HobbsDailyReport.com
Alexander Central High picked up two more softball wins on Saturday, playing at home and downing Bunker Hill and West Stokes.
The Cougars beat Bunker Hill 11-0 and edged West Stokes 7-5 with Chesney Millsaps picking up pitching wins in both games.
Alexander Central 11, Bunker Hill 0, 5 inn.
Millsaps two-hit the Bears in a five-inning victory, walking one and striking out four, and she had two hits and three RBIs to lead the Cougars’ 15-hit attack.
Julie Gast had three hits and Lanie Goforth, Millsaps, Alexis Walter and Alexa Rush each added two hits for Alexander Central. Rash drove in two runs.
The only hits by Bunker Hill came from leadoff hitter Kailey Travis and Makayla Turner, who hit seventh in the Bears’ batting order.
Payton Bryant took a loss for Bunker Hill. She gave up 15 hits, 11 runs (all earned), walked four and struck out one.
The Cougars scored one run in the first inning and built the lead to 6-0 after three innings with a five-run third inning.
Alexander Central heads into this week tied with McDowell for second place in the Northwestern 3A-4A, trailing South Caldwell, and has a road conference game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Watauga.
Bunker Hill — which beat Black Mountain Owen 3-1 on Saturday in Taylorsville — is in third place in the Northwestern Foothills 2A, a half-game back of Hibriten and 2 ½ back of first-place Fred T. Foard and plays at Foard on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Alexander Central 7, West Stokes 5
After West Stokes pulled within 6-4 with a four-run fourth inning, the Cougars closed the door.
Millsaps (14-3) threw a complete game, allowing 10 hits, five runs (all earned) with two walks and one strikeout.
West Stokes outhit the Cougars 10-9, getting a 4-for-4 game from No. 2 hitter Faye Lawson and two hits by Tori Tucker. Lawson drove in two runs.
Walter, Kelsea Dejarnette and Mattie Starnes led Alexander Central with two hits each and Millsaps, Walter, Dejarnette and Ashley Seagle each drove in a run for the Cougars.
Alexander Central led 4-0 after scoring three runs in the third inning, adding two more in the fourth inning to go up 6-0.
A run in the fifth put the Cougars ahead 7-4 before West Stokes – playing as the home team — got a run in the seventh inning.
Maiden 9, Lake Norman Charter 0 (Friday)
At Lake Norman Charter, the Blue Devils rode a two-hit, three-RBI game by Abby West and pitching by Morgan Boheimer to a South Fork 2A victory to remain tied for the conference lead.
Maiden shares the league’s top spot with North Lincoln, both at 9-1, and those teams meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Maiden.
Boheimer threw a complete game against Lake Norman Charter, 3-7 in the league, and struck out eight.
Maiden will play Friday at 6 p.m. at East Lincoln, currently in third place at 6-4 in South Fork 2A games.
McDowell 9, Watauga 4
The Titans won a Northwestern 3A-4A game, played Saturday, and ,moved into a tie for second place with Alexander Central at 8-2 in league games. Both trail South Caldwell, 9-1 in the conference, by one game.
McDowell has a home conference game Tuesday at 6 p.m. against St. Stephens while Watauga will be at home, also at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, to battle Alexander Central.
BASEBALL
Providence 4, Alexander Central 3, 12 inn.
Visiting Providence won in extra innings after neither team scored over seven innings of a non-league game.
Alexander Central scored three first-inning runs and Providence got a run in the third inning and two in the fourth inning to tie it at 3.
Leadoff hitter Noah Hall went 3-for-6 to lead Providence (15-2), with Walker Woolf and Daniel Prichett each adding two hits.
Providence won despite making five errors and outhit Alexander Central 11-8.
The Cougars didn’t have a player with more than one hit and Daniel Dessecker had their lone RBI.
Ethan Reese gained a win in relief for Providence, throwing 5 1/3 innings. He gave up four hits, no runs, walked four and struck out one after replacing starter Timmy Townsend (6 2/3 innings, four hits, three runs but none earned, four walks, five strikeouts).
Nate Moretz (1-1) took a loss in relief for the Cougars. After starter Bryson Hammer went 5 1/3 innings (three hits, three runs, eight walks, two strikeouts), Moretz worked the final 6 2/3. Moretz gave up eight hits, one run, walked one and struck out two.
Alexander Central (14-5, 8-2) goes into this week in second place in the Northwestern 3A-4A as it closes in on the league’s No. 1 state 3A playoff berth.
The Cougars go to Boone on Tuesday to play Watauga in a league game at 6 p.m., and they’re at home on Friday at 6 p.m. to face Freedom in a conference game.