By Hannah Johnson
Staff Writer

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n an extra-inning thriller the Nighthawks baseball team walked away with another win Tuesday night  to advance to the third round of the state playoffs.

“It was a huge win and got us extremely pumped for our next game that will be played Friday night,” sophomore player Daniel Hardy said.

The team defeated the Roanoke Rapids Yellow Jackets 5-4 in the eighth inning with a walk-off hit from junior Hayden Dougherty, driving home freshman Jay Golliday from third base.

Dougherty, the designated hitter on the team, had one of the team’s two hits in the first playoff game last week. With the game-winning run on third, Dougherty knew he could get the runner home.

“I felt nervous, but I felt confident as well. It’s always nerve-racking to be at the plate in a situation where your team needs you to succeed,” Dougherty said. “But when you’re in extra innings, the feeling is magnified.”

For Golliday, Dougherty’s hit was all he needed to score.

“I had stolen second and after Hayden hit, the third baseman bobbled it and I ran home. All that was going through my head was being smart on the bases and not getting thrown out and to just cross home plate so we could be able to advance to the next round,” Golliday said.

Senior Parker Kelly was the starting pitcher for the Nighthawks. He recorded 11 strikeouts in five and a third innings pitched, walking one and giving up three earned runs. Senior Josh Brooks entered the game in the fifth and threw two and a third innings in relief, recording three strikeouts and giving up no runs.

First Flight will travel to Northwood High School in Pittsbor, for the third round of the state playoffs. The game is slated for Friday, May 17, at 6 p.m.

Send comments to johnsonha0323@daretolearn.org