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In opening round state playoffs games Tuesday, several teams from Stanly County advanced to Friday’s second-round games.

2A Softball

West Stanly bounced back from its loss in the Rocky River Conference tournament finals with an easy first-round win over Wheatmore. The No. 2 Colts topped the No. 31 team 13-0.

Tuesday’s win marked the fourth straight season in which the Colts have won in the opening round of the state playoffs.

West will host No. 15 Rutherford-Spindale Central (14-9) tonight. The Hilltoppers advanced with a 5-1 home win over No. 18 West Lincoln. (Sports Editor’s Note: The previous paragraph was updated to reflect a schedule change.)

North Stanly went on the road as the No. 22 seed and earned an 11-3 win at No. 11 West Davidson.

Kylie Speight went the distance on the mound for North, allowing two runs on four hits with 11 strikeouts.

Callie Parker led North with three hits and three RBIs, including a double and a triple, while Bre Speight added two hits, including a triple, and also drove in three runs. Speight added a double for the Comets, and Allie Morgan had two hits, including a double and two RBIs.

It was the first playoff win for North Stanly since 2019 when the Comets reached the fourth round of the state playoffs.

North (12-8) will be on the road tonight at No. 6 Bandys (22-4), who advanced with a 16-0 win over No. 27 East Gaston.

1A Softball

South Stanly, the top seed in the Western Region, easily moved to the second round with a 15-0 home win over No. 32 Andrews.

The Bulls (23-3) host No. 17 Draughn (17-8) tonight. Draughn advanced with a road win at No. 16 Uwharrie Charter, 10-5. (Sports Editor’s Note: The previous paragraph was updated to reflect a schedule change.)

Gray Stone, the No. 15 seed, lost at home to Elkin, 18-0.

The Knights finished the year with a record of 11-11.