After a new coaching staff, the Cougar softball team still lives up to the past 13 seasons of domination.
Senior Anna Wolfe reminisces on her softball career and explains why she believes her team has been “dominant.”
“We have good talent. We’re in the top class of talent,” Wolfe said. “We’ve had great coaches that have different outlooks that have pushed us to improve ourselves, work harder than the other teams and win.”
The girls’ team finished this season’s conference play with a record of 13-1.
Their one loss of the season was to Heritage, but senior Erin McDonald believes the Cougars are “better” than them.

This was upheld during the third match up between the two schools May 9 when the Cougars came out with a 5-4 win to earn the outright Cap 8 conference title.
In that game Wolfe hit a 3 run home run in the bottom of the 6th inning to tie the game at 4-4, giving the Cougars the opportunity to score one more run in the 8th for the win.
Wolfe said that the earlier loss to Heritage served as a reminder that the team must always work hard. The devastation from the loss brought a renewed passion to win and continue to play hard throughout playoffs.
“We have a new hunger. It has pushed us to push ourselves,” Wolfe said.
The team was helmed by new head coach Brittany Owens, and players on the team say they “love” having her as a part of the team.
“She has brought a lot. She’s pushing us to do things we haven’t really been pushed to do before. She’s pushing us to the next level,’’ senior captain Katy Holt said.
The team handled Lumberton 14-0 in the first round of states.

Sophomore team member Sarah Walker says in order to advance the team must “ work together.”
“We’re going to focus on doing what it takes and leaving it all on the field so there is no question,” Holt said.
Holt came through in round two of the playoffs against Fuquay Varina with a two-run home run in the fifth inning to propel the team to a 5-2 lead. Wolfe, injured in sliding back to first base during a pick-off through, was sidelined.
The Bengals answered with two home runs of their own. One was a two-run shot in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game. The Cougars were unable to answer in the bottom of the seventh, and the game was sent to extra innings.
The Bengals kept their rally going, adding two more in the top of the eighth to end the Cougars play off run.