He had guided the Bengals to a tense, 1-0 first-round playoff win over Holly Springs on Tuesday night while Clarke was out of state. She was in New Jersey at Haddon Heights High School, her alma mater, to be inducted into the school’s hall of fame.

Clarke was a two-sport standout there during her prep days, and has of course distinguished herself as a high school softball coach doing things like leading her Bengals program to 11 straight playoff appearances. Ryan wasn’t the only one looking more relaxed after Fuquay managed only two hits against Golden Hawks freshman pitcher, Erica Nunn on Tuesday. The Bengals pounded out 11 hits on Thursday evening in a 7-0 second round playoff rout of visiting Leesville Road High. And nobody looked more comfortable than several Fuquay freshmen who have been playing beyond their years all spring. Natalie Budde was 2-2 against the Pride with a home run and three RBI. Fellow freshman, Hannah Wallace was 2-3 with two RBI. Wallace said at this point in the season, she and her classmates don’t really feel like the new kids any more. “I just feel like we’re all out there and age isn’t really a factor any more,” she said. “We’re all out there to play and do our best. The upperclassmen, they really encourage us a lot and they really make us feel good. If we make a mistake, they bring us right back up. It’s a lot of pressure, but at the same time it’s not.” On Tuesday night, freshman left fielder, Jessi Johnson made a spectacular, running catch that snuffed out a sixth-inning Holly Springs' rally.

Clarke couldn’t be happier with the ninth graders.

“They’ve worked hard all season,” she said. “They’ve come through in a lot of games with clutch hits. They know they can do it. They’ve worked on that confidence in that situational hitting.” There are other underclassmen playing like veterans in sophomores, Alexa Cannon (.438 BA) and Camise Patterson (.380). Cannon leads the Bengals in hitting and went 3-4 with an RBI against the Pride. And of course, the real veterans are getting things done like they have been since they were freshmen.

Senior ace Alex Ryan struck out 13 Leesville batters on Thursday and is 18-4 with a 0.56 ERA on the season.

First baseman, Ashley Canova was 2-4 on Thursday with an RBI. She’s batting .413 for Fuquay, and senior outfielder, Jaquoline Jones is hitting .305.

Budde said she and her classmates are just following the example of their older teammates.

“The upperclassmen and everyone, they just cheer us on a lot,” she said. “We really don’t feel any different around them. They support us and believe in us. That’s where our confidence comes from.”