By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
Rowan County’s American Legion baseball team will play tournament host Sumter in the fourth and final game on Day 1 of the Southeast Regional, which begins Thursday at Riley Park in South Carolina.
The night session starts at 5 p.m., and the Rowan-Sumter game will follow a matchup between the state champions from South Carolina (TBA) and Georgia (Conyers).
The official Web site for the regional included a bracket with a different first-day opponent and game time for the North Carolina champion, but that schedule is incorrect. The correct pairings are listed on the national site for Legion baseball.
Rowan (32-7) has reached the regional round for the first time since 2002. Sumter (24-9) dropped its first two games at its state tournament, which concludes Sunday in Spartanburg, S.C.
Rowan would play in the nightcap again Friday if it beats Sumter, but a loss would put Jim Gantt’s team in a losers bracket contest scheduled to begin at approximately 1 p.m.