APEX — With storm clouds rolling in over Middle Creek Park and rain beginning to sprinkle Thursday evening, Middle Creek pitcher Beth Anne Kleekamp wanted to wrap up her team’s second-round playoff game against Fayetteville Cape Fear with one final pitch.

With her Mustangs leading 1-0 with two outs in the top of the seventh and the count full against Cape Fear’s Ashley Davis — the only Colt to hit the Middle Creek southpaw all day — Kleekamp whipped the ball home. Davis checked her swing, and after a brief pause, the umpire rung her up.

Kleekamp took one final breath and jogged back to the dugout with the rest of her teammates.

“It was 3-2 and I didn’t want to pitch to anyone else,” she said.

She and the rest of her teammates could all breathe easy. Their 1-0 win over the Colts was complete and their spot in the third round of the NCHSAA 4-A softball tournament was secure.

“It’s always nice to win, 1-0 or 10-0 it doesn’t matter,” said Middle Creek coach Robbie Wray. “We’ll take them. At this point in the season if you don’t get it, you go home. We’re going to take them any way we can get them.”

The Mustangs (21-2) were to play Wilmington Ashley on Tuesday.

Middle Creek is moving on in part because of Kleekamp’s work. She tossed an efficient one-hit, one-walk, eight-strikeout complete game. The defense also deserves its due, playing error-free behind her.

Cape Fear pitcher Lindsay Vicary was just as strong as Kleekamp. She surrendered two hits to go along with seven strikeouts, a walk and a hit batsman. The one run she allowed was unearned.

With both pitchers on, offense was hard to come by, thus magnifying the importance of situations with runners on base and the significance of one mistake.

“Both teams played good defense and it came down to one play,” said Cape Fear coach Jeff McPhail. “And when you get to the second round of the playoffs, this is what you can expect.”

In the second and third innings, Cape Fear put the lead-off hitter on base and bunted her over to second. Both times the runner was stranded at second. And after the third inning, the Colts never had another hitter reach base.

Middle Creek left four runners on base. After stranding Heather Robb at third in the second, the Mustangs took advantage of what turned out to be their only other chance to score a run.

After Ashley Watkins’ lead-off single in the third inning, Darby Pearce reached safely on a throwing error by Vicary. Pearce went to second on the miscue and Watkins to third. Mattie Arthur followed with a sacrifice fly that allowed Watkins to scoot home for the game’s only run.

“Coach Wray was yelling at me to tag, so I tagged and ran,” Watkins said. “That’s really all I did.”

Arthur had the Mustangs’ only other hit, a two-out single in the fourth. She was left on base and the Mustangs didn’t have another runner the rest of the game.

While they didn’t hit like they normally do, Kleekamp demonstrated the one-run cushion was plenty for Middle Creek. After walking Cape Fear’s Lindsay Beard to start the third inning, Kleekamp retired the remaining 15 batters she faced in order. Of the eight who put the ball in play, none of them hit it out of the infield.

“[Kleekamp] gets a lot of recognition, but she earns it,” Wray said. “Anyone that’s seen her play understands when she’s in that circle she’s in command. She gives us a chance to win every game we play. Beth Anne alone couldn’t do it, though. There’s 11, 12 other girls on our ball team and they all work hard together every day.”

Apex 8, Wake Forest-Rolesville 1

Apex moved on to the third round of the NCHSAA 4-A softball tournament after defeating Wake Forest-Rolesville 8-1 on Saturday.

Apex pitcher Natalie Klemann allowed one run on four hits and a walk to go along with four strikeouts. Klemann also hit a fourth-inning grand slam.

“Our defense is extremely strong,” said Apex coach Bonnie Hodge. “Natalie kept batters off balance. When Wake Forest-Rolesville hit, we were there to make the out.”

The game was halted on Friday due to thunderstorms with Apex leading 2-0 after the first inning. Amanda Higgins and Samantha Slade scored in the first inning on a WF-R error.

When play resumed Saturday, WF-R scored its only run in the second inning. After Klemann’s grand slam in the fourth put Apex ahead 6-1, Melanie Kirchoff hit a two-run single in the seventh.

In the tournament’s opening round May 12, Apex beat Richmond County 4-2. The Cougars scratched out four runs on three hits, and Klemann allowed two runs on only three hits.

The Cougars (17-4) were to play at West Johnston (22-2) on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be tough,” Hodge said of the trip to Benson. “We’re going to have to step it up with our offense. Hopefully, Natalie will throw a strong game because they’ve got some good hitters.”