HobbsDailyReport.com
South Caldwell High took a big step toward potentially winning a Northwestern 3A-4A softball title on Tuesday, edging visiting Alexander Central 11-9 to take over first place.
The Spartans are 8-1 in the conference — which plays a 14-game league schedule – and the Cougars are in second place at 7-2.
South Caldwell won by answering a three-run top of the seventh inning by the Cougars that tied it at 9-all.
Both teams had nine hits, and the Spartans survived making three errors.
Reagan Weisner hit two home runs, scored four runs and drove in four for South Caldwell. Graclyn Green added two hits, Addison Blair had two – one a home run — and two RBIs and winning pitcher Anna King had two RBIs for the Spartans.
Weisner, Green and Blair hit fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in South Caldwell’s lineup.
Alexis Walter hit a home run and led Alexander Central with two hits and three RBIs, Lanie Goforth went 2-for-3 and Julie Gast drove in two runs.
The Cougars opened a 2-0 first-inning lead but the Spartans scored four runs in the bottom of the inning.
Alexander Central had a four-run third inning to lead 6-4, and the Spartans scored in the bottom of the inning to get within a run.
South Caldwell went in front 9-6 with four runs in the fifth inning and the Cougars tied it with three runs in the top of the seventh inning.
King went six innings to gain a win for South Caldwell, allowing seven hits, nine runs (seven earned) with five walks and three strikeouts. Jenna Pittman pitched an inning to gain a save for the Spartans.
Chesney Millsaps (11-3) took a loss for the Cougars. She gave up nine hits, 11 runs (all earned), walked six and struck out two.
South Caldwell plays state power North Davidson in Welcome in a non-conference game on Thursday.
Alexander Central returns to league play on Friday at 6 p.m. with a home game against West Caldwell.
St. Stephens 14, Hickory 0, 5 inn.
Lauren Moser threw a complete game four-hitter and Sadie Watts had three hits as the host Indians won their second Northwestern 3A-4A game of the season.
St. Stephens scored eight runs in the fourth inning with Katy Sherrill, Hannah Eddins, Katie Morgan, Macey Pennell, Payton Lyda and Sammie Howard each driving in a run in the inning.
The Indians had 13 hits as the improved to 2-7 in the conference and left last-place Hickory at 0-9 in league games.
St. Stephens plays a non-conference game at Hibriten on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Hickory meets North Wilkes at Hickory on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in a non-league game.
Maiden 10, West Lincoln 0, 5 inn.
LaShayla Thompson had three hits, Grace Herman had two hits and drove in two runs and Taylor Beard added two hits as Maiden won at home.
The Blue Devils, 8-1 in the South Fork 2A, share first place with North Lincoln (8-1).
Maiden scored six runs in the first inning against the Rebels — 4-5 in the league and tied with Newton-Conover for fourth place – and four in the fourth inning.
The Blue Devils play Lake Norman Charter on the road Friday at 4 p.m., and West Lincoln plays a non-conference game at East Burke on Wednesday.
Fred T. Foard 12, West Iredell 1
The Tigers won their 13th straight game and opened their Northwestern Foothills 2A lead to 1 ½ games over Bunker Hill with a win on the road.
Winning pitcher Morgan Smith pitched five innings, giving up five hits, and Adison Yoder pitched in relief for Foard, 8-0 in the conference.
Abby Settlemyre went 3-for-4, scored twice and drove in two runs for the Tigers while Yoder went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and Madison Rowe hit a two-run home run, her fourth of the season.
Foard plays a league game at Patton on Friday at 6 p.m., and West Iredell, 1-7 in the conference, is at home Friday against Draughn in a league game.
North Lincoln 4, Lake Norman Charter 0
North Lincoln used six hits to beat visiting Lake Norman Charter and is tied for first place in the South Fork 2A with Maiden.
Khristen McPherson threw a complete game for Lake Norman Charter, 3-6 in the league, and she struck out 12.
Lake Norman Charter had three hits and made three errors.
North Lincoln goes to East Gaston on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for a non-league game.
Lake Norman Charter faces Maiden on Friday at 4 p.m. in a conference game at North Mecklenburg Park.
BASEBALL
South Caldwell 3, Alexander Central 0
Trent Black threw a complete game, holding the visiting Cougars to three hits, as the Spartans took over sole possession of first place in the Northwestern 3A-4A.
