Trojans Fall in Extra-Inning Heartbreaker, but Bethel’s Rise Is Just Beginning
WILSON, N.C. — The sun may have set on the 2025 NCCSA 1A/2A Softball State Championship, but for the Bethel Christian Academy Trojans, the light is just beginning to shine.
In a nine-inning battle that tested every ounce of their determination, Bethel fell 3-2 to Wilson Christian Academy in a game that was as much about heart as it was about softball. It was the final act in a grueling three-day gauntlet, where the Trojans fought through adversity, rallied against the odds, and captured the spirit of championship play.
“All three games — Thursday, Friday and Saturday — you just saw this unbelievable fight,” said Head Coach Ashley Stroud. “We were going to play it out to the last final pitch or out.”
The Trojans reached Saturday’s title game after two thrilling, come-from-behind victories — first a 5-4 win over Triad Baptist on Thursday, then a 3-2 nail-biter against Oak Level Baptist on Friday. Each game seemed to bend to the will of a team that simply refused to quit.
So when Wilson Christian launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead, Bethel did what they’d done all week — they settled in, stayed composed, and fought back.
In the top of the fourth, Suzanne Rouse sparked the offense with a walk. Emersyn Smith followed with a single, and aggressive baserunning did the rest. Rouse blazed home on a passed ball and an error, cutting the lead to 2-1.
An inning later, the Trojans struck again. Lillie Turner reached on an error, and Olivia Sanderlin followed with one of her own, pushing Turner to third. Emma Ingram then delivered the biggest hit of the game — a rocket to the fence that tied it up. Ingram ran hard and nearly overtook Sanderlin, which led to a chaotic rundown that ended with both runners tagged out. Still, the scoreboard read 2-2, and Bethel was alive.
“We set a goal to play for it, and now we know what it takes to get here,” Stroud said. “Just to see them have a shot — nine innings to have a shot to take down the number one team in the East — you couldn’t have asked for more…. I’m just proud of them.”
Rouse, who pitched every inning of the grueling final, was a force of will — allowing 10 hits, three runs, four walks, and collecting four strikeouts. In the bottom of the eighth, with the bases loaded and no room for error, she and the defense slammed the door shut, igniting a roar from the Bethel crowd.
Smith and Ingram each collected two hits to lead the offense, but it was the team’s tenacity that stood tallest.
After going scoreless in the top of the ninth, Bethel’s magic ran out as Wilson Christian strung together three straight singles to walk off the game — and the championship.
“I told them I was upset for them, because I know they hurt and I know how hard they wanted to win,” Stroud said in the quiet moments after the loss. “It’s a little hard for them to understand — but not be disappointed in the result — because we did lay it all out on the line.”
They truly did. This team, which had no seniors and only one junior, was built of underclassmen — some as young as seventh grade — playing against the state’s best and nearly toppling them.
“With their abilities to play the game, even at their age, they laid it out every single pitch, every single at-bat,” said Stroud. “We are going to win a whole lot more ballgames and compete at a higher level. I want them to learn that 20 years from now, you have to compete every single day at work.”
The Trojans ended their season with a 10-6 record and a mountain of momentum. The NCCSA announced its All-Region and All-State selections following the game: Avery Cash, Emersyn Smith, and MiKayla Cash were named to the All-Region Team, while Suzanne Rouse and Bailey Smith earned All-State honors.
Bethel may not have hoisted the trophy on Saturday, but they left Wilson as something more powerful — contenders who tasted greatness and found out they belonged there.
As Coach Stroud reminded everyone, “We have always talked about, when we started the program in 2017, we want to get to Championship Saturday. Once we got here, we were like — we want to win it.”
Pressed but not crushed: Bethel’s battle at the edge of glory came one swing away. And now they know the way back.
