From staff reports

MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan’s baseball team blasted Central Cabarrus 12-2 on Thursday for its 10th straight win.

The Falcons (19-3, 13-2) maintained a one-game lead over East Rowan in an exciting South Piedmont Conference race. West hasn’t lost since being flattened 11-0 by the Mustangs at Staton Field on March 21.

West will conclude the SPC regular season when the Falcons host East on Tuesday, April 22.

West led 7-0 after three innings against the Vikings and was able to cruise to another victory. Brant Graham (5-1) pitched four scoreless innings with one strikeout and no walks. Cole Blevins worked the last two frames and blew away five.

Maddox Moore and Chase Fisher doubled for the Falcons’ only extra-base hits.

Moore had two hits, two walks and four RBIs. He leads off, but the bottom of the lineup was getting on base. Eli Graham had two hits and scored two runs, while Brice Knox also had two hits and two runs.

Carter Durant drove in two, while Brant Graham scored two.

Durant is batting .485 with 26 RBIs. Moore and Blevins have scored 32 runs each.

West is second and East is third in the 3A West RPI rankings. North Iredell is first. Surging Carson has moved up to 13th in those rankings, while Lake Norman Charter is 22nd and South Rowan is trying to hang on to a playoff berth at 29th.

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GRANITE QUARRY — East Rowan’s baseball team scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh and beat Lake Norman Charter 7-6 in South Piedmont Conference baseball on Thursday.

The Knights (10-7, 9-6), who were in first place in the early going this season, scored four runs in the first inning and stayed in control. They still led 6-2 with East down to its final three outs.

But it wasn’t over until it was over. Hunter Goodman’s three-run double climaxed a huge, walk-filled inning for East and a victory that appeared highly unlikely through six frames suddenly materialized.

East had nine hits, while the Knights had seven.

The Mustangs (18-4, 11-3) got two hits and three runs scored from Krys Hernandez. Mason Phelps had three hits and knocked in two runs. Braylen Ketchie and Keaton Walker had one big RBI each.

Phelps started on the mound and allowed six runs, five earned. He struck out six and walked four.

Brady Ailshie (4-0) relieved Phelps in the fifth and was the winning pitcher. The freshman allowed one hit and two walks while getting the last eight outs, five on strikeouts.

Travis Cook pitched six strong innings for the visitors. Freshman Garrett Burris walked four men in the seventh and allowed two hits, including Goodman’s clutch double.