From staff reports

Former East Rowan star Ike Freeman’s solo homer in the top of the 10th inning lifted UNC’s baseball team  to a 9-8 win at South Florida on Sunday.

The sophomore infielder went 2-for-2. UNC won two out of three in the season-opening series.

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Catawba lost to Shippensburg on Sunday, 6-4, at Newman Park.

Shippensburg’s five-run  fourth inning wiped out an early 2-0 Catawba lead and proved decisive.

Catawba had 10 hits, with Chance Bowden (Salisbury), Jackson Raper and Jacob Nester getting two each. Nester, Cameron Morrison and Lee Poteat (West Rowan) had RBIs.

Starter Michael Elwell (1-1) was effective except for the one rough inning. He pitched six innings and took the loss.

Catawba (2-9) will travel to Mount Olive on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. game.

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Mars Hill’s Matt Honeycutt (South Rowan) belted his first homer of the season on Sunday in an 11-4 loss to King.

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Trace Hagler (A.L. Brown) was the winning pitcher in relief as UNC Pembroke pulled out a 9-8 win on Sunday against Augusta.

College swimming

The Queens University of Charlotte women’s swimming team won its fourth straight Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship on Saturday.

Senior McKenzie Stevens set an NCAA record in the 200-yard butterfly at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center.

Stevens’ record time of 1:57.62 broke a mark that had stood since the 2014-15 season.

Stevens has been named the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Female Swimmer of the Year.

Women’s basketball

Karleigh Wike (East Rowan) started and played 20 minutes on Senior Day as Richmond beat VCU, 59-54. Wike had five points and three rebounds.

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Amani Ajayi (East Rowan) had 13 points and seven rebounds, but Averett lost to Ferrum, 61-59, in the USA South Tournament to end the season.

Ajayi had 23 points and  13 rebounds on Wednesday as Averett beat Meredith in the first round.

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Alex Allen (Carson) had eight points and six rebounds for Lynchburg in Saturday’s 60-47 loss to Emory & Henry.

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Aliyah Farmer (North Rowan) had 11 points and 11 rebounds for UNC Pembroke in Saturday’s 53-47 win against Clayton State.

Avery Locklear (South Rowan) scored six for the Braves.

Men’s basketball

Tre Williams (Carson) had 12 points and seven rebounds for Claflin in Saturday’s 74-65 win against Benedict.

Claflin finishes the regular season tonight at Paine.

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Will Leckonby (Salisbury) hit three 3-pointers in Guilford’s 89-57 romp against Shenandoah on Saturday.

Guilford plays Shenandoah again in the first round of the ODAC tournament on Tuesday.

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Pfeiffer took a 12-0 lead and romped against Ferrum, 118-87, on Sunday.

The Falcons (20-4) own back-to-back 20-win seasons. Josh Calhoun scored 22 points.

On Saturday, Pfeiffer made 23 3-pointers and crushed N.C. Wesleyan, 132-76. Blake Smith scored 27 for the Falcons.

  

College softball

After four splits, Catawba picked up its first sweep on Sunday, with two blowouts of Barton.

Catawba (6-4) won 11-3 and 11-0 with both games stopped after five innings by the 8-run rule.

Game 1

Jordan Dean’s two-run double in the fifth ended the game early.

Taylor Martin (West Rowan) and Grace Holland drove in two runs apiece, while Allie Baker (A.L. Brown) and Carlee Brawley scored three each.

Kaylee Cook (A.L. Brown) and Leah Huggins hit triples.

Madison Hunter (Gray Stone) won her third straight decision, with relief help from Anna Jasper.

Game 2

Brooke Walser (2-3)  pitched a shutout and the Indians cruised after scoring eight runs in the first inning.

Dean went 3-for-3. Delane Smith and Cook drove  in two runs. Cook had her second triple of the day.

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Western Carolina’s Hunter Gibbons (West Rowan) hit her 18th career homer on opening day against Eastern Illinois. She’s in the all-time top 10  for homers at WCU.

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Pfeiffer finally opened with two wins in Georgia, sweeping Centre and Birmingham Southern at the Piedmont Classic. Kiana Millsaps  won both games in the circle.

College lacrosse

Kristin Gobbi scored with 2:04 left as UVA-Wise won a see-saw women’s lacrosse match, 13-12,over visiting Catawba (1-2) on Sunday afternoon at Carl Smith Stadium.

Catawba hosts Mount Olive on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

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Catawba’s men  (0-2) lost 15-3 to Mount Olive on Saturday despite three goals by Dalton Cook.

College track

The South Atlantic Conference men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams will converge on the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem for the inaugural SAC Indoor Track and Field Championships today.

All 11 SAC institutions will be represented in the championships, which will feature 16 men’s events and 16 women’s events.

  

Local golf

The McCanless Couples played a Captains Choice on the nicest Sunday of the year so far.

Terrol Kendall, Melinda Rigger and Gene & Mary Seaford took first place.

The second-place team was  Crystal Clement,Larry Cliffton, David Huneycutt and Azalee Story.

Closest to the pin winner  was Clement.

Prep baseball

Carson pitcher Maddux Holshouser plans to sign with UNC Greensboro on April 12.

Prep basketball

Carson and Salisbury play home doubleheaders as the playoffs get started on Tuesday. Girls games will start at 6 p.m.

North Rowan’s boys are at home for a 6 p.m.game against Mitchell.

On the road are West Rowan’s boys and girls, South Rowan’s girls and Davie’s boys.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. for the West Rowan boys game at Charlotte Catholic.

See today’s Scoreboard or go online to view all the first-round pairings for the West.