The Midway Raiders began their title defense at home on Wednesday night in the first round of the NCHSAA State Playoffs. MHS came out swinging the bats aggressively, and never let up, defeating Southwest Edgecombe 13-1 in 5 innings.

Ryan Lee was on the mound for Midway. He got the win, pitching the complete 5 innings, allowing a hit, 2 walks, and striking out 3 in yet another shutout.

Matt Barefoot led the game off with a triple. The next batter, Wesley Johnson, traded places with him, giving Midway a lead that they would never relinquish. A 4-run first inning propelled the Raider offense, who scored 6 more in the second while batting around.

The Raiders were led by Barefoot offensively, who went 4-4 with a couple of RBIs. Johnson had 2 RBI and a couple of hits. Kyle Hawley and Tyler Pope each had multiple-hit outings as well.

“We challenged our guys to come out and be aggressive at the plate tonight, and they did that,” said Midway’s head coach Jason Fussell. “We’ve not been hitting the ball all that great lately, and I thought our guys responded well tonight. It was important to jump out on them early, and I thought Ryan pitched a good game for us tonight.”

Midway will play either North Pitt or Reidsville Senior on either Friday night or Saturday. The opponent or date and time was yet to be determined at press time.

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