From staff reports

ALBEMARLE — North Rowan’s baseball team won the debut for new coach Mike DeSantis on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers took a 6-1 victory at Albemarle in a Yadkin Valley Conference game.

McGwire Smith pitched a complete game. He struck out 14 and allowed four hits.

Albemarle scored in the first inning on an RBI by Crafton Mansfield.

North tied the game in the second, took a 3-1 lead in the third and added three insurance runs in the seventh.

Jordan Goodine had two hits and two RBIs for the Cavaliers. Sydney Patton went 2-for-3 and scored two runs. Brett Tucker had a hit and two walks and scored twice out of the leadoff spot.

Goodine and Patton also were defensive standouts.

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MOUNT PLEASANT — Carson lost at Mount Pleasant, 8-2, on Wednesday in a non-conference game.

Maddux Holshouser struck out nine in three innings for the Cougars and exited with the game tied at 1-all.

Cole Hales took the loss in relief. Mount Pleasant had a six-run fifth inning that proved decisive.

Luke Barringer had two hits, including a homer, for  the Cougars.

Clayton Gilmore’s sacrifice fly plated Owen White with Carson’s first run.

Grayson Huneycutt was strong on the mound for the Tigers, and Chance Daquila produced two RBIs.

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THOMASVILLE — South Rowan pulled out a 7-6 Central Carolina Conference decision at East Davidson in eight innings.

Matthew Donohue was stellar  on the mound and had a 4-0 lead after five innings. He pitched into the sixth and left with the lead. Errors allowed East Davidson to battle back and send the game to extra innings.

Jarrid Nelson, who relieved Donohue in the sixth, went the rest of the way to earn the win.

Nelson, Andrew Jones, Jaxon Miller, Bryson Bebber, Eli Hiskey had two hits each for the Raiders.

Nelson’s single in the eighth knocked in the game-winner.

“We kicked it around a little bit, but Matthew pitched great, Andrew Jones ran down a lot of balls in center field, and we were able to bounce back for the win,” South coach Thad Chrismon said. “We’ve got a bunch of young kids, but we were OK for our first game.”

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SALISBURY — Salisbury destroyed Thomasville, 19-0, in three innings in a CCC game.

Jack Fisher struck out seven and pitched a one-hitter. The hit was on a swinging bunt. Fisher struck out the side on nine pitches in the third to end the game.

Chandler Lippard led the Salisbury offense with three hits and five RBIs. Griffin Myers had two hits and four RBIs.

“We really hit it,” Salisbury coach Mike Herndon said. “No homers, but we smoked a lot of doubles and triples. And Fisher looked good on the mound. He’s improved a lot.”

Prep softball

THOMASVILLE — South Rowan’s softball team won at East Davidson, 4-2, in Central Carolina Conference action on Wednesday.

The big blow for the Raiders  was a three-run homer by slugger Mataya Reynolds.

Summer McKeon had three hits.

Sophomore Whitley Arnott was dominant in the circle, striking out 15 Golden Eagles and allowing two hits.

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SALISBURY — Salisbury lost to Thomaville, 19-10, in a CCC game.

Ellen Yang was the bright spot for the Hornets. In her first varsity game, she hit two homers and had seven RBIs.

Prep soccer

SALISBURY — Salisbury girls soccer is reloading after losing two of the top scorers in school history in Ceci Cardelle and Katie Bullock.

The Hornets played in the rain on Wednesday and won against Thomasville, 9-0, in a Central Carolina Conference game.

“The largely expanded CCC is especially difficult to schedule in the spring,” Salisbury coach Matt Parrish said. “Having to play in conditions that are less than ideal will be a constant presence throughout the season.”

Salisbury romped with a mix of old and new. Seven different players scored, with Freya Obermuller and Caroline Cardelle scoring two each.

Caroline is the fourth Cardelle to score for the Hornets.

Anna Grace Woolly’s assist to Obermuller, just three minutes in, gave the Hornets the lead for good.

Woolly, Julia Honeycutt, Maria Capito, Piper Muire and Olivia Dagenhart scored a goal each.

