Staff report

GRANITE QUARRY — Southern Division American Legion teams Rowan County and Kannapolis will play for the Area III championship on Saturday at Staton Field at 7 p.m.

Rowan (13-4) swept a semifinal series against High Point, taking Game 1 on the right arm of Dylan Driver and Game 2 by riding the red-hot bat of Logan Rogers.

Surging Kannapolis (11-4) knocked off Randolph County. Kannapolis has won its last six contests, including an epic 18-16, 10-inning game at Randolph County on Cale Oehler’s homer. Kannapolis won the clincher against Randolph behind great pitching by Michael Gracer.

Rowan and Kannapolis split their regular-season meetings, with both teams winning on their home fields.

Rowan and Kannapolis represented Area III in the first single-site state tournament held in 2000 in Caldwell County.

The two programs already have qualified to be the Area III representatives for the upcoming state tournament in Cherryville, but Saturday’s contest will determine which team will have the better seed.

 

  Dates  to know 

July 27-Aug. 1 — State tournament, Cherryville

Qualifiers so far — Wilmington, Port City, Rutherford County, Cherrville, Rowan County, Kannapolis, with 2  teams TBD.

Aug. 3-8 — Mid-Atlantic Regional, Asheboro (Host Randolph County, NC champion, Delaware champion, Maryland champion, Pennsylvania champion and runner-up, Virginia champion, New Jersey champion)

Aug. 12-17 — World Series, Shelby