Local sports digest

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on April 5, 2006 2:19 PM

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Grantham's squeeze bunt lifts Saints past Hunt

DUDLEY -- Lynn Grantham executed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt and scored Haley Fail in Southern Wayne's come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over previously-unbeaten Hunt in nine innings on Tuesday evening.

The Saints (10-5) handed the Warriors (13-1) their first defeat on the Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference scene. Both teams are 3-1 in league play.

Fail ripped a lead-off single to start the ninth and advanced to second on a wild pitch. She moved to third on a third-strike passed ball and scooted home when Grantham bunted down the third-base line. Fail emerged one of five Saints to collect at least one hit against Hunt junior right-hander Brittany Farmer. Brianna Loftin batted 2-for-4, while Alyssa Bradshaw contributed two hits. Rachel Reynolds provided two hits and an RBI in three plate appearances.

Farmer posted 10 strikeouts for Hunt.

Lauren Darden doubled in four at-bats and claimed the pitching win. The right-hander struck out eight and yielded two unearned runs on four hits.

"It was a great game on both sides," said Southern Wayne coach Brad Matthews. "It's one of those games you'd like to sit back and watch as a fan."

Southern Wayne continues play Friday at county rival and defending ECC champion Charles B. Aycock. Game time is 6 p.m.

Hunt 200 000 000 -- 2 4 1

So. Wayne 001 010 001 -- 3 8 1

Leading hitters -- Hunt -- Earl 1-2; Farmer 1-4; Capps 1-1; Holland 1-3, Joyner RBI; Winborne RBI. Southern Wayne -- Brianna Loftin 2-4; Alyssa Bradshaw 2-3; Rachel Reynolds 2-3, RBI; Lauren Darden 1-4, 2B.

IP H R ER BB SO

Hunt

Farmer (L) 81/3 8 3 1 2 10

Southern Wayne

Darden (W) 9 4 2 0 3 8

Golden Falcons

blank Warriors

PIKEVILLE -- Jasmine Dobbin and Shelly Lancaster each slugged a home run over the center field fence, and C.B. Aycock rolled past county rival Eastern Wayne 16-0 in Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference play Tuesday afternoon.

Dobbin collected two RBI, while Lancaster finished the day 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Brittani Edgerton provided two hits and two RBI. Leigh Smith batted 2-for-4 and Heather Farmer tripled in a 2-for-3, three-RBI showing. Brittany Ford, Chelsey Byers, Rusti Talton, Stevie Savage and Jazzmine Lee each had one hit for the Golden Falcons.

Junior right-hander Julia Lancaster picked up the pitching win and retired 15 of 16 she batters she faced. Lancaster notched six strikeouts in a contest shortened to 41/2 innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

C.B. Aycock (7-6, 3-1 ECC) is the guest of Greene Central. The game time has been moved from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

North Lenoir

rules EPC 2-A foe

LaGRANGE -- Brittany Sanders and Nichole Howard each drove in four runs in North Lenoir's 15-1 victory over Eastern Plains 2-A opponent Tarboro on Tuesday afternoon.

Sanders and Howard each doubled in a 2-for-3 effort.

Kayla Sutton and Emily Brown each batted 2-for-4. Timon Jones contributed two hits and three RBI in two plate appearances.

Conner Jordan limited the Vikings to one unearned run on one hit and struck out 11 in the five-inning affair.

The Hawks (10-4, 2-0 EPC) picked up their 41st regular-season conference victory in their last 42 outings. They continue league play Friday at North Pitt, which has been picked to win the EPC.

Greene Central

rolls over GHS

Jessica Moore seized the mound win in Greene Central's 37-0 victory over Eastern Plains 2-A newcomer Goldsboro on Tuesday afternoon.

Additional details were not available at press time.

The Rams (6-3-1) entertain C.B. Aycock today.

Price belts HR

in Rosewood win

Jessica Price belted a game-winning, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Rosewood nipped Spring Creek 4-3 in Carolina 1-A Conference play Tuesday afternoon.

Price and Abigail Barrow each had two hits for the Eagles.

Chandra Meadows picked up the mound victory, striking out six and walking just two Gator batters in a complete-game effort.

Barbara Carol Witherington homered for Spring Creek.

Rosewood (3-7, 1-2 Carolina) entertains Farmville Central today.

