From staff and wire reports

Kim Fesperman (South Rowan)  belted a bases-loaded double in the sixth inning to lift Catawba’s softball team from a 1-0 deficit to a 3-1 victory in a winner’s bracket game in the South Atlantic Conference softball tournament on Friday.

Fesperman hit a 1-2 pitch off the center-field fence after Catawba loaded the bases on an error, a single and a walk.

Third-seeded Catawba (27-15) plays again Saturday and is 2-0 in the double-elimination event.

Carley Tysinger kept the Indians in the game until Fesperman’s hit.

Tysinger (23-9) struck out 13 and went the distance in the circle.

• Samantha Jacobs (North Rowan) pitched a complete game as Belmont Abbey beat Pfeiffer 7-1 in the Conference Carolinas Tournament.

Jacobs, who was second team All-Conference Carolinas, struck out eight.

• Sydney Poole (East Rowan) kept Pfeiffer alive in the tournament in Burlington by shutting out Barton 3-0 on Friday.

Poole allowed five hits and struck out three.

College baseball

In SAC tournament games on Friday in Forest City, Tusculum won 4-3 against Lincoln Memorial and advanced to play Catawba on Saturday.

Second-seeded Newberry won 9-0 against Wingate.

College golf

George Mason’s Eric Edwards (Salisbury) has shot 77s in the first two rounds of the Atlantic 10 Championships.

College track

MyQuon Stout (Carson) reshirted in football at Appalachian State but has  made an impact on the track team as a freshman.

Stout won the discus at the Wingate Invitational. His best throws this season are 16.2 meters in the shot and 49.43 meters in the discus.

College swimming

Catawba AD Larry Leckonby  announced Friday that swim coach Betsy Graham has resigned to take a position with Arena Club Aquatics in Maryland.

A national search for a new head coach and director of Johnson Pool will begin immediately.

“We wish Coach Graham and her daughter Rilee the best in their new adventure in Maryland,”  Leckonby said. “Betsy has done an outstanding job with the Catawba swim program both in the pool and in the classroom. Academically, the team has been one of the strongest in the athletic department and she has been able to coach several swimmers to the national championships.”

Graham has served as the Catawba women’s coach since 2001 and launched the men’s program in 2006.

Prep tennis

In the SPC tournament, East Rowan’s boys qualified five players for regional competition.

The doubles teams of Ike Emerson-Chance Brown and Addison Fry/Nik Pillsbury qualified along with Jeremy Price in singles.

SPC players will compete in the 3A Midwest Regional May 1-2 in Asheboro.

East Rowan will play its first-round dual team match on Tuesday on the Catawba courts.

Prep basketball

East Rowan’s Kelli Fisher has been named to play in the East-West All-Star Game.

The 6-foot-3 UNC Asheville signee averaged 17.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks for the Mustangs.

The all-star basketball games will be played on Monday, July 20, at Greensboro Coliseum. The girls game will start at 6:30 p.m.

Prep baseball

  Salisbury routed Thomasville 15-1 in CCC baseball on Friday.            

Salisbury sent 16 men to the plate in the first inning and scored 11 runs.

Will Steinman had three hits.  John Yang and Harrison Smith had  two hits and three RBIs.

Smith was the winning pitcher. He allowed three hits in five innings and struck out eight.

• North Rowan lost 3-2 at East Davidson in CCC action on Friday.

Jake Pritchard and Rob Monroe had two hits each for the Cavaliers.

North Rowan led 1-0 early and  led 2-1 in the fifth but couldn’t hold off the Golden  Eagles.

Ryan McIntyre was the winning pitcher. Brandon White, pitching despite a torn ACL, took the loss.

• South Rowan lost 3-2 at Hickory Ridge  in SPC action on Friday when the Ragin’ Bulls scored in the bottom of the seventh.

The Raiders lost despite a quality start by Burke Fulcher. Peyton Penninger had a run-scoring single for the Raiders. They got their other run on a wild pitch.

• The Greater Cabarrus Homeschool Stallions defeated East Montgomery 6-4.

Sawyer Strickland doubled  in the tying and go-ahead runs ahead runs in the seventh.

Caleb Threadgill, Hunter Shepherd, Tyler Hartsell and Drake Boger had two hits each. Dalton Lankford had a double.

Noah Jarrett,  Strickland and Shepherd combined for a four- hitter with  Strickland getting the win and Shepherd the save for the Stallions (20-4).

• West Davidson cruised 12-1 against Lexington in CCC action on Friday.

