LUMBERTON — The Lumberton softball team picked right back up where it left off the previous night when the Pirates took on the East Columbus Gators in the Robeson County Softball Slugfest Championship Tuesday. Another dominant night of pitching and defense, plus an offensive surge at the plate, helped lead the Pirates to a 13-3 win in five innings to take the title.

“We got off to a hot start again, scored four in the first and once you have that lead it makes things a little easier,” Lumberton coach Mackie Register said. “This is what we’ve been looking forward too on our schedule is the Slugfest and for our six seniors to go out and win it in their senior year is special for them.”

The win for Lumberton (13-2) avenges a loss last year in the Slugfest championship to South Brunswick.

“The Slugfest is important to these kids, and to me too. so being able to get this third one is big for Lumberton High School,” Register said. “(It’s) better holding up that first place trophy than that second place one like we did last year.”

“It’s a good comeback, South Brunswick is another good team and I feel like we came in here strong and forgot about last year and did what we had to do,” said Lumberton’s Aniya Merritt, the tournament MVP.

Lumberton reached the championship game for the sixth-straight tournament and the eighth time overall in the 13 editions of the softball Slugfest, adding a 2024 title to those won in 2017 and 2019.

Tiara Stueck got things started for the Pirates in the bottom of the first with an RBI double to make it 2-0. The Pirates then added to their lead by taking advantage of back-to-back wild pitches, and took a 4-0 lead heading into the second inning. The Pirates picked things back up in the third when Cameron Honeycutt had an RBI single to make it 5-0.

The Gators (9-2) finally managed to get on the board in the fourth off a solo home run from Gracie Coyle. But the Pirates continued to pour on their lead in the bottom half of the inning when Alona Hanna knocked a single down the left field line, and a couple batters later Honeycutt singled on a fly ball that plated two runners to make it 8-1.

The Gators managed to pick up two more runs in the fifth off an error and a single from Kaley Mitchell to make it 8-3. The Pirates closed things out in the bottom half of the inning with RBIs on a single from Alyssa Stone, double from Hanna, single from Jaelyn Hammond, and a single from Honeycutt to pick up the win in five innings.

“It’s not secret if you get good pitches, play good defense and hit the ball your going to win a lot of games and we got all that tonight and last night, so now were going to get ready for the second half of the conference run,” Register said.

“It feels great because this is my senior year and it was great to end off the year knowing I won the Slugfest with my teammates,” Merritt said.

“We came together as a team, it was a good win,” Honeycutt said. “Just trying to put the ball into play and bring in some runs.”

Halona Sampson had another productive night in the circle for Lumberton, going five innings giving up four hits and three runs while striking out seven batters. Coyle took the loss for the Gators, striking out five.

Merritt was named MVP for the Slugfest and was also named to the All-Tournament team alongside teammates Sampson and Stone. Merritt was 10-for-12 in the tournament.

“I’ve been just concentrating and hitting the ball,” Merritt said. “Also, my brother passed away last week so I tried to play for him this week and that got me through the tournament.”

East Columbus’ Gracie Coyle and Jenna King also earned All-Tournament selections.

The Pirates will now turn their focus back to United-8 Conference play when they travel to Jack Britt Tuesday for a 7 p.m. first pitch.