From staff reports

Tennessee’s Daniel Boone Little League softball team won against Rowan, 4-3, in the Southeast Regional  championship game on Monday morning and earned a trip to the World Series in Portland, Oregon.

It was a surprising loss in that Rowan, which finished its season with a 10-1 record, had beaten Tennessee, 19-1, a day earlier.

Rowan went 3-1 in the regional in Warner Robins, Ga., while Tennessee was 4-1.

Tennessee survived an elimination game with West Virginia on Sunday night to reach the championship game.

The regional format was modified double elimination. Teams were eliminated from the tournament with their second loss, but once it got down to the championship game, it was winner-take-all.

The difference-maker for the Tennessee team was pitcher Kayleigh Musser. Rowan had pounded three  Tennessee hurlers on Sunday for 21 hits, but Musser didn’t pitch in that game.

Musser only struck out two Rowan hitters, but she only walked one, held Rowan to three hits and pitched a complete game.

Tennessee took a 3-0 lead in the third inning.

Rowan cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fourth when Cailynn Winford belted a  two-out, two-run triple.

Campbell Schaen tied the game at 3-all in the top of the fifth with a clutch hit.

Chloee Stoner had Rowan’s only other hit.

Tennessee scored the deciding run in the bottom of the fifth on an inside-the-park homer by Kyleigh Bacon.

Rowan went down 1-2-3 in the sixth, with Kendall Robinson lining out to the left fielder to end the game.

Schaen started in the circle for Rowan, but gave way to reliever Karsen Simpson, in the third. Simpson took the loss on that fifth-inning homer.

Despite Monday’s setback, Rowan Little League  has enjoyed a great run of success in the 11-12 age group.

Rowan has won five straight state championships and had won three straight regionals to travel  to the World Series.

Rowan won the World Series in 2015 and came close in 2016 and 2017.

Rowan’s roster included Emma Clarke, Emma Rae Cline,  Ashlee Ennis,  Brooke Piper, Lexie Ritchie,   Robinson,  Schaen,  Simpson,  Stoner, Lauren Vanderpool,  Ella Wilkinson,  Winford and Ashley Yang.

Steve Yang was the manager. He was assisted by Josh Schaen and Brandon Piper.

Legion baseball

Wilmington Post 10  beat Shelby, 8-3, for the state championship at Finch Field on Monday.

Shelby Post 82 may have been out of gas after its draining win against Rowan County in a semifinal that started on Sunday night and dragged into Monday morning after a three-hour rain delay.

Jac Croom had three hits for Wilmington, and Price King gave Post 10 a strong effort on the mound, pitching into the sixth. Wilmington won for the first time since 2012-13 when it took back-to-back state titles.

Wilmington joins host Randolph County in the regional at McCrary Park. The regional starts Aug. 8.

Intimidators

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Tyler Frost hit a tiebreaking single in the fourth inning for the Kannapolis Intimidators in a 2-1 win over the Augusta GreenJackets on Monday.

Kannapolis southpaw Drew Harrington (7-4) picked up the win.

after allowing one run on four hits over five innings. Opposing starter John Gavin (5-5) took the loss in the South Atlantic League game after allowing two runs and three hits over four innings.