From staff reports
David Thomas hit two home runs on Sunday, but Catawba lost to North Alabama 8-7 at Lane Field.
Thomas’ second homer with two outs in the eighth tied the game at 7-7, but Trey Pollard knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth for the Lions (21-14).
Jerry Sands hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Catawba (28-14).
Chris Ahearn and Thomas hit back-to-back homered in the fourth for a 4-3 lead, and Craige Lyerly’s RBI single in the fifth gave the Indians a 5-3 advantage.
Josh Graham hit a sac fly and a three-run homer to put the Lions in front 7-5, before Thomas homered in the eighth with Andrew O’Neal on base.
Tim Holmes and Travis McSweeney pitched four innings each. Matt Seabolt took the loss when the Lions scored in the ninth.
Thomas, Sands and Lyerly had two hits each for Catawba.
n Elon freshman Neal Pritchard hit a grand slam to highlight a doubleheader sweep of Georgia Southern on Sunday. Elon is 25-7 and 10-2 in the Southern Conference.
n Anderson swept Pfeiffer 4-3 and 5-3 in a Conference Carolinas doubleheader on Sunday.
Bryan Braxton hit a homer in each game for Pfeiffer (20-23, 7-13), and Shawn Coke hit one in the nightcap.
n Appalachian State lost to College of Charleston twice on Sunday, losing a suspended game 8-2 and dropping the scheduled game 7-6 in 10 innings.
Garrett Sherrill (A.L. Brown had a noteworthy relief appearance in the second game, throwing four shutout innings and allowing one hit to one of the nation’s highest-scoring teams. Sherrill fanned seven of the first eight hitters apiece.
n Hornets fifth in Cup
Salisbury ranks fifth in 2A in the Wachovia Cup standings that reflect overall athletic excellence.
Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons has a huge lead in 2A. Next in line are East Lincoln, Orange and West Henderson.
West Davidson is 10th. Mount Pleasant is 12th.
In 3A, Charlotte Catholic holds a commanding lead over Asheville. Lake Norman is fourth, while Mooresville is seventh.
Chapel Hill leads in 4A. Bishop McGuinness paces the 1A standings.
n All-star game
North Carolina’s boys beat South Carolina 84-80 in the Carolinas All-Star Classic on Saturday at Bobcats Arena.
Kinston’s Bo Ingram had 17 points and 12 rebounds and was named MVP. Winston-Salem Prep’s Reggie Johnson had 18 points and 14 rebounds.
South Carolina’s girls defeated North Carolina 81-66. Thomasville’s Secily Ray scored 17 points.
n Prep football
West Iredell quarterback Jared Thompson, who passed for 1,583 yards and 14 TDs as a senior, will play at Elon.
n Northwest Cabarrus is accepting applications for the next two weeks as it seeks to replace coach Mike Helms.
Helms is apparently seeking a post nearer his Hickory residence.