Muire, Lillie Rusher and Ellen Simons had assists. Emily Mann got the shutout in goal. Elle Kennedy was outstanding.

Salisbury is scheduled to play at West Davidson tonight at 6 p.m.

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THOMASVILLE — South Rowan soccer rolled at East Davidson, 7-2, in CCC action on Wednesday.

Sophomore Madison Henry got off to a great start with four goals and two assists.

Taylor Mauldin had a goal and an assist.

Rhi Kimmer and Mary Jester scored goals. Raquel Landaverde had two assists.

Salisbury basketball

The Salisbury basketball team will face Forest Hills in the 2A Western Regional championship game on Saturday at UNC Greensboro’s Fleming Gymnasium.

Admission is $9.  Only NCHSAA passes will be accepted.

The address:

Fleming Gymnasium  1408 Walker Ave.

Greensboro, NC 27412.

Women’s hoops

HARROGATE, Tenn. —  Catawba’s women’s basketball season ended on Wednesday with a 76-67 loss at Lincoln Memorial.

The Indians (14-14) fell in the opening round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

Catawba was seeded fifth, while the Railsplitters (18-10) were the No. 4 seed.

Seniors Brianna Hodges (18 points) and Serena Brown (16) led the Indians.

Shea Coker had 16 points and Dasia Maxwell and Jordan Brightwell scored 14 each for LMU, which moves on to face No. 1 seed Carson-Newman in a semifinal.

Catawba shot 38 percent and was 6-for-21 on 3-pointers. The Indians forced 24 turnovers, but they were demolished on the boards, 57-29.

Lincoln Memorial led at the break, 40-34.

CATAWBA (67) — Hodges 18, Brown 16, Hallman 9, DeShazo 7, Stanback 6, Webb 5, Barnes 3, Franklin 3, McCollough.

LMU (76) — Coker 16, Brightwell 14, Maxwell 14, Griffith 10, Hines 9, Dubose 8, Mathis 5.

Catawba   20  14   19   14  — 67

LMU           24  16  17   19  — 76

Women’s hoops

  LATROBE, Pa. – The Pfeiffer women’s basketball team finished 20-5.

The Falcons lost 73-50 at Saint Vincent in the first round of the ECAC tournament on Wednesday.

In the loss, junior center Grayson Harris became the program’s all-time leader in blocked shots with 103.

Pfeiffer shot 26.6 percent. Senior point guard Dajea Scott finished with 14 points.

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Avery Locklear (South Rowan) scored eight points and Aliyah Farmer (North Rowan) scored six in UNC Pembroke’s 58-49 loss to North Georgia. The loss ended the season for the Braves.

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Senior Karleigh Wike (East Rowan) helped Richmond win its first-round tournament game against Davidson.

Wike has topped 300 points and 300 rebounds in her career and has 65 blocks for the Spiders.

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Texas Tech’s Brielle Blaire (North Rowan) scored 10 points in a Senior Night loss to Kansas State.

Blaire has scored in double figures 12 times this season.

Men’s hoops

For the third consecutive week, the South Atlantic Conference earned three of the top five spots in the   Southeast Region men’s basketball poll.

Lincoln Memorial earned the No. 1 spot in the poll once again, followed by Queens at No. 2 and Carson-Newman at No. 5.

Catawba lacrosse 

  Catawba outplayed host Belmont Abbey over the final 40 minutes, but an early 7-0 deficit was too much to overcome in a 15-12 loss to the Crusaders in women’s lacrosse action on Wednesday night at Alumni Field.

Catawba (2-4) got two goals each from Nicole Hunt and Gianna Pezzulo.

Raffle

The Coast to Coast Life Skills fundraising raffle is in its final days.

The drawing is March 3.

Proceeds go to feed the hungry in Rowan County and Hampton Roads, Va.

First prize is a 50-inch Samsung Smart television, and there also are prizes for second and third.

Ticket sales are $5 or 5 tickets for $20.

For information on ticket outlets email www.dontemintersuccesscoach. com or call 757-547-6616.