HobbsDailyReport.com
STRONG START
A look at Bandys’ baseball starts in the previous six seasons, after the Trojans reached 3-0 on Thursday night by beating Maiden 5-3. Frank Porter has been head coach of all of the teams:
Year Start
2018 3-0
2017 0-7
2016 1-5
2015 0-8*
2014 1-8
2013 0-3
2012 4-0
*includes three forfeits
Notes: After winning its first four games in 2012, Bandys fell 7-5 to Draughn for its first loss that season …The Trojans stopped their 0-7 last season with a 9-5, 10-inning win at Maiden … Bandys escape a winless start through six games in 2016 by beating Fred T. Foard in a season-opening game.
SOURCE: HobbsDailyReport.com research and files.
Bandys High came from behind on Thursday night to beat Maiden 5-3 and continue its best baseball start since 2012.
The Trojans, down 3-2 heading into the top of the fourth inning, scored three runs and pitchers Andrew Patrick and Alex Borst protected that lead in a South Fork 2A opener for both teams.
Bandys (3-0, 1-0) hasn’t been 3-0 since starting the 2012 season at 4-0 with wins over East Lincoln, West Iredell, Lincoln Charter and Lexington. The Trojans went 17-8 that season.
On Thursday night, the Trojans collected six hits – five singles plus a double by Travis Russell, who had two hits and drove in two runs. Patrick added an RBI, and Jared Crowe had a hit and walked twice.
The Trojans led 2-1 after one inning and fell behind 3-2 when the Blue Devils (0-3, 0-1) scored twice in the bottom of the third inning.
Jay Sipe, batting leadoff, had two hits for Maiden and scored twice while cleanup hitter Grayeson Brown went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs. Dylan Abernathy had the other hit for the Blue Devils who had six but made three errors.
Patrick, a right-hander, went five innings for Bandys, allowing five hits, three runs (one earned), walking one and striking out 10.
Borst came on in relief for the final two innings, giving up one hit, walked two and striking out one as the Trojans won at Maiden for the third time in their last four games there.
Ross Fowler, a sophomore right-hander, took the loss for the Blue Devils. He pitched four innings, allowing five hits, five runs (three earned) with four walks and four strikeouts.
Maiden reliever Carlos Reynoso, a sophomore, checked Bandys on one hit over three innings. He walked five and struck out five.
Bandys was 5-8 against Maiden in the previous six seasons but has now won four of their six five matchups.
The Trojans beat the Blue Devils twice in three games a year ago, winning 9-5 in 10 innings in a conference opener, falling 4-0 at Bandys and winning 7-4 at Maiden in the first round of the Southern District 7 Athletic 2A tournament last season.
Bandys continues South Fork 2A play on Friday at home, facing Newton-Conover at 7 p.m., and Maiden has a conference game on Friday at 7 p.m. at West Lincoln.
Lake Norman Charter 7, East Lincoln 3 (late Tuesday)
Logan Ansted checked the host Mustangs on two hits and struck out seven over five innings as the Knights won their South Fork 2A opener.
Evan Borcich and Max Larrson pitched in relief for the Knights, who gained control via a three-run home run by sophomore catcher Max Doherty.
Lake Norman Charter scored twice in the second inning on singles by Alex Lonergan and Ansted.
The Knights scored two runs in the second inning with Lonergan’s single with a 0-2 count driving in a run and Anstead, ahead in the count 2-0, also singled in a run.
Trenton Wood pitched for the Mustangs, going four innings. He allowed seven hits and struck out eight.
Lake Norman Charter has a South Fork 2A game on Friday at 4 p.m. against North Lincoln at the Huntersville Athletic Park.
East Lincoln travels to Lincolnton for a league game on Friday at 4 p.m.
Hickory game at 4:30 p.m.
Friday’s conference game between St. Stephens and archrival Hickory will start at 4:30 p.m.
Red Tornadoes athletic director and head baseball coach David Craft said the teams will play only a varsity game on Friday.
SOFTBALL
Alexander Central 11, Mooresville 1
Julie Gast went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs and Alexis Walter added two hits and three RBIs as the Cougars (2-1) won a six-inning game at Mooresville.
Mattie Starnes and Gracie Rhoney, batting eighth and ninth in Alexander Central’s batting order, respectively, each had two hits and leadoff batter Lanie Goforth had two.
The Cougars outhit the Blue Devils — who made five errors — 14-5.
Chesney Millsaps (2-1) got a win after pitching six innings. She gave four hits, one run, walked two and struck out five.
No Mooresville players had more than one hit and Joelle Davis, who took the loss, threw six innings and gave up 14 hits, 11 runs (seven earned) while walking two and striking out four.
Alexander Central plays South Caldwell in a Northwestern 3A-4A game on Friday at 6 p.m. in Taylorsville.
East Lincoln 10, Lake Norman Charter 3
Riding a four-run first inning, the Mustangs won a South Fork 2A game at home by outhitting the Knights 8-4.
Katelynn Crowe had two singles, stole a base and drove in a run for East Lincoln, which also got a two-run home run from Faith Cooke, two singles and two stolen bases by Haley Erwin and a run-scoring single by Hannah Davis.
Payton Baker was the winning pitcher and Khristen McPherson (13 strikeouts) took the loss for Lake Norman Charter, which scored all of its run in the bottom of the fourth inning after falling behind 9-0.
East Lincoln plays a South Fork 2A game on the road Friday at 5 p.m. against Lincolnton while Lake Norman Charter continues league play at home, facing North Lincoln at 4 p.m.
Draughn 12, Newton-Conover 2
Nataleigh Lail and Nikki Smith each drove in two runs as the Wildcats won a non-league game at home in four innings.
Shaedyn Housh and Jenna Davis had two hits each for Draughn, which scored seven runs in the first inning.
The Wildcats led 7-2 when they added two runs in the bottom of the third inning, and they scored three more in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Draughn had 10 hits and the Red Devils had nine with Maddie Carpenter leading Newton-Conover with three hits.
Smith pitched four innings and gain a pitching win for Draughn while Kali Flanagan, who pitched one-third of an inning and gave up three hits and seven runs (one earned), took the loss.
Draughn plays at Northwestern Foothills 2A game at home on Friday at 6 p.m. against East Burke.
Newton-Conover has a South Fork 2A game at Bandys on Friday at 6 p.m.
Fred T. Foard 7, West Lincoln 4
The Tigers won a non-conference game on the road behind a 4-for-4 game by Madison Rowe, who drove in three runs.
Adison Yoder was Foard’s winning pitcher.
The Tigers play a key Northwestern Foothills 2A game on Friday at home, battling West Iredell at 6 p.m.
West Lincoln returns to South Fork 2A play with a home game Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Maiden.
Sun Valley 7, Bunker Hill 4
The visiting Spartans scored six runs in the first inning and their other in the second inning to gain a non-conference victory.
The Bears were down 6-2 after the first inning and 7-2 until they scored a run in fifth inning. They added another run in the seventh inning.
Bunker Hill plays a Northwestern Foothills 2A game on Tuesday, visiting Hibriten for a 6 p.m. start.
GIRLS SOCCER
Lake Norman Charter 1, Pine Lake Prep 0
The Knights had a 19-3 edge in shots and won via a free kick from about 45 yards by senior Madison Sims, who was served a ball and pushed it in untouched.
Lake Norman Charter is off to a 2-0-1 start.
Kaela Rasenberger had two saves for the Knights while Abigail Kidder had seven saves for Pine Lake Prep.
The match on Thursday was played in cold temperatures and in 20 miles per hour winds.
The Knights’ next match is Monday at 6 p.m. at Charlotte Country Day.