From staff reports
High-profile baseball players Micah Jarrett and Billy Veal will be changing schools this fall.
Jarrett (East Rowan) is leaving Wake Forest to enroll at Pitt Community College in Greenville, where he’ll join former East teammates Trey Holmes and Zach Smith.
Jarrett played in 30 games as a freshman outfielder for the Demon Deacons, starting 15 between knee and shoulder injuries. He batted . 214 with two doubles, five RBIs and four steals.
Jarrett batted .410 with six homers, 39 RBIs and 15 steals for East’s state runner-up team in 2008, then hit eight home runs for the Rowan County Legion team.
Jarrett planned to spend this summer playing for the Gastonia Grizzlies, a wood bat team in the Coastal Plain League, but he was sidelined by a shoulder injury the opening week. The diagnosis was a torn labrum.
Surgery has repaired the injury, but Jarrett isn’t expected to be close to 100-percent healthy until February or March.
Jarrett was certain to miss fall practice at Wake Forest, and with a new coaching staff unfamiliar with him taking charge, he was concerned with falling on the depth chart and wasting a year of eligibility.
Jarrett will have a less demanding academic load at Pitt compared to Wake, and that will allow him valuable time to rehab his injury. He hopes to play for Pitt’s nationally ranked team next spring, prove he’s healthy and move on to a four-year school.
n Veal (North Rowan) is transferring from Division II Lander in Greenwood, S.C., to Wilkes Community College.
Veal has been in the pitching rotation for Rowan this summer and is 3-0 with a 3.35 ERA. He’s also batting .415 with 12 RBIs in 53 at-bats.
Veal excelled as a freshman relief pitcher for Lander, posting a 4-0 record in 20 appearances with a 3.57 ERA.
He’s switching to Wilkes for multiple reasons. It’s closer to home, it’s far more affordable and there’s a chance he could swing the bat in addition to pitching for coach Seth Graham’s Cougars, who are coming off the best season in school history.
Veal also will be reunited with former teammates, including catcher Jacob Dobbins, who was one of the standouts in Wilkes’ lineup this season.
Veal will have one year of eligibility at Wilkes and should have opportunities at a four-year program after that.
n Intimidators lose
A pair of major leaguers were not enough on Tuesday night at historic Grayson Stadium, as Kannapolis fell to the Savannah Sand Gnats 2-0.
Former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon worked seven innings for the Intimidators, giving up a pair of sixth-inning runs. Colon struck out eight and walked one, taking the loss in his second rehab start. Colon is in the process of returning from a knee injury that has kept him out of the Chicago White Sox’s lineup since June 9.
Savannah got to Colon in the sixth, picking up back-to-back extra-base hits from Raul Reyes and Jefry Marte.
Savannah starter Kyle Allen got rehabbing Carlos Quentin to ground into a fielder’s choice in his lone official at-bat. Quentin walked twice. He finished his rehab stint with Kannapolis 1-for-3.
Three Sand Gnat relievers combined to finish off the shutout. Rhiner Cruz picked up his 16th save.
n Legion baseball
Mooresville pounded out 21 hits and still lost to High Point 14-13 in 12 innings in the opener of a best-of-five playoff series to determine one of Area III’s state-tournament representatives.
Mooresville ace Nick Lomascolo walked six batters early and was lifted in the third inning. Taylor Thurber and Ross Whitley also pitched for the Moors.
The Moors overcame deficits of 6-0 and 10-4 and scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. Mooresville, which had a nine-game winning streak snapped, pulled off a triple play in the fourth.
Ian Walters will pitch for the Moors tonight. No. 2 starter Wes Dumford is on a mission trip.
n Mooresville eliminated Rowan’s Junior Legion team.n Gold medalists
Marianne Abdalah, 10, won gold medals in the 800 and 1500 meter runs in the bantam girls division at the AAU Regional National Qualifier held in Knoxville, Tenn., over the weekend.
Abdalah advanced to the Junior Olympics Track and Field Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, in both events. Abdalah placed eighth in the 1500 last year.
n Payton Russell won gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400 in the bantam girls division at Knoxville and is also headed to Des Moines. Russell was a national medalist in the 100, 200 and 400 at last year’s games. She competes with the Salisbury Speedsters Track Club.n Rowan Amateur
Keith Dorsett and Roy Dixon led stroke-play qualifying for the Horace Billings Rowan Amateur Golf Tournament at Corbin Hills with 69s.
Dorsett recorded eight pars and an eagle to top Dixon in a nine-hole playoff for medalist honors. Dixon was 4-over.
Terry Mulkey and Joe Harrell shot 83s and advanced in a sudden-death playoff with Rick Adams for the final spot in the 32-man field.
Match play begins this weekend. Qualifiers are listed in Scoreboard.
n Corbin Hills golf
A Captain’s Choice golf tournament played at Corbin Hills on Tuesday was won by the team of Gail Capone, Monica Green, Joy Maughmer and Mary Seaford.
The second-place team was Nancy Carlton, Donna Devlieger, Eileen Full and Azalee Story.
n Junior golf
Salisbury’s Eric Edwards split his two matches in the N.C. Boys 13-under championships held at Asheboro Golf Club on Tuesday.
Edwards shot a 75 in his first match, beating Raleigh’s Will Minton in 11 holes.
Edwards then lost 3-2 in the quarterfinals to Will Blalock of Gastonia. Blalock eventually made the final, falling to High Point’s Tanner Owen 3 and 2.
In the fourth flight, Advance’s Benji Schlottman beat Charlotte’s Tyler Murphy in 10 holes for the championship.
n Hole-in-one
Landis’ Brad Bebber recently made a hole-in-one on No. 17 at Wyboo Golf Club in Manning, S.C. He will receive a parchment signed and sealed by S.C. governor Mark Sanford.n North Middle football
Anyone in grades 7-8 wishing to play football at North Rowan Middle School should attend an organizational meeting at the school on Monday, July 20.
All prospects need to bring a copy of their birth certificate and a copy of a physical from the past year. Parents should attend.
Voluntary skill sessions will begin July 21.Contact Kent Ryan at 245-2658.
n East boosters
The East Rowan Booster Club is selling National Wild Turkey Federation raffle tickets for $10 apiece. All proceeds go to East Rowan Booster Club. Tickets will be on sale until July 23 at the school front office. Call 704-279-5232 for information.