They scheduled a high-school softball game — and a basketball game broke out.

West Charlotte (N.C.) needed 4 hours and 38 minutes last month to beat rival Vance 47-44, the second-most runs ever scored in a prep softball game. Two Maine teams own the record, but that was an 88-6 rout.

Players' cellphones started ringing in the dugouts as darkness approached, from parents wondering where their daughters were. As West Charlotte assistant coach Gerald Herbert told Rivals.com: "They were like, 'Mom, we're still here—and it's only the fifth inning.' "

Said Vance athletic director Rick Gardner: "The running joke is that we missed the field goal that would have sent it into overtime. ... When you score 44 runs, you usually win."