s a true testament to their character.”

Holly Springs (21-1) will host conference rival Fuquay-Varina on Friday for the right to play in the Eastern regionals.

The loss was hard for the Cap-8 champions, who had reached the third round for the first time since 2006. The Cougars finished the season at 21-4.

“When two teams are this caliber it just comes down to making plays and Holly Springs made a few more plays than we did,” said WF-R coach Doug Kinsman. “We hate to lose, but it was a great game to be a part of. We have a lot of returning players next year so the future looks very bright.”

Kinsman credited the Hawks first two hitters, Firestein (3-for-4) and Krebs, for getting on base three times apiece, including the final frame to help set up Burt’s heroics. The decision to intentionally walk Nunn was based on how hard she had hit the ball earlier in the game and also the percentage play of getting a force at any base.

Burt was just thankful for the opportunity to come through.

“I was trying not to put too much pressure on myself and just hit the ball,” Burt said. “We have really high expectations for ourselves this year.”

The Cougars did notch four base hits against Nunn, including two by Kiah Ruffin (run), who will be playing for UNC-Greensboro next year.