South Stanly’s softball team entered the 2019 season having reached the 1A regional series last season and not having graduated any of the players from that team. The Bulls opened the season Feb. 27 with a come-from-behind 8-6 road win over West Montgomery in a Yadkin Valley Conference matchup.

Sadie Lee went the distance for South, allowing five earned runs on 14 hits with three walks and one strikeout.

Madison Burris took the loss for the Warriors in relief, giving up four runs on three hits. West Montgomery starter Ivey Blake, went 4.2 innings allowing four earned runs on five hits with six walks and two strikeouts.

Kaitlyn Tucker had four hits in five at-bats for the Bulls, including two doubles, driving in three runs for the Bulls. Taryn Tucker added two RBI, while Lee was 2-for-3 at the plate.

Kerstin Davenport and Abbie Hurley had three hits each for the Warriors.

South took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-out Holly Barrier RBI double to left.

Tucker added her first RBI in the second, scoring Jackie Burris from first with a double to center.

The Warriors rallied to tie the game at 2 in the bottom of the second, getting an RBI double from Hurley and a Gracie Reynolds RBI single.

West surged past South with two runs in the third inning. Abbie Yarboro broke the tie with a one-out single to right, then Davenport later scored Yarboro with a double to left, putting the Warriors up 4-2.

South rallied again with two runs in the fifth to tie the game. Tucker drove in Barrier and Lee with a single, then was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

West Montgomery retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out Hurley double, scoring Madison Burris to put the hosts up 5-4.

With Burris on the mound in the seventh for the Warriors, South broke through for four runs to lead 8-5. South loaded the bases with no outs on a single, a walk and hit batter. A strikeout and an infield fly out brought Makayla Poplin up to bat. Poplin reached on an error scoring two runs, then, after a walk, Tucker drove in Lee and Poplin with a double putting the visitors ahead 8-5.

The Warriors were not done yet offensively, however, as the hosts attempted a last-inning rally. West Montgomery loaded the bases with two outs and got a bases-loaded RBI walk drawn by Taylor Jones to pull within two runs. Reynolds lined out to Barrier at first base to end the game.