From staff and wire reports
The South Atlantic Conference Council of Athletic Directors named Catawba’s Craig Brooks and Wingate’s Jade Montgomery as the 2014-15 South Atlantic Conference Athletes of the Year on Tuesday.
Brooks, a right-handed pitcher and third baseman from Parkwood High in Monroe, earned the American Baseball Coaches’ Association’s Gold Bat award to go along with being named the ABCA’s National Pitcher of the Year. Brooks also earned the D2 Baseball News Brett Tomko (Pitcher of the Year) and Josh Willingham (Division II MVP) awards.
Brooks struck out a nation’s-best 158 hitters as a senior and ranked No. 1 in the country with 14.36 strikeouts per nine innings. He also posted nine wins and three saves. He finished each of Catawba’s three wins in the Division II World Series.
Opposing hitters batted .156 against Brooks this season He surrendered just 16 earned runs and had an ERA of 1.45.
Brooks was drafted in the seventh round by the Chicago Cubs with the 203rd overall pick after leading the Indians to a national runner-up finish. Brooks signed with the Cubs and is in Arizona now. He’ll be starting his pro career in the next few days.
Montgomery, a soccer forward from Monroe, is the first-ever athlete in South Atlantic Conference history to win the Athlete of the Year honor three straight years. She was also the first player in SAC history to earn three straight women’s soccer Player of the Year honors.
Brooks’ award marks Catawba’s third male Athlete of the Year honor and second in three years. Montgomery picked up Wingate’s sixth overall women’s honor.

Wood bat leagues
Colton Laws (Carson) plans to play baseball for the Charlotte 49ers next season after transferring from East Carolina.
Laws is pitching for the Concord Weavers in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League this summer. He’s 1-1 with 10 strikeouts and a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings.

Parks and Rec
Salisbury Parks and Recreation is accepting registration for teams interested in a coed adult softball league.
Visit www.salisburync.gov/play to view all programs, events, register and pay online. Email sclar@salisburync.gov or call 704-638-5291.

Local golf
Club pro Jay Hill is leaving Corbin Hills, effective Wednesday, for a position with Balsam Mountain Preserve, near Sylva. He’ll be assistant general manager and head pro.
• The Corbin Hills Women’s Golf Association played a team event on Tuesday.
The winning team was Beth Calhoun, Bev Cobb and Toni Iossi.
The team of Mary Seaford, Azalee Story, Eileen Full and Sheryl Johnson placed second.
•Mimosa Hills Country Club in Morganton is hosting this week’s eGolf Tour event.
•The 37th Annual Horace Billings Rowan Amateur Championship is scheduled for July 17-19.
The entry fee is $25, plus applicable cart and green fee for the event. Tournament players must be a resident of Rowan County or a member of a golf club in Rowan County.
The low 31 qualifiers and defending champion Eric Mulkey will advance to championship match play.
Qualifying rounds are July 10-12. Championship match play is July 17-19.
Contact the Corbin Hills staff at 704-636-0672.

American Legion
Kannapolis won 12-1 at Greensboro in seven innings on Tuesday.
Jackson Raper had four hits, including a three-run homer for Kannapolis (8-12, 4-6). Mark Perkins had three hits.
Daniel O’Kelly pitched a complete game and struck out 12.

Minor leagues
The Kannapolis Intimidators open the second half of the South Atlantic League season with a nine-game home stand.
Asheville plays the Intimidators in a five-game series that starts Thursday. It will be 90s Night.
After that series, West Virginia comes in for four games. Kannapolis will be home through Friday, July 3, with a holiday fireworks show wrapping up the home stand.
• Delmarva’s Steve Wilkerson, Greensboro’s K. J. Woods and Hickory’s Luke Tendler homered to lead the North All-Stars to a 7-5 win against the South in the SAL All-Star Game played Tuesday in Asheville.
Kannapolis’ Brett Austin and Eddy Alvarez were both 1-for-2 for the North.
• Joseph Peeler (East Rowan) has been assigned to the Mariners rookie team in the Arizona League. Their season started Tuesday.

College football
The CIAA will kick off the football season with its annual media day on Thursday, July 23, at 1 p.m. at Marriott Research Triangle Park in Durham.
The predicted order of finish will be announced as well as the preseason All-CIAA team.
New head coaches are Kermit Blount (J.C. Smith), Herb Pickens (Lincoln), Michael Morand (St. Augustine’s) and Bryon Thweatt (Virginia State).

Braves lose
WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg pitched five shutout innings in his return from the disabled list, Anthony Rendon tied his career-high with four hits and the Washington Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Cameron Maybin homered for Atlanta.
Wilson Ramos added three hits for the Nationals, who have won four straight while allowing a total of four runs.
Strasburg (4-5), who missed 21 games with neck tightness, was resilient in his return. He allowed baserunners in four of five innings, but only one got as far as second base.
The right-hander allowed four hits and a walk while striking out six. He was lifted after throwing 94 pitches in a game that was delayed 2 hours and 12 minutes at the start by rain.

World Cup
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Mizuho Sakaguchi scored what turned out to be the deciding goal in the 78th minute on a pretty left-footed shot from the top of the 18-yard box, and defending Women’s World Cup champion Japan held off a late attack to beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Tuesday night and reach the quarterfinal.
Kirsten van de Ven scored for the Dutch in extra time when the ball went off goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori’s right arm.