RALEIGH — Fuquay-Varina will have another day to pursue their goal of winning the state softball championship after splitting a pair of games at Walnut Creek Softball Complex on Friday.

The Lady Bengals got a walk-off RBI single from freshman Hannah Wallace in the bottom of the tenth to win the East Regional Championship 1-0 over New Bern.

In the winner's bracket later that night, Fuquay had no such luck against Alexander Central, which blasted Fuquay to the tune of a 10-0 victory in five innings.

The Bengals will play again at 11 a.m. on Saturday against North Davidson, with the loser going home and the winner needing to win twice over Alexander Central to win the state title.

North Davidson eliminated New Bern 3-0 in the loser's bracket.

Wallace delivers East Regional Championship

New Bern and Fuquay-Varina had exchanged three outs for three outs all throughout the East Regional final till the bottom of the tenth, when Wallace, a freshman third baseman, delivered with a one-out single to center that scored Ashley Canova from second, clinching the 1-0 win.

The game's only run was also the last as both teams combined for 10 hits in the extra-inning affair. The Lady Bengals had just seven baserunners before Canova's double in the top of the tenth.

Canova had doubled to center just before Wallace came to the plate and used a lazy cutoff throw from a New Bern outfielder to advance the extra base.

It was the first East Regional championship in Fuquay history and was sweet revenge since New Bern ousted the Bengals in last year's playoffs.

"Our girls have worked so hard to be here and they deserved this win," FV coach Deb Clarke said.

Senior pitcher Alex Ryan went all 10 innings for Fuquay, striking out six and facing 34 batters — just four more than the minimum — for the win.

Wallace said that although it seemed as though the scoreless game would never end, her team was riding a wave of momentum entering their next game against Alexander Central.

"I was really nervous but I just prayed and had confidence in myself ... I can't believe I did that, I'm really happy," Wallace said. "We're so pumped and we're ready for [the game].

Fuquay no match for Cougars

The momentum came to a screeching halt in Fuquay's second game.

Alexander Central didn't need their ace Chelsea Wilkinson to cruise to mercy-rule victory over Fuquay in the winner's bracket game.

Wilkinson, a freshman, entered the game averaging 11.3 strikeouts per contest, but it was junior Jessica Childers who got the start instead and fanned seven of the first 10 Fuquay batters.

"I think we were just riding a roller coaster from the first game to the [second] game and got hit in the face," Clarke said. "I think we'll be ready to come back out here at 11 o'clock and show North Davidson what we have and go from there."

Alexander Central struck first in the top of the second when nine-hole hitter Chelsea Sherrill ripped a two-RBI double down the third base line.

The Cougars sent up seven batters in the inning, but Alex Ryan struck out two consecutive batters with runners on second and third to end the threat.

"They go up there with the confidence to swing at everything. We have to have the same mentality," Clarke said. "We just can't make defensive mistakes. We gave them too many baserunners and made too many errors."

Eleven batters came to the plate in a three-run third inning, and three more scored in the fourth. By the time Fuquay went through the order for the first time around, Alexander Central had a 5-0 lead.

"We're going to come back tomorrow and most of [the Central players] said 'we'll see you in the championship game,'" Clarke said. "Hopefully we can get through the 11 o'clock and give [Central] a better run at 1:30."