SALISBURY — North Rowan center fielder Caitlyn Slusser didn’t apologize for being fortunate because she may have saved the Cavaliers’ softball season.
When Salisbury’s Caroline Forbis hit a line drive in the bottom of the seventh that appeared headed for the fence at Salisbury’s diamond, Slusser, a freshman, made a leaping catch to preserve a 6-4 North victory that put both teams in a deadlock for third place in the CCC with 5-5 records.
“When she hit that ball, I was just praying for some luck,” North pitcher Lindsey Hinson said.
Slusser didn’t have time to pray.
“I just started running and then I jumped,” Slusser explained. “I don’t know how I caught that ball. I didn’t even know I had it.”
The roar from North fans told her the ball had stayed in her glove for a huge second out, and Hinson then ended the game with a strikeout.
Salisbury won 8-7 when the teams played in Spencer, so the Hornets were headed to the 2A state playoffs if they’d won yesterday. The CCC gets three berths. Salisbury and North are likely headed for a play-in rubber game at a neutral site next week as part of the CCC tournament.
North’s defense keyed Thursday’s victory. North had only one bobble, while the Hornets made five errors.
“We’re really young and the girls are learning and they’ve stayed together like a family this season,” Salisbury coach Leigh Miller said. “When we beat North earlier this season, that’s the first time Salisbury had accomplished that in a long time. But, unfortunately, there have seen some days like today when we kind of beat ourselves.”
North scored three runs in the first, and while the Hornets caught up at 4-4 with a three-run fourth, the Cavaliers never trailed.
“We didn’t hit much against Salisbury last time, but we really came out hitting the ball today,” North coach Sarah Van Buskirk said. “It was big to get on top and then we played good defense.”
Hinson’s single, Brianna Mock’s bunt single and Taeya Teasley’s double keyed North’s fast start.
North has four seniors, including the first three in the Cavs’ batting order. Salisbury’s only senior is center fielder Anna Tonseth, who was honored Thursday,
“We’ll miss Anna,” Miller said. “But we’ve got good hope for the future.”
Tonseth scored on a hit by Katy Wolfe to put the Hornets on the scoreboard in the third inning.
With Salisbury trailing 4-1 in the fourth, Lainy Slate drove in a run and Leea Earnhardt knocked in two as the Hornets fought back to 4-all.
Teasley, who was celebrating her 17th birthday, bounced a run-scoring single up the middle in the fifth that scored Ashlyn Mills and put North ahead to stay.
“That was an extremely nerve-wracking at-bat,” Teasley said. “I knew I had to be big.”
Mikayla Rockey made a good catch in left field to end the Salisbury sixth on a ball that Tonseth hit hard.
Mills knocked in Anna Lingle with an insurance run in the seventh, and then the Cavaliers hung on. Slusser’s catch came with one out and one on and changed the bottom of the seventh. She earned hugs from happy teammates.
“We played good defense and we had some good plays like Bri’s perfect bunt in the first inning,” Hinson said. “We really worked together today.”

North Rowan 300 110 1 — 6 8 1
Salisbury 001 300 0 — 4 10 5
WP — Hinson (5 Ks, 3 walks). LP — Forbis (4 Ks, 0 walks).
Leading hitters — North: Lingle 2 runs, Mock 2 hits, Mills 2 runs, Teasley 2 hits. Salisbury: Earnhardt 2 hits, 2 RBIs, Tonseth 2 hits, Kate Murph 2 hits, Slate 2 hits.