Davis, Sullivan

toss no-hitters

Traci Davis and Brittany Sullivan each tossed a no-hitter, and Wayne Christian continued its best start in school history with a doubleheader sweep -- 16-0 and 23-0 -- of Trinity Christian-Greenville in Carolina Christian 1-A Conference play Tuesday afternoon.

Traci Davis posted eight strikeouts in the opener, while Sullivan collected seven strikeouts in the nightcap.

Davis and Daniell Pender rapped a triple and double, respectively, in game one. Davis and Sullivan each slapped a home run in the second game.

The Eagles improved to a program-best 8-1 overall, which includes a 3-1 CCC worksheet. They play host to Northwood Temple on Friday.

Panthers defeat

county archrival

KENLY -- North Johnston remained unbeaten in Carolina 1-A Conference play with a 10-4 victory over archrival Princeton on Tuesday afternoon.

Whitney Parrish banged out three hits for the Panthers, who improved to 10-5 overall and 2-0 in league play. Hannah Ellis added two hits, including a triple.

Amanda Sharpe batted 2-for-4, while Kayla Whitley doubled.

Jessica Narron recorded six strikeouts en route to her ninth win in the pitching circle.

North Johnston entertains Spring Creek at 7 p.m. Friday.

Golf

Gardner, Eagles

top Cary Christian

Hayden Gardner carded a 1-over par 37 and led Wayne Christian to a 161-186 victory over Cary Christian at Walnut Creek on Tuesday afternoon.

Matt Davis and Chad Smith each complemented Gardner with identical nine-hole scores of 41. Andrew Radford rounded out the Eagles' four-player total with a 42.

Wayne Christian (5-2) travels to Trinity Christian on Thursday.

Tennis

Warriors survive

ECC 3-A match

Eastern Wayne picked up two doubles victories and stopped Kinston 6-3 in an Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference match contested Tuesday afternoon on the Wayne Community College courts.

The No. 2 tandem of Drew Ziccardi-Jared Stone stopped the Vikings' Ethan Bowen-Justin Tsao 8-2. Teammates David Benton-Eric Barnes, the No. 3 doubles, doubled up Anthony David-Steven Tsao 8-4.

Stone, Benton, Drew Jackson and Alex Bryant each claimed a straight-set win on the singles side.

The Warriors (8-2) fashioned a perfect mark (5-0) in first-half league play.

Eastern Wayne 6

Kinston 3

Singles -- No. 1 James Walker (K) d. Drew Ziccardi 6-3, 3-6, 2-7; No. 2 Jared Stone (EW) d. Ethan Bowen 6-1, 6-0; No. 3 Drew Jackson (EW) d. Sean Anglin 6-1, 6-1; No. 4 Alex Bryant (EW) d. Justin Tsao 6-4, 6-1; No. 5 David Benton (EW) d. Steven Tsao 6-4, 6-2; No. 6 Muhamed Ali (K) d. Eric Barnes 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles -- No. 1 Walker-Anglin (K) d. Bryant-Jackson 8-6; No. 2 Ziccardi-Stone (EW) d. Barnes-S. Tsao 8-2; No. 3 Benton-Eric Barnes (EW) d. Davis-S. Tsao 8-4.

Golden Falcons

notch first win

PIKEVILLE -- C.B. Aycock snapped a 13-match losing streak with a 6-3 victory over county rival Southern Wayne in Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference play Tuesday afternoon.

Blake Cooper, Bruce Pittman, Ben Evans, Trevor Cann and Ben Nichols each emerged victorious in singles for the Golden Falcons. Cooper and Pittman each won in three sets.

James Poandl picked up the Saints' lone singles victory.

Southern Wayne's duos of Jonathan Hartley-Sterling Blackman and Preston Grantham-Chris King prevailed at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles, respectively.

Aycock won No. 3 doubles.

The Golden Falcons (1-13, 1-4 ECC) entertain Greene Central today.

C.B. Aycock 6

Southern Wayne 3

Singles -- No. 1 Blake Cooper (CBA) d. Jonathan Hartley 6-2, 7-6 (4), 8-6; No. 2 Bruce Pittman (CBA) d. Sterling Blackman 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-2; No. 3 Ben Evans (CBA) d. Preston Grantham 6-4, 7-5; No. 4 Trevor Cann (CBA) d. Chris King 7-6 (4), 6-0; No. 5 James Poandl (SW) d. Cooper Johnson 6-3, 6-1; No. 6 Ben Nichols (CBA) d. Thomas Deaver 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles -- No. 1 Hartley-Blackman (SW) d. Cooper-Evans 8-6; No. 2 Grantham-King (SW) d. Pittman-Johnson 8-5; No. 3 Cann-Nichols (CBA) d. Poandl-Mike Grady 8-1.