Black walked none and struck out eight as South Caldwell (15-2, 8-1) won its fourth straight game and moved a game ahead of Alexander Central (13-3, 7-2) in the league race.
Kenin Anderson had two of South Caldwell’s eight hits and Austin Blevins drove in a run for the Spartans, who made three errors.
Alexander Central’s hits came from its No. 3 through No. 5 hitters — Josh Jacobs, Justin Cook and Jacob Bebber, respectively.
South Caldwell scored all of its runs in the first inning.
Cook took a loss for the Cougars after going six innings, giving up eight hits, three runs (all earned), walking two and striking out six.
South Caldwell’s next game is Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Watauga, a conference battle, and the Cougars are at home Friday at 6 p.m. to face West Caldwell in a conference game.
St. Stephens 7, Hickory 6
At St. Stephens, the Indians collected a walk-off win during a seventh-inning rally and prevailed when Owen Vansickle lined a pitch to center field to score the game-winner.
With Hickory up 6-4, the Indians (7-6, 4-5) started the seventh inning with back-to-back hits by Matt Walker and Cole Chapman, with both advancing a base when the ball got past the Hickory outfield.
A double by Justin Bolick, down 1-2 in the count, drove in two runs and made it 6-6. That prompted a pitching change as Jackson Palmer came on for the Red Tornadoes (9-7, 3-6).
Walker, Coleman and Vansickle each had two hits for St. Stephens, which outhit Hickory 8-6, and the Red Tornadoes made seven errors and the Indians made four.
Jake Speaks, throwing 1 2/3 innings in relief, picked up a win for the Indians, who started Bullock (5 1/3 innings, five hits, three of six runs earned, three walks, two strikeouts).
Pierson Hanvey threw six innings as Hickory’s starter, giving up seven hits, seven runs (three earned) with no walks and three strikeouts.
The Indians built a 4-0 lead after one inning with only one hit in the inning, a single by Walker. Hickory made three infield errors and dropped a ball in the outfield in that inning.
The Red Tornadoes pulled within 4-3 in the top of the third inning when the Indians had three infield errors. Chapman, the Indians’ catcher, picked a runner off third and threw another out at second base during that inning.
William Stewart’s RBI double in sixth inning helped Hickory score three runs and go up 6-4. Hanvey had an RBI single and Jacob Surbaugh drove in a run in the inning.
St. Stephens plays Maiden in a non-conference game at St. Stephens at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night while Hickory faces McDowell in a league game on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Hickory.
Maiden 6, West Lincoln 4
Host Maiden rallied from an early four-run deficit to collect its second South Fork 2A victory of the season, snapping a five-game losing streak.
West Lincoln led 4-0 in the top of the third inning after scoring three runs. The Blue Devils pulled within 4-1 in the bottom of the inning and went up 4-3 after a three-run fourth inning.
The Blue Devils (2-12, 2-7) had nine hits, led by Carlos Reynoso going 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Dylan Abernathy going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Dylan Smith and Logan Carpenter each had two hits for West Lincoln (7-9, 4-5) and Dylan Burkey drove in two runs.
Avery Scott gained a win in relief for Maiden, allowing one hit and striking out two over two innings after replacing Ross Fowler.
Seth Willis took a loss for the Rebels, going 5 2/3 innings. He gave up nine hits, six runs (three earned) with three walks and three strikeouts.
Maiden has a non-league game at St. Stephens on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and West Lincoln is also playing a non-conference game on Wednesday, facing visiting Fred T. Foard at 7 p.m.
North Lincoln 5, Lake Norman Charter 2
North Lincoln (13-2, 8-1) ran its win streak to six games with a South Fork 2A victory at home.
The game was tied at 2 until North Lincoln scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, gaining a win that keeps it tied with Bandys for the conference lead.
Lake Norman Charter (8-7, 5-4) outhit North Lincoln six to five.
Alex Lonergan took a loss for Lake Norman Charter, giving up two hits and three runs over 1 2/3 innings in a relief appearance.
Logan Ansted went 4 1/3 innings for Lake Norman Charter. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked one and struck out two.
North Lincoln goes to North Iredell on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for a non-league game while Lake Norman Charter plays Maiden in a league game on Friday at 4 p.m. at the Huntersville Athletic Park.