HobbsDailyReport.com
No. 2 West CHERRYVILLE (25-6) vs. No. 6 West BURKE COUNTY (9-11)
Game 1, Friday at Cherryville High: Cherryville 2, Burke County 0
Game 2: Saturday at Shuey Field, Morganton. 7 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday at Cherryville High, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Monday at Shuey Field, Morganton, 7 p.m.
Game 5: Tuesday at Cherryville High, 7 p.m.
CHERRYVILLE – Robbie Cowie and Brent Walls combined to limit Burke County to five hits on Friday night, leading Cherryville Post 100 to a 2-0 home victory to open the second round of the Area IV American Legion baseball playoffs.
Cherryville (26-6), a West No. 2 seed, plays Game 2 on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Shuey Field in Morganton in a best-of-5 series.
Burke County, a West No. 6 seed, dropped to 9-12 and will return to Cherryville High on Sunday (7 p.m.) for Game 3.
The winner of the series advances to play East No. 1 seed Shelby or the East No. 5 seed Gaston Braves in a third-round series scheduled to begin next week.
On Friday night, Post 100 scored its runs in the second and fifth innings to beat Post 21. Jared Emory hit a home run in the second inning and Colton Stroup’s infield single in the fifth inning drove in a run for a two-run Cherryville lead.
Cowie pitched into the fifth inning, giving way to Walls with one out in the inning.
Burke County loaded the bases against Walls in the sixth inning before he got two pop-ups to pitch out of the inning.
Emory’s home run came off Post 21 starter and losing pitcher Nate Watkins.
Cowie went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, walking three and striking out four. Walls had two strikeouts and earned a save.
Burke County reached the second round by sweeping Hickory Post 48 in the first round while Cherryville swept Huntersville to advance.