Area Sports Briefs: East baseball, South softball ends seasons in second round

Published 1:43 am Sunday, May 13, 2018

     From staff reports

HIGH POINT — East Rowan’s baseball team was no-hitted by young Southwest Guilford hurlers Easton Morgan and Jacob Shafer on Saturday in the second round of the 3A state playoffs.

East (19-8) still had plenty of baserunners in a 4-2 loss, drawing six walks and benefiting from four errors.

Seeded 11th, East had the bases loaded in the seventh, but Shafer got a strikeout to end the game.

Sixth-seeded Southwest Guilford (23-3) got two RBIs from Mason Chu.

The Cowboys took a 3-0 lead in the early innings and made it 4-0 in the fifth.

East tried to fight back late and got a run in the sixth and another in the seventh.

Will Brown took the loss for the Mustangs.

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Northwest Cabarrus lost to top-seeded Crest, 6-0, on Friday in the 3A playoffs.

Prep softball

OAKBORO — Sophomore Whitley Arnott’s pitching gave South Rowan softbll a chance on Saturday, but top-seeded West Stanly beat the Raiders, 2-0, in the second round of the 2A state playoffs.

Arnott held the power-hitting Colts (24-1) to three hits. She walked three and struck out seven.

The only hits for South (17-10) were by Arnott and Courtney Mullins.

Prep track and field

East Rowan’s Christian Bennett won the discus in the 3A Midwest Regional with an effort of 140 feet, 10 inches and heads to state.

East’s Sam Wall  took second place in the triple jump to qualify for the state championship meet.

The other 3A Rowan qualifiers were Carson’sMikaila Gadson in the 400 and  West Rowan’s Jalen Houston in the 100 hurdles.

Carson wheelchair athlete William Fuller was first in the regional in the 100 and second in the shot put and discus.

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In the 2A Midwest Regional a North Surry, South Rowan’s Madison Lowery finished fourth in the 1600  and qualified for the state championships.

Salisbury had a host of qualifiers with top-four finishes.

Kemuel Sloan was second in the high jump.

Tyrone Johnson took fourth in the 200. Christian Morgan took fourth in the 110 hurdles. Tyvion Wood was fourth in the triple jump.

For Salisbury’s girls, NiTavia Corpening was third in the long jump, and Lexie May was third in the discus.

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In the 1A Midwest Regional at North Stokes, North Rowan’s boys qualified their 4×100 (third) and 4×200  (second) relays  and the 4×400 team (fifth) just missed.

For North’s girls, Lakayla Birst placed second in the high jump to advance to state competition.

Morris gets shot

Romar Morris (Salisbury, UNC) has been signed  by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

The 25-year-old Morris (5-10, 190) will get a shot in the Stampeders rookie camp.

He attended training camp with the  New York Jets in   2016 and 2017.

Morris, male athlete of the year in the state as a high school senior, played his college football at North Carolina, rushing for 1,024 yards and 12 touchdowns on 213 carries. He made 54 receptions for 499 yards and two touchdowns for the Tar Heels and returned 27 kickoffs for 597 yards.

Recruiting seminar

  Rowan-Salisbury high schools will be hosting a college recruiting informational seminar this month through Dynamite Sports called “Guiding the College-Bound Athlete.”

If you’re wondering how to be recruited or wondering what it’s going to take to be eligible to play sports in college, you should attend.

The first seminar is  Monday, May 14, at Salisbury High. Others will be at Carson (May 15), East Rowan (May 16), North Rowan (May 17), South Rowan (May 29) and West Rowan (May 31).

Intimidators

ASHEVILLE — Craig Dedelow had four hits, while Justin Yurchak and Johan Cruz recorded three apiece as the Kannapolis Intimidators beat the Asheville Tourists 11-8 on Saturday.

Dedelow doubled twice and singled twice, scoring two runs.

Down 7-1 in the fifth, Asheville cut into the lead when Bret Boswell hit a two-run double and then scored on a three-run home run by Sean Bouchard.

Following the big inning, the Intimidators extended their lead with three runs in the next half-inning, including a double by Dedelow that scored Laz Rivera.

The Intimidators tacked on another run in the seventh when Cruz scored on a wild pitch.

Jose Nin (2-0) got the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Asheville starter Lucas Gilbreath (3-1) took the loss in the South Atlantic League game.

Tyler Johnson recorded his fifth save of the season.

Kannapolis hit a season-high six doubles in its victory.

With the win, Kannapolis improved to 3-1 against Asheville this season.