From staff reports

SHELBY — Owen White homered in the top of the first inning, but that would be Carson’s only lead in a 9-5 loss at Crest on Saturday.

Crest (17-6) answered White’s homer with two long balls in the bottom of the first against Carson starter Cameron Prugh. Logan McNeely hit a two-run homer and Ben Ledbetter unloaded a three-run blast for a 5-1 lead.

Carson temporarily got back into the 3A second-round playoff game with a three-run third inning, but it was 8-4 after Crest got three more in the fourth inning. The Chargers rolled on from there.

Crest has been on a serious hot streak. Saturday’s win was the 11th in a row for the Chargers. They’ve averaged 10 runs per game during their winning streak, and they also hit two first-inning homers in the first round of the state playoffs.

Prugh was knocked out in the fourth and was charged with seven hits, four walks and eight earned runs. He struck out three. Maddux Holshouser pitched the rest of the way. He allowed one run on two hits. He walked three and struck out one.

White had three of Carson’s nine hits and finished the season with a .473 batting average and 22 RBIs. Luke Barringer drove in two runs. Brycen Holshouser went 2-for-3 and knocked in a run. Ben Shoaf and Clayton Gilmore had a hit each.

Carson finished 20-8, the fourth time in 11 seasons the Cougars have won 20 or more under coach Chris Cauble. Carson has finished first or second in its conference the last seven years, and the Cougars won the recent South Piedmont Conference Tournament.

Crest advances to play at Ledford in the third round.

Carson        103   001    0   — 5   9   1

Crest          500   301    x    — 9   9   2

L — Prugh (2-3).

HR — White (2), McNeely, Ledbetter.

Leading hitters — Carson: O. White 3-for-4, B. Holshouser 2-for-3, Barringer 2 RBIs.

•••

WALLBURG — Hard-throwing Ledford sophomore lefty Chris Villaman struck out 14 of the 21 South Rowan hitters he faced and pitched a perfect game against the Raiders on Saturday.

Ledford scored three runs in the first inning of the 3A second-round game against South starter Tyler Shepherd (3-1) and rolled to a 7-0 victory.

Ledford (24-3) added a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and another in the sixth. The Panthers totaled 11 hits. Jake Stroud had three hits. Logan Whitaker knocked in two runs.

Ledford hosts Crest next.

South finished 18-11 for its sixth straight winning season.

It was South’s last team sport outing in 3A for the foreseeable future. The Raiders will be in the 2A Central Carolina Conference in the fall, a league that also will include Ledford and North Davidson, which is still rolling in the 4A playoffs.

S. Rowan     000  000 0   — 0   0   2

Ledford      300   121   x    — 7  11   0

 

•••

A.L. Brown’s season ended on Saturday with a 9-1 loss at Providence in the second round of the 4A state playoffs.

Providence broke it open with a six-run fourth.

Drake Vernon (2-4)  took the loss for the Wonders (20-7).

Justin Rodgers had two of the Wonders’ four hits.

Robby Clarke drove in the run for A.L. Brown in the third inning. Clarke, a  Pfeiffer signee, had a team-leading 21 RBIs.

Providence (23-6) plays Myers Park in the third round,

A.L. Brown     001   000  0   — 1  4      1

Providence    120    600  x    — 9   12   1