From staff reports

Catawba junior outfielder Luke Setzer (East Rowan) was named South Atlantic Conference  Baseball Player of the Year on Wednesday.

Setzer leads Division II  in hits and total bases and has 30 multi-hit games.

Setzer led the SAC in batting with a .429 average. He has 15 homers, 16 doubles, 57 runs scored and 44 RBIs, while batting leadoff.

Catawba starts play in the SAC tournament in Kodak, Tenn., on Friday.

Catawba catcher Zac Almond (14 homers, 54 RBIs, .380) and reliever Bryan Blanton (1.85 ERA, 12 saves) joined Setzer on the All-SAC first team.

Second baseman Kyle Smith, DH Nick Coble, pitcher Hunter Shepherd and shortstop Jeremy Simpson made the All-SAC second team.

First baseman Chance Bowden and outfielder Malachi Hanes are Honorable Mention All-SAC.

Bowden and Simpson were honored as SAC gold glove winners.

Shepherd (7-0, 43 strikeouts) was named SAC Freshman of the Year. He  also batted .355.

Catawba’s Jim Gantt and Lincoln Memorial’s Jeff Sziksai are  co-coaches of the year. Gantt was honored for the ninth time after leading Catawba to its fifth straight SAC title. Lenoir-Rhyne’s Thomas St. Clair is the SAC Pitcher of the Year.

College golf

Richmond’s Isabella Rusher (Salisbury)  was key for the Spiders  weekend at the Patriot League Championship  as her team overcame a two-stroke deficit entering the final round to capture the program’s second consecutive league crown.

Rusher tied for third overall on the individual scoreboard and was named Wells Fargo Athlete of the Week.

Rusher shot 73-77-77 — 227, 11-over, and was first team all-conference. Richmond will be in the NCAA Regionals on May 8-10.

Cross country

UNC Pembroke’s men won the Peach Belt Conference Track Meet.

Kellen Carson (A.l. Brown) scored in  the 800 metets. Jonathan Martin (Carson) scored in the 10,000 meters and Matthew Martin (Carson) scored in the 5,000 meters.

Minor leagues

Will Albertson (Catawba) hit his first professional home run on Tuesday for the Augusta GreenJackets.

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  Dane Dunning pitched  seven shutout innings to lead the Kannapolis Intimidators to a 1-0 win at Hagerstown on Wednesday. Sevy Zavala homered.

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In the second game of a doubleheader, Kannapolis lost to the Suns, 4-1.

Prep baseball

Owen White struck out 10 in six innings to lead Carson to a 6-1 win against Hickory Ridge in South Piedmont Conference baseball on Wednesday.

White (6-1) kept Carson (15-7, 12-5) in the thick of the SPC race.

Clayton Gilmore drove in two runs. White and Logan Ridenhour had two hits each. Carson had seven.

The Cougars broke a 1-all tie with two runs in the fifth.

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East Rowan dropped a 3-2, 10-inning game at Central Cabarrus in SPC action on Wednesday.

East hurler John Owen threw seven shutout innings, but Central starter Cameron Kepley also kept the Mustangs off the board for six innings.

All the scoring came in the 10th with East finally breaking through on a two-run homer by Hayden Setzer.

But Central scratched out three in the bottom of the 10th, scoring the winning run on a hit batsman.

Chandler Blackwelder had two hits for the Mustangs (15-8, 11-6 SPC).

Colby Myrick (1-2) took the loss.

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South Rowan lost 3-2 at Cox Mill when the Chargers scored against Dillon Norton (4-3) in the bottom of the seventh.

South tied the game at 1-all in the sixth and at 2-2 in the top of the seventh.

Tyler Shepherd pitched five innings for South. Shepherd and Hayden Wilson drove in the runs for the Raiders (14-8, 11-5 SPC).

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North Rowan (8-11, 3-4 CCC) topped Lexington, 11-4, on Wednesday.

Jordan Goodine was the winning pitcher.

Henderson Lentz had two hits and two RBIs, while Corbin Smith knocked in three runs.

•••

A.L. Brown won in extra innings against Concord, 4-3, at Intimidators Stadium in the annual  Jonathan Foundation contest.

Justin Rodgers started a triple play and scored the winning run.

Prep track

North Rowan sprinter Payton Russell signed with   North Carolina A&T on Wednesday.

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East Rowan’s Faith Faller will sign with Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday.

Prep basketball

North Rowan’s Aundrea Godfrey signed with Belmont Abbey on Wednesday.

Prep football

North Rowan’s Steven Thurston will be going to Catawba instead of Averett.

Coach Curtis Walker made the announcement on  Wednesday.

Prep softball

In a 7-2 South Piedmont Conference loss to Hickory Ridge on Wednesday, Maci Cooper had two hits for Carson and Katie Jewell had two RBIs.

Riley Stewart pitched  a complete game.

Gracyn Polk homered for the Bulls. Breezy Yelton was the winning pitcher.

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Coryn Soul had two hits, including a homer, in East Rowan’s 10-1 SPC loss to Central Cabarrus.

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In a 4-0 SPC loss to Cox Mill on Wednesday, Rileigh Ward, Riley Corriher and Mataya Reynolds had hits for South Rowan.

Madison Michael struck out nine for Cox Mill.

Whitley Arnott struck out eight for the Raiders.

•••

McKenzie Barnycastle had three hits for Davie County in a 9-4 Central Piedmont Conference loss to North Davidson on Wednesday. Sierra Ferguson had two RBIs.

Prep tennis

Carson’s Lucas Sides and Hunter Smith qualified for the 3A Midwest Regional on Wednesday in the SPC tournament.

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The Central Carolina Conference Tennis Tournament began Wednesday at the Bingham Tennis Center in Lexington.

Play continues today.

  Singles Semifinals

McGee (Salisbury) vs. Carlson (Lexington)

Worley (Lexington) vs. Weitz (Salisbury)

    Doubles Semifinals

Bennett/Crews (West Davidson) vs. Rodas-Palacios/Archer (Salisbury)

Burton/Drye (Salisbury) vs. Inabinett/Burke (Lexington)