3A Softball: Monster 7th inning sends West Wilkes past McMichael for repeat title

GREENSBORO, N.C. — It was the Blackhawks - not the Phoenix - who rose from the ashes and caught a moment of history.

McMichael looked positioned to clinch its first softball state championship in school history, but West Wilkes came back to beat the Phoenix, 12-7, in game three of the 2026 N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A state championship series.

This series was McMichael’s first appearance on the ultimate stage. McMichael fans were deep in numbers, many of them wearing “Chasing History” shirts. For a while, it felt that there was something in the air for the Phoenix in Greensboro on Saturday.

The Blackhawks sent the first shiver down the spines of those fans when game MVP Zoey Woodruff crushed a 2-run homer to center to tie the contest at six in the top of the seventh inning.

West Wilkes then took the lead with a Kaylee Pikenton single to center, which scored Kelsey Madden. West Wilkes had come back from a 6-1 deficit to take a 7-6 lead.

From there, the Blackhawks were relentless. An Aubrianna Nichols double scored two. A Kendall Wayne single scored one. Then, Emma Garza blasted a 2-run homer to left field for the exclamation point. In all, West Wilkes delivered eight runs in the seventh inning. At the time, they had rolled off 11 runs unanswered.

"Champions never quit," said West Wilkes head coach Michael Woodruff, who is also Zoey's father. "These girls got more dog in them. They get after it, they stay after it. They can score runs in a hurry."

McMichael, suddenly down by six runs, wasn’t able to muster enough to come back in the bottom of the seventh inning.

It was Woodruff who secured the final out - catching a pop-up from her shortstop position, in a moment that was eerily similar to her final out in last year's marathon, 12-inning playoff game between the Blackhawks and McMichael.

"To see your daughter to that, and to see your daughter hit a 2-run shot to tie a ballgame up in the top of the seventh. It's just... we're blessed," the father said.

The 2026 3A state championship win is the first repeat title for West Wilkes softball. The Blackhawks won the 2A title last season. They also won the 1A title in 2013. So, now they've gone 1, 2, 3.

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West Wilkes had command of the series early - the Blackhawks took game one on Friday night at UNC-Greensboro, 9-7. Then, on Saturday afternoon, McMichael got up and answered with a 6-5 win in game two to extend the series.

Game three started very similarly to the start of game two. West Wilkes got one run in to get the first inning rolling, but McMichael answered with an even bigger 4-run output.

• View Photos: McMichael vs. West Wilkes, Game 3 (May 30, 2026). HSOT Insiders can download championship photos for free. Here's how.

Also similar to game two? A smashed 2-run homer to center for McMichael. The game three shot came from Ava Harris, who was the runner sent in by the Ellie Southern homer in game two. Harris’ big swing scored Kora Ingle.

Unlike the last game, West Wilkes took less time to punch back.

"Our team is so good at coming back and battling and somehow ended up finding a way in the end," Zoey Woodruff said. "We all knew that we had the grit and the effort was there."

In the top of the third, the Blackhawks scored runs with a sacrifice fly from Pikenton and a double from Leah Greene. Addison Neuens, Peyton Cockerham, and Woodruff all scored. The 3-run third inning cut the McMichael lead to 6-4.

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West Wilkes was held scoreless for some time after that burst. The Blackhawks had a clear opportunity to break into the deficit further in the top of the sixth. Cockerham doubled to start the inning and eventually advanced to third base. With two outs, Wayne grounded out to Ingle, McMichael’s third baseman. Ingle made the throw to first just in time to stop Wayne and prevent Cockerham’s run from hitting the scoreboard.

Getting close in the sixth inning was just a sign of things to come for West Wilkes in the seventh inning.

"We hadn't played great all day, but that seventh inning was when it really mattered," Zoey Woodruff said. "We all came together and won as a team."

Game three was played in the 5:00 p.m. window at UNC-Greensboro on Saturday.

For McMichael, the win to force game three was its first ever in a softball state championship series.

Box Score

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