From staff reports
Former East Rowan and Rowan County American Legion pitcher Spencer Steedley has earned a promotion from low Class A Beloit to high Class A Fort Myers in the Florida State League.
Steedley, a 25th-round pick by the Minnesota Twins out of Charlotte in 2007, began his pro career last summer at Elizabethon in the Appalachian League. He was 2-3 with a 2.92 ERA and struck 51 batters while walking 12 in 37 innings.
Steedley, 23, began this season at Beloit in the Midwest League and was named to play in the league’s all-star game. He was 5-3 with eight saves and a 2.14 ERA. The 6-2, 194-pound southpaw pitched in 31 games for Beloit and fanned 59 batters while walking 17.
Steedley debuted with Fort Myers in a 6-3 victory against Vero Beach on Tuesday. Steedley pitched to two batters in the eighth inning and recorded one out while allowing one hit.
Catawba graduate Sean Fox is the “Voice of the Miracle” on Web and radio broadcasts.
* Zach Ward (A.L. Brown) is one rung above Steedley in the Twins’ organization at New Britain.
Ward, who has been moved back to the starting rotation after a strong run in the bullpen, took a loss on Monday when New Britain fell 5-3 to Connecticut. Ward allowed two runs and seven hits while striking out five in five innings. Ward is 2-5 with a 3.45 ERA.
* Jerry Sands (Catawba) hit his fourth homer, a two-run shot to left in the fifth inning, to help the Gulf Coast League Dodgers beat the Cardinals 10-9 on Tuesday.
* Garrett Sherrill (A.L. Brown) fell to 0-4 on Tuesday. He allowed two runs in two innings in Helena’s 4-3 loss against Great Falls.
– Intimidators lose
The Kannapolis Intimidators lost 11-8 at Columbus on Tuesday.
The Catfish scored the go-ahead run on an eighth-inning balk.
Jim Gallagher hit a two-run homer for the Intimidators in the sixth. Eduardo Escobar and Brent Morel had two hits apiece.
Kannapolis plays at Columbus again tonight.
– College baseball
Former North Rowan and Rowan Legion standout Jason Ridenhour is transferring from Methodist to Wilkes Community College.
As a senior at North in 2007, Ridenhour batted .466, scored 33 runs and had a 4-3 record on the mound.
He was used mostly as a pitcher at Methodist as a freshman and was 2-0 in 10 mound appearances. He was 2-for-13 at the plate.
– Legion baseball
The South Rowan-Concord and Kannapolis-Mooresville American Legion games were postponed by rain and lightning on Tuesday.
South will be at Concord tonight, and Mooresville will be at Kannapolis. South and Mooresville won the openers in the best-of-five series.
– Wood bat leagues
Carolina-Virginia
Zeb Link (West Rowan, Catawba) is playing for the Fuquay-Varina Twins.
Link is 5-for-18 in his first five games for the Twins.
Cape Cod
Former Stanly County Legion player Russell Brewer has been a dominating closer for the Hyannis A’s this summer with nine saves in nine appearances.
Brewer has allowed no runs and five hits in 10 innings.
Brewer, who was 4-3 with eight saves for Vanderbilt this season, played AAU ball in Kannapolis with a state-championship team that included Kyle Seager, Garrett Sherrill, Ryan Query and Daniel Wagner.
* UNC’s Seager (NW Cabarrus) is batting .400 with four RBIs in his first six games with the Chatham A’s.
* South Carolina’s Whit Merrifield (Davie) is batting .182 in 15 games for Yarmouth-Dennis.
Virginia’s Greg Miclat, brother of West Rowan and Rowan Legion standout Philip Miclat, is batting .325 for Yarmouth-Dennis but is sidelined with a broken finger.
Southern Collegiate
Morganton’s Craige Lyerly (East Rowan, Catawba) has been named to the North team for the upcoming SCBL All-Star Game. Lyerly is batting .408 with two homers, 16 RBIs and 10 steals in 28 games.
Lake Norman’s Jerod Faggart and Nick Daniels were also named to the North squad. Faggart and Daniels are former Northwest Cabarrus and Kannapolis Legion players who now play for Appalachian State.
Coastal Plain
Alex Fairweather (Catawba) pitched eight innings to lead Asheboro to a 5-1 victory over Forest City on Monday.
Belmont’s Wagner (South Rowan) and Chris Ahearn (Catawba) had two hits each for Asheboro.
– L-R to play Duke
Defending SAC regular-season champion Lenoir-Rhyne will play Duke on Nov. 5 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in a men’s basketball exhibition game.
L-R athletics director Neill McGeachy coached Duke in the 1973-74 season that included the historic overtime loss to North Carolina at Carmichael Auditorium when Duke had an eight-point lead with 17 seconds to go in regulation.
– GARS
Eighty-two members played a GARS event at Corbin Hills Golf Club on Monday.
Taking first place with 14-under was the team of Buddy Barger, Winsten Mahaffey, Ben Moore and Norman Schenk.
The second-place team at 12-under consisted of Tom Longo, Ken Miller, Larry Morris and Gene Poplin.
The team of Bobby Clark, Dick Hatoway, Art Hattaway and Harold Hattaway tied for third at 9-under with the team of Butch Adams, Andy Anderson, Paul Dombrowski and J.C. Hilton.
O.J. Chandler and Barger won the closest-to-the-pin holes. Boyce Caudle made the longest putt on No. 9.
– Corbin Hills golf
The Corbin Hill Ladies Golf Association played an inter-club event on Tuesday.
Eight clubs participated in a low gross and low net Texas Scramble.
Winning first low gross was the team of Mary Seaford, Carolyn Williams, Marie Pugh and Debbie Triplett.
Winning low net was the team of Jane Fesperman, Bert Wagoner, Norma Burgess and Sheryl Johnson. Beth Calhoun, Ollie Owens and DJ Whitfield finished with second low net, and the team of Wanda Sanders, Lynda Lynch, Joy Maughmer and Anna Robinson took third.
Susan Morris and Johnson had the longest drives. Closest to the pin went to Triplet. Sam Pecott and Morris won for the longest putts.
– Rowan Junior Golf
Fifty-three golfers participated in the Rowan Junior Open Championships held at The Club at Irish Creek and Warrior.
Chad Blankenbeker made a 3-foot putt on No. 18 to nip Alex Nianouris by one shot for top honors among boys ages 14-15. Blankenbeker shot 146 for two rounds.
Taking the boys 16-18 age group was Ben Morrison of Mooresville with a two- day total of 155.
Eric Edwards of Salisbury turned in the low round of the event Tuesday with a 2-under 69 and won the 11-13 boys title with a 142.
In the boys 8-10 division, Davis Richards of China Grove outlasted Stephen Carroll of Kannapolis with a 76 to come out on top.
The overall girls division was paced by N.C. Junior champion Hayley Hammond of Lake Norman High with a two-day total of 152.
Isabella Rusher of Salisbury took the 11-13 girls crown with a 194. In the 8-10 girls group, Grace Yatawara of Salisbury shot 105 to finish first.
– South Rowan soccer
The South Rowan boys soccer program will hold voluntary workouts for all returning and incoming players beginning on July 15 from 6:30-8 p.m.
All players attending should bring a ball and plenty of water. Workouts are for returning players and all rising freshmen interested in playing during the 2008 season. Workouts will take place at the practice field behind James Donnell Stadium.