From staff reports
A.L. Brown sophomore Adison Ball followed up his recent state championship with a first-place finish in the Southeast Regional Men’s Gymnastics Championship in competition held in Miami earlier this month.
The region championship includes competitors from the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Besides winning the overall competition, Ball won gold medals in the floor exercise, parallel bars, rings and pommel horse.
Ball’s impressive wins came after a two-year layoff due to injuries.
The N.C. Academic All-American trains at G&J Speedway Gymnastics.
– College gymnastics
Navy’s Dylan Parrott (South Rowan) was named National Collegiate Division Gymnast of the Week following his titles in the all-around and floor exercise at the ECAC Championship.
The sophomore helped Navy finish second at the ECAC Championship with a career-high score. Parrott became the first Navy gymnast since 1988 to win the all-around at the conference championship.
– College baseball
Right-handed pitcher Keegan Linza (North Rowan) is playing this season at Northwest Florida State, a junior college.
Linza recently signed with Liberty. A story is upcoming.
– Pro baseball
Bobby Parnell (East Rowan) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the New York Mets in a 2-1 loss against the Marlins Sunday.
– Prep baseball
The Cliff Peeler Easter Tournament has a pair of games scheduled today at Salisbury High ó weather permitting.
Carson (10-2) takes on Davie (7-4) for third place at 4:30 p.m.
South Rowan plays East Rowan for the championship at 7 p.m.
A South-East title game was rained out in 2004. Tournament organizers, players, coaches and fans hope no repeat of that scenario is in store.
East (11-2) beat South (7-7) last Thursday 8-4, a day before the tournament began.
East, which has a league game scheduled Tuesday, is expected to go with Parker Gobbel (1-0, 3.23 ERA) on the mound. Outfielders Zach Smith (.433, three homers) and David Ijames (.357, nine doubles, 15 RBIs) have paced East’s offense.
South pitchers Dylan Walker (1-2, 1.47 ERA), a lefty with a great pickoff move, and right-hander Alex Ingold (2-2, 2.95 ERA) are candidates to pitch for South. Both pitched effectively against East in the previous meeting, although they didn’t get much defensive support.
South’s offense has been led by shortstop Maverick Miles (.489, 14 RBIs), third baseman Jordan Corriher (.371) and Walker (.364, 10 RBIs), the left fielder when he doesn’t pitch.
South won the tournament in 2008, ending a 12-year drought. East has won the local Easter tournament six times since 1993, most recently in 2006. East was not in the tournament field last year.
– College track
N.C. State’s Jason Jones (East Rowan) muscled the shot put 58-1/2 to win the Joe Hilton UNC Invitational Saturday. Jones added a seventh in the hammer throw.
* N.C. State’s Lamont Savage (West Rowan) was third in the long jump (23-3/4) in the meet at UNC.
– College softball
Erin Foster (West Rowan) hit two homers in one game for Walters State in a recent 5-4 victory against Virginia Intermont.