Staff report
ALBEMARLE — On Monday night, Rowan’s Legion baseball team beat Wilkes to clinch a playoff spot.
On Tuesday night, Stanly clinched a playoff spot at the expense of Rowan, 5-2.
Rowan managed only one hit over the first eight innings and finished with just three.
Stanly’s Jake Lowder (4-2) gave up just one hit in 62/3 innings and Russ Weiker went the rest of the way to record the save.
Stanly (10-13, 7-10) started the scoring in the second when Carson Anderson knocked in a run and another came home on Ashton Fleming’s error.
But Rowan tied it in the top of the third without the benefit of a hit.
Chase Hathcock and Will Sapp worked the wildly effective Lowder for walks. Brian Bauk walked and on ball 4, the ball skipped past catcher Zach Almond, scoring Hathcock. A passed ball plated Sapp.
Almond then gave Stanly the lead for good with a single in the bottom of the third.
Ethan Free pitched well for Rowan until giving up a two-run single in the seventh to Drew Cole. Heath Mitchem and Dakota Brown finished up on the mound.
Rowan (8-9, 11-14) reached Weiker in the top of the ninth as Alex Morgan and Hathcock had back-to-back singles. But Weiker struck out Avery Rogers and got Sapp to fly out to end it.
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NOTES: Stanly outfielder Dylan Dowdy robbed Jared Mathis and Sapp of hits. … The teams meet at Newman Park tonight.