HobbsDailyReport.com
NORTHWESTERN 3A-4A STANDNGS
(Final regular season)
Foard 12-2
S. Caldwell (4A) 11-3
Hickory 10-4
Hibriten 8-6
Watauga 5-9
St. Stephens 5-9
Patton 4-10
Freedom 1-13
HUDSON – South Caldwell High hit double-figure runs for the third time this season on Saturday, pounding visiting Watauga 10-3 to finish second in Northwestern 3A-4A baseball.
The Spartans (16-4-1, 11-3) won their third game in a row to lock up second place in the conference race behind Fred T. Foard (14-5-1, 12-2), which secured a title by beating St. Stephens 16-14 on the road on Friday.
Watauga is 8-14 overall and, at 5-9 in the league, tied St. Stephens for fifth place. That tie will be officially broken on Monday at a league meeting where official pairings for the conference tournament will be set.
Based on North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) tie-breaking guidelines, Watauga should gain the No. 5 seed and St. Stephens will end up as No. 6.
The Pioneers and Indians split in the regular season and had the same records against Foard and South Caldwell, but Watauga split with third-place Hickory and Hickory swept St. Stephens in the regular season.
The conference tournament openers should end up being No. 8 Freedom at No. 1 Foard, No. 5 Watauga at No. 4 Hibriten, No. 6 St. Stephens at No. 3 Hickory and No. 7 Patton at No. 2 South Caldwell.
A conference official e-mailed Saturday to say a meeting is scheduled on Monday night to develop the conference tournament pairings (the Watauga-St. Stephens tie was the only one in the league standings).
Patton 3, Freedom 0: The Panthers edged the Patriots on Saturday morning at Patton to close the regular season for both teams.
Patton is 8-16 overall and 4-10 in the conference, finishing seventh, and Freedom is 5-15, 1-13 and finished eighth.