Caleb Bauguess was the winning pitcher. Holden Lanier homered and drove in three runs.   

Prep softball

Salisbury won by forfeit against Thomasville on Friday.

• West Rowan won 11-5 against Concord in SPC action on Friday.

Camryn Nooner pitched for the Falcons and struck out five. Peyton Greene had three hits, including a homer. Taylor Martin and Hunter Gibbons had two hits each.

• Northwest Cabarrus stayed in first place in the SPC by shutting out Carson 3-0.

• South Rowan won 7-5 at Hickory Ridge on Friday.

• Central Cabarrus outscored Cox Mill 13-7 on Friday.

Prep soccer

Victoria Patterson scored a goal to lift West Rowan to a 1-0 SPC soccer in against Concord on Friday.

Cassie Howard and Hannah Smith had the goals in Carson’s 2-0 SPC soccer win against NW Cabarrus on Friday.

• Erin Ansbro and Olivia Howard scored three goals each as Gray Stone rolled 9-0 against South Stanly on Friday.

Prep golf

In the North Lincoln Invitational, Salisbury placed fourth  out of nine teams.

The Hornets shot 334. Scorers were Abraham Post (80), Gabe Steinman (84), Christopher Queen (84) and Alex Antosek (84).

   

Local golf

Salisbury’s Frank Adams III tied for seventh in the eGolf Tour’s Sedgefield Classic.

Adams shot 67-74-71 — 212. He finished 2-over and won $3,350.

   

Middle school soccer

Erwin’s boy’s soccer team won 3-1 victory against West Rowan on Thursday.  Goals were scored for the Eagles (5-1) by Sam Wall, Landon Ketchie, and Alex Kalogeromitros.

Oscar Gutierrez and James Lomax had assists.  Hunter Eagle made 11 saves in goal.

• Southeast’s girls won 6-0 against Corriher-Lipe.

Lelja Mehmedovic had a hat trick, with Abii Solano adding two goals and Gabi Loeza one.  Taylor Conrad assisted on three  goals.  Kayla DeNicholas had one assist.  Skylar Smith had her first shutout in goal.

• Southeast’s boys won 3-0 against Corriher-Lipe.

Kevin Vasquez scored two goals, while    Tony Figueroa had one. Edwing Sanchez had an assist.   Fernando Guerrero registered the shutout in goal.

Middle school tennis

Knox was defeated  5-4 by China Grove on Thursday.

Winners in singles for Knox were Roarke Burton, Luke Grenoble and Jander Rodas.  The team of Burton-Grenoble won in doubles.

Mid. school baseball

Southeast  beat Corriher-Lipe 5-4 on Thursday.

Daniel Durham earned the win in relief. Garrett Alewine led the Patriots at the plate with two hits, including the game-winning double.

Michael Bostian also had two hits for the Patriots.  Southeast  (6-1) plays at home on Monday against North Rowan Middle.

• West Rowan won 13-3 against Erwin in five innings on Thursday.

Michael Molenda  was the winner. Cameron Graham had four hits for the Bulldogs (4-3). Jake Perez had three hits.

Prep track

Salisbury’s boys scored 57.5 points and won a meet Thursday against  East Davidson (51.5) and West Davidson (46).

Winners for the Hornets were Devonte Brown in the 100 (12.0 seconds) and 200 (24.5); Matt Washko in the 1600 (5:05); Thurston Alexander in the 800 (2:12), and D.J. Alexander in the shot (43 feet, 8 1/2 inches).

• Salisbury’s girls were third with 35 points behind East Davidson (91) and West Davidson (42).

Jaleesa Smoot swept the three dashes to lead SHS.

Intimidators

Hickory scored four runs in the first inning and went on to beat visiting Kannapolis 9-1 in South Atlantic League action on Friday.

Kannapolis was held to four hits.

PGA: Zurich Classic

AVONDALE, La.  — Hudson Swafford shot a 6-under 66 for a share of the Zurich Classic lead with Boo Weekley when second-round play was suspended Friday because of the threat of severe weather.

Swafford had an 11-under 133 total at TPC Louisiana. Weekley, tied for the first-round lead after a 64, also was 11 under with three holes left.

Jason Day, ranked sixth in the world, was 5 under for the round through 14 holes, pulling him into a five-way tie for third at 10 under with Brandon de Jonge, Cameron Tringale, former Zurich champion Jerry Kelly and Daniel Berger. Tringale had a 65, and de Jonge shot 70.

Kelley was on the 18th green when play was stopped, and Berger had three holes left.