PILOT MOUNTAIN — An error and two sacrifices helped the Lady Cardinals squeak past South Stokes 1-0 Monday.

In the first round of the Northwest softball tournament, East Surry got a shutout performance from Jessica Barker to advance to semifinals Wednesday evening.

“We didn’t hit the ball much at all,” said Coach Derrick Hill. Each team had just five hits.

While Barker was shutting down the Lady Sauras’ bats, Ashley Phillips was doing the same for the visiting team.

Senior Evelyn Wells had a standout game. She went 2-3 at the plate and made a run-saving play in the infield.

South Stokes had a runner in scoring position in the first inning, but the Sauras’ best chance to score came in the fourth inning when they loaded the bases with just one out, said Hill.

The batter hit a sharp grounder to second base. Wells was playing in and made the nab. She fired home for a force out, then Amber Lawson relayed to first for an inning-ending double play.

Kristen Cummings led off the bottom of the fifth with contact. South Stokes made its only error of the night to put her aboard. Then Megan Sechrist singled to put runners at first and second.

Olivia Sheets bunted the two runners over, then Sarah Scott hit a fly ball to left to score Cummings for the only run.

“We weren’t real patient at the plate,” Hill said. In the first inning, each of the three batters made an out on the first pitch.

Except for the first batter, the Cards played good defense, the coach said.

South Stokes has improved a lot over the course of the season, he said. In the first game, the Cards won 8-0 on the road. Then the last time the two teams played, the score was 1-0 in the fifth when the game was postponed by rain. When they finished the game, the Cards were fortunate to add three more runs to the board.

“South Stokes played well tonight,” he said. “In some aspects they outplayed us.”

East Surry will face the winner of West Stokes and Bishop at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Reach Jeff Linville at jlinville@heartlandpublications.com or at 719-1920.