From staff reports

CHINA GROVE — Cole Hales pitched a gem and Logan Rogers hit a two-run homer to lead top-seeded Carson to a 2-0 win against Central Cabarrus in the first round of the 3A state playoffs on  Tuesday.

Hales (9-1) struck out 11 and pitched a three-hitter.

Rogers his hit homer in the third inning, the only damage the Cougars could  do against Central pitcher Evan McGee, who struck out 12.

Carson will host (Asheville) A.C. Reynolds in the second round.

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GREENSBORO — Daniel Durham pitched a complete game and also swung a big bat for West Rowan in a 2-1 win at Western Guilford in the first round of the 3A playoffs on Tuesday.

Durham struck out 10 and walked one.

His solo homer in the third inning put the Falcons ahead 1-0. West made it 2-0 on Payne Stolsworth’s triple and Cameron Graham’s run-scoring single.

Next for the Falcons is a trip to undefeated No. 2 seed Crest.

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CONCORD — Zach Zedalis struck out 13 and pitched Cox Mill to a 2-0 win against South Iredell on Tuesday in the first round of the 3A playoffs.

Cox Mill will host East Rowan in the second round.

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OAKBORO — Jack Fisher pitched a brilliant game for six innings and struck out 10, but Salisbury lost to West Stanly 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh on Tuesday in the first round of the 2A state playoffs.

Trent Wilson led off the seventh with a triple against reliever Bo Rusher and scored on a one-out error.

Salisbury was held to four hits by Cody Kidd and Michael Crayton. Rusher, Blaine Shellhorn, Blake Clark and Parker Lippard had hits for the Hornets.

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WELCOME  — South Rowan ended the season with a 7-4 loss at North Davidson in the first round of the 2A state playoffs on Tuesday.

South scored three runs in the third inning for a 3-all tie, but the Black Knights slowly pulled away.

Losing pitcher Jarrid Nelson drove in three runs for the Raiders, and Drew Huffman hit a solo homer.

Jackson McAllister homered for the Black Knights.

High school softball

CHINA GROVE — Carson won an exciting first round game in the 3A playoffs on Tuesday.

Carson beat Asheboro 3-2, scoring in the bottom of the seventh.

Sierra Ratliff started the seventh with a bunt single,  stole second and got to third on Maci Cooper’s bunt. Ratliff scored the decisive run on a wild pitch.

Kary Hales homered for the Cougars. Doubles by Kaitlyn Honeycutt and Skyler Smith produced Carson’s first run.

Katie Jewell pitched a complete game and struck out six.

Carson, seeded 13th, heads to No. 4 Crest for a second-round game.

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MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan pummeled Sun Valley 11-1 in a first-round 3A game on Tuesday.

Whitley Arnott struck out 14 in five innings and allowed only one hit.

Mary Sobataka homered and drove in three runs. Kenadi Sproul scored three runs. Taylor Walton  and Megyn Spicer drove in two runs each. Hannah Pratt had two hits and two RBIs.

Third-seeded West will be home in the second round against No. 19 Rockingham County.

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KANNAPOLIS — A.L. Brown pounded Cuthbertson 8-0 in a first-round 3A playoff game on Tuesday.

Tali Hagler pitched a three-hitter. Lindsay Wolford drove in three runs. Kaylyn Belfield had three hits. Lauren Ritchie had two RBIs. Kaylee Yow and Kayleigh Skinner had two hits each.

The 10th-seeded Wonders will be play next at No. 7 Southwest Guilford.

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CONCORD — Brantleigh Parrott struck out 13 and pitched a one-hitter as  Central Cabarrus routed Cox Mill 10-0 in a 3A playoff game on Tuesday.

Central, seeded No. 2, plays at home against No. 18 Piedmont in the second round.

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ASHEBORO — Southwestern Randolph scored in the bottom of the seventh to beat East Rowan 2-1 in a first-round 3A playoff game on Tuesday.

Hailee Cagle’s double won the game for Southwestern Randolph. Heaven Maness held the Mustangs to three hits.

Haley Strange pitched a four-hitter for East and drove in the Mustangs’ only run with a double.

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Davie County lost to Hough in the first round of the 4A playoffs on Tuesday.

Hough plays Mooresville in the second round.

 

High school golf

KANNAPOLIS — East Rowan’s Colby Patterson shot 70 and was runner-up in the 3A Midwest Regional held on Tuesday at The Club at Irish Creek.

