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St. James has won 44 of its last 49 region softball games dating back over the last five seasons.

That鈥檚 dominance.

But challengers do still lurk, and it took a Raegan Tibbits walkoff double in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday night, March 26, for the Sharks to subdue Carolina Forest in a 4-3 win.

It wasn't anything like Monday when the Sharks pounded Carolina Forest 10-1. But that鈥檚 OK.

鈥淚鈥檓 so glad they got us in that position, so that we had to deal with the nerves and the stress,鈥� said St. James coach Paula Blackwell.

This is a new team, as Blackwell will remind anyone.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of new faces,鈥� Blackwell said. 鈥淔ive of our starters are new. Our four returners are doing a good job. They expect to win.鈥�

It certainly looked like another St. James runaway was in the works when sophomore Abbigail Allred blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence off Lydia Gardner in the bottom of the first inning.

That isn鈥檛 how it played out.

Tibbits recorded 14 strikeouts but the Panthers touched her for eight hits. Kaysen Warehime came on to pitch for Carolina Forest in the fourth inning and was solid, shutting out the Sharks for four innings until the game-winning sequence.

None of that surprised the Sharks.

鈥淲e kind of had a feeling they were going to do that and they were going to work harder because they didn鈥檛 want to lose again that bad,鈥� Tibbits said. 鈥淚t just pushed us harder.鈥�

And they were pushed.

Carolina Forest right fielder Zoey Wohlers was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple leading off the seventh, moments after her over-the-shoulder catch in right field robbed St. James of the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth.

鈥淚 think we reacted well,鈥� said St. James shortstop Kenzie Kraus. 鈥淲e never really gave up. I think we came together as a team and fought through adversity.鈥�

Though she wasn鈥檛 as dominant as she was Monday, Tibbits went the eight-inning distance in the circle to go along with the walk-off hit.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 so much pressure on a young person,鈥� Blackwell said. 鈥淚 think she embraces it. She knows the team is behind her and will make the plays. She trusts her teammates. They all trust each other.鈥�

Carolina Forest coach Richard Howard pulled out all the stops, including ordering an intentional walk to Kraus with runners on first and second with two out in the third inning.

鈥淚 was a little shocked because I wanted to go up there and hit the ball,鈥� Kraus said. 鈥淏ut I respect their decision. They were trying to win.鈥�

The ploy worked when Gardner struck out the next batter.

Kraus has been swinging a hot bat and she gives St. James extra spark as the team鈥檚 leadoff hitter.

鈥淜enzie Kraus, she really takes care of this whole team,鈥� Blackwell said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 our leader. She鈥檚 always taking care of Raegan. It鈥檚 just a great environment.鈥�

Howard also crossed up the Sharks by starting Gardner and then coming in with Warehime as opposed to Monday. It worked, too. Warehime, who got roughed up for nine hits and seven runs in 5 2/3 innings on Monday, hurled four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to get the Panthers into extra innings.

鈥淭hey started a different girl and tried to change it up on us,鈥� Tibbits said. 鈥淪he came ready to work. It took us a while to catch up. We were ready for it.鈥�

That moment finally came with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning when Allred and Tibbits smacked back-to-back doubles.

The celebration was boisterous.

鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy,鈥� Tibbits said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e competing really hard. We wanted it.鈥�

The three-game series concludes Friday at Carolina Forest.

Sharks baseball turns things around

What a difference two days makes.

Dylan Victoria pitched a six-hitter into the sixth inning, the Sharks scored their runs early and they held on for a 6-5 win over Carolina Forest.

Two days earlier, Carolina Forest TKO鈥檇 the Sharks 13-3 in five innings.

鈥淏aseball is that way sometimes,鈥� said St. James coach Robbie Centracchio. 鈥淲e had an inning that we just couldn鈥檛 get to go away. They had a good offensive night and you just tip your cap sometimes. We knew in a three-game series anything is possible.鈥�

Victoria took a 6-1 lead into the sixth inning before the Panthers rallied. The junior right-hander struck out seven and two of the three runs he allowed were unearned.

鈥淗e has been really good for us this year,鈥� Centracchio said. 鈥淲e knew going in we were going to get a good three-pitch mix. He battled through some early stuff.鈥�

The Sharks took the lead for good on Josh Harnish鈥檚 two-run single in the bottom of the second.

Caleb Kessler got the last four outs to earn a save.

Gatlin Pasco had a two-run double for Carolina Forest.