Spring Creek

shuts down A-G

LITTLEFIELD -- Spring Creek opened defense its Carolina 1-A Conference championship with a 9-0 victory over Ayden-Grifton on Tuesday afternoon.

Cliff Wilson, Johnathan Sutton, Brandon Strickland, Justin Smith, Frederick Ellis and Daniel Correll each triumphed in straight sets for the Gators.

Wilson-Strickland, Smith-Ellis and Sutton-Correll completed the sweep in doubles.

Spring Creek (4-1) is the guest of Wayne Country Day today. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Wayne Community College.

Spring Creek 9

Ayden-Grifton 0

Singles -- No. 1 Cliff Wilson (SC) d. Eric Dendy 6-1, 6-1; No. 2 Johnathan Sutton (SC) d. A.J. Hardison 6-1, 6-2; No. 3 Brandon Strickland (SC) d. Matt Allen 6-0, 6-0; No. 4 Justin Smith (SC) d. Sam Sutton 6-2, 6-4; No. 5 Frederick Ellis (SC) d. A.J. Lewis 6-2, 7-5; No. 6 Daniel Correll (SC) d. Lee Meeks 6-2, 6-1.

Doubles -- No. 1 Wilson-Strickland (SC) d. Hardison-Allen 8-1; No. 2 Smith-Ellis (SC) d. Lewis-Meeks 8-4; No. 3 Sutton-Correll (SC) d. Chase Stocks-Marshall Harker 8-1.

Chargers net

CPIC 1-A/2-A win

Wayne Country Day picked up five points in singles play and cruised past Faith Christian-Rocky Mount 7-2 on the Coastal Plains Independent 1-A/2-A Conference scene Tuesday afternoon.

Ross Wilson, David Wilson, Luxman Srikantha, Fred Ha and Kevin Martell each claimed a singles win for the Chargers. Srikantha pulled out a three-set thriller at the No. 4 slot.

The Chargers won two of three doubles matches.

Wayne Country Day (8-1, 1-1 CPIC) entertain Spring Creek today.

Wayne Country Day 8

Faith Christian-RM 1

Singles -- No. 1 Ross Wilson (WCDS) d. Stephen Lamm 6-2, 6-1; No. 2 David Wilson (WCDS) d. Andrew Langley 7-6 (6), 6-4; No. 3 Jeremy Sumner (FC) d. George May 6-1, 6-1; No. 4 Luxman Srikantha (WCDS) d. Keagan McCort 6-4, 2-6, 10-7; No. 5 Fred Ha (WCDS) d. Almon Hall 6-2, 7-5; No. 6 Kevin Martell (WCDS) d. Nathan Marshall 6-2, 7-5.

Doubles -- No. 1 Wilson-Wilson (WCDS) d. Lamm-Langley 8-2; No. 2 Sumner-McCort (FC) d. Mayo-Srikanthan 8-4; No. 3 Ho-Albert Cho (WCDS) d. Hall-Marshall 8-6.

Soccer

Eastern Wayne

shuts out Vikings

Junior Samantha Frazer notched a hat trick (three goals) and Eastern Wayne shut out Kinston 6-0 in Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference play Tuesday evening.

The Warriors (5-6-1) remained unbeaten in five ECC outings and have yet to allow a goal in conference play. They begin second-half play at home tonight against county rival Southern Wayne.

Natalie Taylor provided two goals, while Helen Baddour contributed one goal and one assist.

Kinston departed 1-12 overall and 1-4 in the ECC.

Chargers upset

state-ranked Pats

Georgia Crow netted the game-winning goal in the final minute and Wayne Country Day upset Faith Christian-Rocky Mount 2-1 in Coastal Plains Independent 1-A/2-A Conference play Tuesday afternoon.

The Patriots (8-2-1) entered the game ranked No. 4 in the latest N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A poll.

