The FMS Lady Rockets faced their toughest test of the season Friday night at the Field of Dreams in Chapel Hill, holding on for a 5-4 win over a determined Liberty squad.

"We were proud of the girls, they stuck together and pulled it out," said FMS head coach Bunky Elmore. "It was the first time all year we were tested and we needed that."

'King' of the circle

Samantha King turned in a stellar performance, going the distance for the win in the circle for the Lady Rockets.

King gave up four hits and one earned run, walked three and hit two Lady Patriot hitters, while striking out a career high 15 in the contest.

Kendall Durad went neck and neck with King most of the way, giving up one run over the first three innings before the Lady Rockets scored four key runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Durad gave up two earned runs and finished with eight strikeouts, while allowing six hits and two bases on balls.

First score

After a scoreless first inning that saw both hurlers combine for six strikeouts, King struck out the side in the top of the second inning and then led off the home half of the frame with a base hit to center field.

Micayla Feller came in to run for King and stole second base.

After Durad got a strikeout for the first out, Madison Curtis laid down a perfect bunt to move Feller to third and one pitch later, Feller scampered home on a passed ball to make it 1-0.

There was no scoring in the third inning and King came out unscathed in the top of the fourth, striking out two out of the four batters, she faced in the frame.

Jordan Yelensky drilled a single to center field to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning, went to second on a wild pitch and moved over to third on a passed ball.

More runs

Kyleah Hengesbach followed with a walk and went to second on the next pitch before King slammed a two-run single to left, making it 3-0.

Carson Warner beat out an infield single and went to second on a passed ball before Curtis drove home both runners with a sharp single to center, making it a 5-0 ballgame.

The game went to the top of the seventh with the Lady Rockets still up by 5-0, but Liberty was not ready to get on the bus just yet.

King beaned Haley Armstrong to begin the inning and walked Savannah McCallum before getting the first out on a whiff.

Liberty fights back

Lexi Sanders, who went 3-4 in the contest, drilled an RBI double to left field to get Liberty on the board and Durad came up and grounded a ball to second that was thrown away by FMS, allowing two more runs to score, making it a 5-3 ballgame.

Durad went all the way to third on the error and trotted home on a passed ball, slicing the Lady Rockets' lead to just one run at 5-4.

King got out number two on a ground ball to second base and the game ended on another ground ball to Warner at third as the Lady Rockets improved to 5-0 on the season.

"We had a couple of errors there in the last inning, but I am proud of the girls that they didn't totally de-rail at the end," said Elmore. "We prevailed and I was proud of them as they kept on fighting and in the end, we were successful."

King went 2-3 with two RBIs, Yelensky also had two hits in three at bats and drove home one and scored once, while Warner and Curtis each had a hit.