HobbsDailyReport.com
Logan McNeely hit a three-run home run and later drove in the winning run in the ninth inning as visiting Crest High nipped West Rowan 5-4 on Friday night to advance to the West 3A baseball championship series.
The seventh-seeded Chargers (19-6) will next battle No. 2 Marvin Ridge (25-5) in a best-of-3 series that begins Tuesday night at Marvin Ridge. Game 2 is scheduled Thursday at Crest and Game 3, if needed, is next Saturday at Marvin Ridge, The Shelby Daily Star reported in its Saturday edition.
The West 3A series winner advances to play in a best-of-3 state championship series on June 2-3.
The teams still alive in the East 3A bracket are No. 1 Northern Guilford, No. 6 Topsail and No. 18 West Brunswick. Northern Guilford has advanced to the East best-of-3 title series.
Crest is going to the West 3A title series for the second time in three years, and is going into a rematch of a 2015 series won by Marvin Ridge.
The Star reported the Chargers’ big inning on Friday night, other than winning in the ninth, was in the third when Riley Cheek had a run-scoring single before McNeely hit a three-run home run.
Fourth-seeded West Rowan (21-7) scored two runs in the fifth inning to pull within 4-3 and forced extra innings via a two-out RBI single by Olen Stamper.
McNeely’s single in the ninth sent the Chargers to a victory.
C.J. Mayhue picked up a save for Crest as it advanced.
For more game details, visit http://www.shelbystar.com/sports/20170519/crest-outlasts-west-rowan-5-4-in-9-innings-to-advance-to-next-weeks-western-nc-3a-finals
In other fourth-round games involving area teams on Friday:
2A
No. 2 R-S Central 1, No. 3 West Davidson 0: Designated hitter Dillon Phillips’ fourth-inning home run off Austin Cowan provided the game’s only run in Forest City.
R-S Central’s Jase Crowe got out of a third-inning jam with two runners on by enticing two pop-up outs, The Lexington (N.C.) Dispatch reported. He was also aided by a sixth-inning double play.
R-S Central (24-4) advances to the West 2A best-of-3 series that must begin by Tuesday, facing No. 7 Lake Norman Charter (19-7), a 4-1 winner Friday at No. 1 Forbush.
Game 1 of the West title series will be at R-S Central with Game 2 at Lake Norman Charter. A third game, if needed, will be at R-S Central.
The East 2A teams in a title series are No. 2 Edenton Holmes and No. 1 South Granville.
The state title series, best-of-3, is scheduled June 2-3.
4A
No. 2 Lake Norman 7, No. 3 Southeast Guilford 3: At Lake Norman, the Wildcats (26-3) rode a four-run sixth inning into the West 4A title series.
Lake Norman is on a 13-game win streak that began after it fell 3-2 to Alexander Central on April 21 in Taylorsville.
Southeast Guilford finished 24-5.
Lake Norman (26-3) — coached by former major leaguer Ty Wigginton — meets No. 1 seed Asheville Roberson (27-3) in a best-of-3 series that must begin by Tuesday. The opening game should be at Roberson, Game 2 at Lake Norman and Game 3, if needed, at Roberson.
The East 4A championship series pits No. 4 Holly Springs against No. 2 Wilmington New Hanover.
The state title series, best-of-3, is scheduled June 2-3.