High school softball: Five Rowan teams in playoffs

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Staff report

West Rowan is the No. 4 seed for the 3A West softball state playoffs.

Te Falcons (18-3-1) took the South Piedmont Conference regular season and tournament championships and have won 13 in a row.

West will play host to 29th-seeded Forestview, a Gastonia school, on Tuesday in the first round. Forestview (13-10) was the fifth-place team in a strong Big South Conference that includes Crest, Kings Mountain and Stuart Cramer.

Carson is seeded 11th in the 3A West bracket. The Cougars (15-8) will host Ledford (10-8). The Panthers, from rural Davidson County, are seeded 22nd.

East Rowan (14-8) is seeded 17th. The Mustangs were on the bubble to get a first-round home game, but they will have to travel to Belmont to take on 16th-seeded Stuart Cramer (15-8) in the first round.

South Rowan (13-9) is seeded 23rd in the 3A West bracket and will travel to Welcome to play North Davidson (14-5), a perennial powerhouse. The Black Knights were runner-up to Oak Grove in the Mid-Piedmont Conference.

North Rowan made the 1A West playoff bracket as the No. 31 seed. The Cavaliers (5-8) will travel to Norwood to play No. 2 seed South Stanly (21-3). South Stanly was the champion of the 1A/2A Yadkin Valley Conference.

In 4A softball, Grater Metro tournament champion Mooresville should be a tough out as the No. 11 seed. The Blue Devils host No. 22 Mallard Creek on Tuesday.

GMC regular season champ Hickory Ridge is the No. 1 seed in the 4A West bracket and hosts No. 32 Sun Valley.

Davie County is the No. 13 seed and is home in the first round against No. 20 Porter Ridge.

Salisbury’s season ended at 10-12. The Hornets were 40th in the 2A West RPI rankings.