From staff reports

The  1st annual Greater Piedmont Hot Stove League baseball and softball awards dinner will be held in Salisbury on Jan. 25 at  West End Plaza.

The dinner  will honor the top high school  and youth baseball players and teams in Rowan, Cabarrus, Davie, Davidson, Iredell and Stanly counties.

Rowan County native and Charlotte resident Tripp Roakes founded the Greater Charlotte Hot Stove League awards 13 years ago, and the event attracts nearly 800 baseball and softball family members every February.

These evenings of fun and fellowship are designed to bring  the baseball and softball communities together to honor the game and the youth that work hard to excel on and off the field.

“I grew up in Salisbury, it’s where I learned to play the game,” Roakes said.   “The amount of talented baseball and softball players in the Greater Piedmont Area is always high.   Every year I watch so many kids from the Piedmont sign with colleges and then of course this year we all got to watch the Rowan Little League softball teams in the World Series.  I have a lot of special things planned for this new event. With all the negatives and challenges for today’s youth, it’s my honor to hold a positive recognition event to highlight the best and brightest.”

Guests will enjoy dinner, the annual presentation of the Coach Lou Presutti Award, autograph sessions with all the finalists,  a silent auction with exciting items, a Yeti Cooler raffle and fellowship with other members of the baseball and softball communities.

Finalists in all categories will be announced in late December. Tickets are available for sale at www.hotstovedinner.com.

Local golf

Sparked by the stellar play of 1977 Goode-Crowder Labor Day champions Rick Ridenhour and Randy Bingham, the team of Ridenhour, Bingham, Brian Jones, Alan Barefoot and Keith Dorsett shot 15-under  and won the annual Corbin Hills Holiday Texas Scramble, pulling out a pressure-packed one-stoke win over the team of David Dorsett, Todd Deaton, Dwayne McIntyre and Stan Honeycutt.

  “When Randy and I saw that we had been paired together, we knew that if our teammates just helped a little that we had a great chance at a ‘W,’” Ridnehour said.

Barefoot supplied the needed help, making three birdies on the last 11 holes  and helping the winners shoot 12-unde on the homeward nine.

Winning closest to the pin prizes were Dwayne McIntyre, Steve McIntyre, Bingham and Deaton.

The tournament, conducted each December by the Sunday Regulars at Corbin Hills to support local charitable causes, donated $300 to the Salisbury Post Christmas Happiness Fund in memory of their good friend Jeff Surratt.

The 2020 tournament is scheduled for Sunday, Dec.  6, and is open to all golfers.

GARS

GARS members played at the Revival at the Crescent.

Low ‘A’ Flight player was Hal Jordan with a net of 63.47. Low ‘B’  Flight player was Mick Rowell with a net of 64.95. Low ‘C’ Flight player was Ben Moore with a net of 62.88. Low ‘D’ Flight player was Floyd McVey with a net of 61.88. Larry Petrea shot a 73 for low gross score and Floyd McVey shot low net score. Ben Moore 83, shot an 83.

Mid. school  hoops

West Rowan and North Rowan advanced in girls semifinals and will play for the tournament championship at South Rowan High today at 4:30 p.m.

North Rowan and Mooresville advanced in the boys semifinals and will play for the tournament  championship today at South Rowan, following the girls game.

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Erwin’s girls finished the season 11-5 with a 58-22 loss to West Rowan in the semifinals.

Hannah Waddell scored 15 and reached Erwin’s 400-point club.

Mid. school wrestling

West Rowan (15-0) added the conference tournament title to its regular-season championship.

HS girls basketball

North Davidson won against Oak Grove in Tuesday’s Central Carolina Conference game, 51-38.

Emily Hege scored  26 points. Courtney McMillan had 11.

Zaire Jones led the Grizzlies with 11 points.

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Kennedy Calhoun scored 26 points as Hickory Ridge beat Garinger, 74-14, on Tuesday.

HS boys basketball

Jordan Jones scored 16 to lead Ragsdale to a 51-45 win against East Forsyth on Tuesday.

Will Rhodes scored 16 for East Forsyth.

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Ethan Whitaker scored 25 points as Oak Grove upset North Davidson in CCC basketball, 66-58.

Evan Suarez added 15 points.

Jamarien Dalton scored 24 for the Black Knights. Tedric Jenkins had 12.

Pro basketball

Keshun Sherrill (West Rowan) is averaging 23.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in Turkey.

Men’s basketball

Catawba (7-2) will play an 11 a.m. Education Day game today at Goodman Gym against South Atlantic Conference rival Wingate.

Catawba is home Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Southern Wesleyan.

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The Pfeiffer University Falcons hit 16 three-pointers and got 31 points from junior Jamaal David, but it was not enough as Berea College took a 100-94 USA South win at Merner Gym on Tuesday afternoon.

Women’s basketball

Wingate freshman Bryanna Troutman (Salisbury) is third in the SAC in blocked  shots and sixth in rebounding with 8.7 per game. She averages 11.2 points.

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Anderson freshman McKenzie Gadson (Carson)  is averaging 7.0 points and 4.6 rebounds.

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Methodist’s Tyzarea Alexander (Salisbury) leads her team in scoring (13.0 points per game) and rebounding (7.0).

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UNC Pembroke’s Aliyah Farmer (North Rowan) averages 8.9 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds.

   

College volleyball

UNC Pembroke announced four volleyball recruits, including  South Iredell’s Taylor Osborne.

Parks and Rec

The Salisbury Parks and Recreation Department is   accepting registration for its girls (ages 7-15) and coed (ages 5-6)  basketball leagues.

Cost is $30 per participant.  Register  through Jan. 11 at Hall Gym or online at www.salisburync.gov/play.  Practices begin the end of January.

Call 704-638-5289.