HobbsDailyReport.com
Mac Beam’s hitting helped Bandys High collect a 9-2 home baseball victory over Maiden on Thursday night and go into the Easter break sharing the South Fork 2A lead.
Beam had run-scoring hits in the third, fifth and sixth innings as the host Trojans (11-1, 7-1) broke a 2-all tie by scoring four runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth inning.
Bandys shares the South Fork 2A lead with North Lincoln (8-2, 7-1), a 12-2 winner on Thursday at West Lincoln, and the Trojans have the current tiebreaker via beating the Knights 6-5 this week at Bandys.
Maiden dropped to 1-9, 1-7.
Bandys got the Blue Devils down 1-0 in the first inning, scoring after Travis Russell had a leadoff hit, stole second base and scored via two groundball outs (Andrew Patrick’s scored the run).
Russell had a hit in the third inning, and Beam had an RBI to put the Trojans in front 2-0.
Maiden scored twice in the fourth inning for a 2-all tie via Carlos Reynoso’s two-run single after Avery Scott had walked.
In the fifth inning, Maiden made two of its four errors and Beam, Elijah Carr and Laz Maxwell each had run-scoring hits as Bandys went in front 6-2.
Beam drove in a run in the sixth inning, and Jared Crowe had a two-run double that extended the Trojans’ lead to seven runs.
Bandys starter T.J. Rasar worked five innings, allowing three hits, two runs (both earned) with six strikeouts and two walks. Alex Borst threw the final two innings in relief, facing seven batters (one hit, three strikeouts).
The Trojans had planned to take the Easter break off but have agreed to travel to Fayetteville to participate as a replacement team in the Bulldog Baseball Easter Invitational at Sanford High.
Bandys will move into a Monday game at a time to be determined, filling a spot after Freedom Christian plays one game (due to injuries) on Saturday against East Bladen.
Based on the Freedom Christian result, Bandys will play either Cape Fear or Scotland County in a loser’s bracket (1 p.m.) game or a semifinal (7 p.m.).
Maiden heads to the Hanahan Invitational in South Carolina, a 33-team, two-division tournament that will have games at eight sites. The Blue Devils’ first game is Monday at 7:30 p.m. against Ashley Ridge.
East Lincoln 7, Lake Norman Charter 6, 8 inn.
Gabe Duncan had two hits and drove in the winning run as the Mustangs edged the Knights on the road in a South Fork 2A game.
Kooper Hogue went 3-for-4 with a home run for East Lincoln (4-8, 3-5), and Trent Wood pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run, five hits, walking none and striking out six for the Mustangs.
Derek Martin got a win after pitching one inning in relief.
Lake Norman Charter dropped to 7-4 overall and 5-3 in the league, sharing third place with Lincolnton.
North Lincoln 12, West Lincoln 2
Jake Soorus went 5-for-5, leading North Lincoln’s 16-hit attack, as the Knights won on the road to remain tied with Bandys for the South Fork 2A lead.
North Lincoln improved to 8-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference by scoring 10 or more runs for the first time this season.
West Lincoln (6-6, 4-4) is in fifth place and a game out of third place in the conference standings.
Alexander Central 8, Hickory 1 (Wednesday)
Seven Cougars had at least two hits each in a Northwestern 3A-4A victory in Hickory in which Alexander Central (11-1, 7-1) had 16 hits.
Josh Jacobs led Alexander Central with three hits and Byron Younts, Josh Lafone, Justin Cook, Dawson Elder, Daniel Dessecker and Jeremy Hubbard each added two hits.
Bryson Hammer (4-0) threw a complete game for the Cougars, allowing four hits, walking two and striking out 12.
Hickory’s hits were two from Macroy Mitchell and one each by Bryce Stober and Brody Scarborough.
Alexander Central led 2-0 through three innings, 3-1 after four and 6-1 after scoring three runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Red Tornadoes starter Pierson Hanvey took a loss after going 4 1/3 innings. He gave up 11 hits, six runs (all earned) with one walk and five strikeouts.
Both teams play in the Catawba Valley Easter Classic next week, the Cougars as the No. 1 seed and the Red Tornadoes as the No. 6 seed.
Alexander Central faces No. 8 Newton-Conover at 4 p.m. on Monday at the Legion Fairgrounds in Newton while Hickory battles No. 3 Fred T. Foard at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
SOFTBALL
Fred T. Foard 4, Bunker Hill 1, 8 inn.
The Tigers’ three-run eighth inning got them past host Bunker Hill in a Northwestern Foothills 2A victory that put Foard alone at the top of the standings.
Foard has won 12 straight games and is 7-0 in the conference, a game up on the Bears.
No other game details were available.
The Tigers are idle until April 10 when they play a league game at 6 p.m. at West Iredell.
Bunker Hill has a non-league home game on April 13 against Hibriten at 6 p.m.
Newton-Conover 21, Lincolnton 2, 5 inn.
The Red Devils led 14-1 after three innings at Lincolnton en route to a South Fork 2A victory. They scored five runs in the first inning, two in the second inning and seven in the third inning.
Emile Murphy went 3-for-5 with five RBIs to spark Newton-Conover, which had 13 hits and was helped by nine Lincolnton errors.
Katelin Bradshaw, Kaylee Kanipe and Maddie Carpenter each added two hits for the Red Devils, and Carpenter drove in three runs and Kanipe and Destiny Ussery provided two RBIs each.
Auburn Stevens, Allie Blackburn and Lauren Keener each had a hit for the Wolves.
Destini Vines allowed three hits, walked two and struck out six to pick up a win for Newton-Conover while Alex Swett took a loss (2 2/3 innings, 10 hits, 14 runs but only two earned, no walks, one strikeout).
Newton-Conover, at 4-4 in the league, is tied with West Lincoln for fourth place.
Lincolnton dropped to 0-8 in the conference and is in last place.
Lake Norman Charter 4, East Lincoln 3 (Wednesday)
A complete game with eight strikeouts by senior Emily Reinstadtler sparked the Knights’ South Fork 2A home victory.
Alyssa Scercy had the game-winning RBI for Lake Norman Charter, 2-6 in the league, in the seventh inning. Khristen McPherson went 2-for-3, scored twice and hit a solo home run and Jenna Carter was 3-for-3 and scored a run.
Lake Norman Charter had nine hits and overcame making five errors.
Freedom 5, Watauga 2 (Wednesday)
Elle Tanner threw a complete game, allowing two hits and striking out six, as the Patriots won a Northwestern 3A-4A game at home.
Brandi Buchanan singled twice and walked, Myra Twitty had a double and two singles and Morgan Maynor and Tanner each drove in a run for Freedom, which had nine hits.
North Lincoln 4, Newton-Conover 3, 8 inn. (Wednesday)
The Red Devils scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning at home, forcing extra innings, before the Knights won.
North Lincoln had 11 hits, three by Brooklyn Harris and two each by Katie Wadkovsky and Flannery McFadden.
The Red Devils had four hits, two by Kaylee Kanipe, and MacKenzie Johnston drove in two runs.
McKayla Watts pitched eight innings for the Knights, allowing four hits, three runs (none earned), walking one and striking out five.
Losing pitcher Destini Vines worked eight innings for Newton-Conover. She allowed 11 hits, four runs (three earned) with one walk and four strikeouts.