For the second time in program history, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute’s softball team won the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 Division-Three Championship. The Cobras defeated Patrick & Henry Community College in back-to-back games on Saturday at Fisher River Park in Dobson, NC to claim the title.
Caldwell advances to this weekend’s NJCAA Appalachian District Championship, where they will host either Delta College or Terra State Community College in a best-of-three series for the right to advance to the 2026 NJCAA D-3 Softball World Series.
Caldwell split a pair of games to open the tournament on Friday. In their first game, the Cobras defeated Surry Community College 9-1 in six innings, before falling to Patrick & Henry by a score of 5-3.
Moving to Saturday’s play, Caldwell needed to defeat Patrick & Henry twice to claim the tournament championship. In the first game, the Cobras scored five runs in the fifth inning to take control of the game, enroute to an 8-1 victory. Caldwell led 2-1 going into the fifth inning when Ashlyn Palmer hit a solo home run to center field. The hit parade in the inning continued with RBI doubles by Ally Greer and Kylee Martin and RBI singles by Skylar Smith and Chloe Wilson. Zoe Cheek earned the win in the circle, going seven innings and allowing only one run against six hits.
In the winner-take-all final, Caldwell got out to an early 2-0 lead. Cheek and Parker Boggs led off the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back doubles giving the Cobras their first run. Smith’s two-out single scored Boggs and Caldwell led 2-0. Wilson added to the total with a two-RBI homerun in the fifth inning to push the advantage to 4-0. The Cobras answered Patrick & Henry’s lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when Martin homered to center field, followed by an RBI single from Zoe Cheek and an unearned run on a Patriot error. The 8-1 advantage would hold in the seventh inning, when Caldwell turned a double play to end the game.
Region 10 D-3 Pitcher of the Year Sadie Messer, earned the winner-take-all victory in the circle, allowing one run against six hits and four strikeouts.
Caldwell’s record now stands at 38-6 overall. The opponent for the district championship series will be determined on Monday, and the series information will be released on Tuesday. The series will be played at Hudson Optimist Park in Hudson, NC.
Softball Region 10 D-3 Award Winners from Caldwell:
Parker Boggs: All-Region Second Team
Zoe Cheek: All-Region First Team
Lexy Church: All-Region First Team
Ally Greer: All-Region First Team
Kylee Martin: All-Region First Team
Sadie Messer: Pitcher of the Year, All-Region First Team
Ashlyn Palmer: All-Region First Team
Skyler Smith: All-Region Second Team
Scott Triplett: Coach of the Year
Chloe Wilson: All-Region First Team
Photo Captions:
Photo One: For the second time in program history, CCC&TI’s softball team won the NJCAA Region 10 D-3 Championship. The Cobras defeated Patrick & Henry Community College in back-to-back games on Saturday at Fisher River Park in Dobson, NC to claim the title. Photo Credit: Mark Tucker, Surry Community College Athletics
Photo Two: CCC&TI softball head coach Scott Triplett receives a celebratory ice bath from the team after the Cobras defeated Patrick & Henry to win the Region 10 D-3 Championship on Saturday at Fisher River Park in Dobson, NC. Photo Credit: Tori Lofton