The Chargers' Virginia Best broke the scoreless tie with a goal in the 50th minute. Faith Christian (3-2 CPIC) tallied the equalizer 10 minutes later before Crow notched the game-winner.

Ellen Elmore collected 25 saves for WCDS.

The Chargers (5-4, 2-1) entertain Southern Wayne at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Baseball

WCDS rallies

in late innings

Wayne Country Day scored eight runs in the final two innings and turned back Faith Christian-Rocky Mount 9-7 in Coastal Plains Independent 1-A/2-A Conference play Tuesday afternoon.

Travis Davis led the Chargers with three hits, including a double and a home run, and three RBI. Ryan Ford added two hits, including a double, and RBI. Sam Steed provided two RBI.

Kevin Herring earned the mound win in relief of starter Trent Langston. Davis recorded the final out for the save.

Wayne Country Day (6-5, 1-2 CPIC) entertains Kerr-Vance on Thursday afternoon.

North Lenoir

dumps Tarboro

TARBORO -- Brandon Sutton yielded one hit in a five-inning stint and North Lenoir dumped Tarboro High 12-0 on the Municipal Stadium diamond Tuesday evening.

Sutton collected six strikeouts for the Hawks.

Sthil Sowers batted 2-for-4 and Andrew Manning plated a run in a 2-for-3 performance. John Alphin batted 2-for-2 with three RBI.

The Hawks (13-1, 2-0 EPC) entertain North Pitt at 7 p.m. Friday.

Princeton nips

North Johnston

KENLY -- State-ranked Princeton remained unbeaten on the Carolina 1-A Conference scene with a 5-4 victory over archrival North Johnston on Tuesday evening.

Colin Parker homered for the Bulldogs, who improved to 8-2 overall and 3-0 against Carolina Conference opposition. Andrew Cobb added two hits and an RBI.

Ryan Daughtry claimed the pitching win.

Princeton travels to Hobbton on Thursday.

Rams collect

EPC 2-A shutout

SNOW HILL -- Lance Murray drove in three runs as Greene Central topped Eastern Plains 2-A newcomer Goldsboro 19-0 on the James R. Fulghum Athletic Complex diamond Tuesday afternoon.

Murray finished the day 2-for-3 for the Rams, who improved to 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the conference. Hunter Chase doubled in a 2-for-2, one-RBI effort.

Drew Sowers batted 1-for-2 with two RBI. Curtis Braswell had two RBI in a 1-for-1 outing.

Robert Tyndall emerged the winning pitcher.

Cedric McClary suffered the mound loss for Goldsboro.

Greene Central is the guest of C.B. Aycock this afternoon.

Eagles remain

unbeaten in CCC

Adam Brannan and Jeremy Jefferson combined for a one-hitter in Wayne Christian's 17-0, five-inning victory over Cary Christian on Tuesday afternoon.

Brannan recorded five strikeouts in a three-inning stint, while Jefferson provided two innings of two-strikeout relief. The duo helped the Eagles (7-2 overall) remain unbeaten in six Carolina Christian 1-A Conference contests.

Billy Smith had two hits, including a triple, and three RBI on offense. Jefferson doubled in a two-hit outing. Andrew Bass doubled and provided an RBI.

Tyler Thomas doubled and plated two runs in a two-hit effort. Brannan plated four runs and ended the day with two hits.

Wayne Christian entertains Northwood Temple on Friday.

JV baseball

Warriors edge

Saints in ECC

WILSON -- Robert Herring and Ricky Odden each collected two hits in Southern Wayne's 3-1 loss at Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference rival Wilson Hunt on Tuesday afternoon.

Jeremy Davis singled for the Saints, who fell to 3-7 overall and 0-2 in the ECC.

Cameron Wiggins endured the mound loss.

Southern Wayne entertains C.B. Aycock at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Middle schools

Norwayne baseball 16, Brogden 1 -- Conner Narron and Jeff Carmel led the Cobras with two hits each. David Gurganus emerged the winning pitcher. Norwayne (9-2, 4-2 WCMSAC Division I) entertains Greenwood on Thursday afternoon.

Eastern Wayne 12, Greenwood 0 -- Cambric Moye and Johnathan Jenkins combined for a one-hitter. Moye and Josh Frederick each collected two hits for the Warriors, who remained unbeaten in 10 outings. Eastern Wayne (6-0 WCMSAC Division I) entertains Brogden this afternoon.