Patterson moves on to the state tournament at Foxfire Resort and Golf Club on May 13-14.

Mount Tabor’s Bennett Wooten shot 68.

Teams qualifying for the state tournament were Marvin Ridge (304), Cuthbertson (307) and Mount Tabor (310).

East shot 321. West Rowan shot 363.

East’s Austin Miller shot 77, and Alex Miller shot 83.

Davis Tadlock led West with an 85. Jake Carlton shot 86.

Playing as individuals, Carson’s Ethan Scarborough shot 82, while Andrew Burke shot 86.

High school tennis

SALISBURY — Salisbury stayed undefeated on Tuesday by beating Newton-Conover 5-1 in the second round of the 2A dual team state playoffs.

Ethan McGee won a third-set tiebreaker at No. 2 singles, and Sean Archer won a third-set tiebreaker at No. 3 singles.

Archer won the tiebreaker 11-9.

McGee came back after losing the second set to take the tiebreaker 10-4.

At 4 through 6, Leo Schiavinato,   Jander Rodas-Palacios and Juan Salazar won in straight sets.

Roarke Burton lost at No. 1 singles.

The third round is May 13. Salisbury will play at home again, with Ledford or  Winsto-Salem Atkins providing the opposition.

High school soccer

CHINA GROVE — Carson ended the season with a 5-0 loss to Asheville on Tuesday in the first round of the 3A state playoffs.

Junior Legion

Carson Junior Legion sign-ups  and tryouts begin on May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Carson baseball field.

Bring a parent and a birth certificate.

Mid. school football

Knox running back JyMikaah Wells has been named to play in USA Football’s Middle School Bowl Game in Canton, Ohio, in late June.

Wells joins Knox defensive lineman Anthony Dodd  in the game.

Catawba awards

Basketball player Jameel Taylor and tennis player Erisa Onchi led the winners at Catawba’s annual awards ceremony.

Taylor won the  Kirkland Award as Male Athlete of the Year, while Onchi won the Lomax Award for the top female athlete.

  Basketball player Elizabeth Webb and lacrosse player Robert Morrison  were honored with  Wurster Awards for team leadership.

Freshman swimmer Carolin Albers and basketball player Marcell Haskett were honored as newcomers of the year.

Women’s cross country runner Nikki Elminowski was given the Darris Morris Comeback Player of the Year award for returning to action following a hip injury in 2016.

Tennis player Luca Picci and swimmer Marcia-Mariel Erhart received awards for the highest GPAs.

Team MVPs

Baseball —  Jeremy Simpson and Hunter Shepherd

Basketball — Taylor and Webb

Football — Kenyatta Greene

Softball — Jordan Dean

Cross country — Patience Hunt and Kyle Rhodes

Golf — Tanner Bibey and Kaley Barts

Lacrosse — Kevin Geiger and Aryn Dorr

Soccer — Hunter Faust and Jovana Sanchez

Swimming —   Carolin Albers and  Joao Miranda

Tennis —  Ryen Reid  and Sophie Hirsch

Track and field — Darius Turner and MeKayla White

Volleyball — Allison Benton

Cheerleading —  Abby Chopelas

Dance —  MaKenna Pate

Athletic training — Burke Fulcher

Sports information – Hayley Morgan

Volleyball league

Catawba will host an adult beach volleyball league this summer at its new  courts on the college campus.

The league will run from May 20 to June 17 and is open to players 16 and older.

The cost for a coed team of four is $160.

Matches will be played on Monday and Wednesday  from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Register at https://catawba.edu/athletics/beach-volleyball-adult-league/.

Local golf

In Corbin Hills Women’s Golf Association play, Ellen Petrous won the First Flight, with Faye Cline second.

Carolyn Reis won the Second Flight, with Susan Wydner runner-up.

Mid. school soccer

Erwin’s girls defeated Corriher-Lipe 5-0.

Allie Martin led the Eagles with three goals. Tatum James had two goals and an assist. Lindsey Cook had three assists.

Outstanding defense was played by Leila Martin, Mariah Lowder, Anna Hedenskog and Leah Edwards.

Bethany Brady recorded the shutout in goal with four saves.

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Erwin’s boys  defeated Corriher-Lipe  2-0.

Carter Honeycutt scored both Erwin goals.

Great defense was played by Drake Jones, Cole Eagle, Jordan Avalos and Nathan Taylor.   Gavin Gullett recored the shutout with eight saves.