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Jared Crowe’s walk-off double completed a Bandys High rally that nipped visiting North Lincoln 6-5 on Wednesday night and moved the Trojans into a tie for first place with the Knights in South Fork 2A baseball.
In a seventh inning that included hit batsmen and a throwing error, the Trojans wiped out a one-run deficit to win on Crowe’s hit and improve to 10-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference.
North Lincoln (7-2, 6-1) had a seven-game win streak snapped.
The Knights had an early 1-0 lead when they used a walk and a ground ball out RBI to score in the first inning.
Bandys took a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning, scoring its runs with two outs when T.J. Rasar doubled in two after two walks and an error scored the other run.
North Lincoln closed within 3-2 in the fifth inning when David Burgess singled and stole second before scoring on a hit by Tyler McPeak.
Bandys outfielder Travis Russell dropped a flyball in the sixth inning, setting up a game-tying single by Reed McRorie.
The Trojans regained the lead at 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Eljiah Carr drove in a run. The Knights had a balk and a wild pitch in that inning.
North Lincoln had three of its eight hits in the top of the seventh inning to score two runs and lead 5-4.
Carr pitched one inning in relief — the seventh — to gain a win. Bandys starter Andrew Patrick worked six innings, allowing four hits, walking three and striking out 10.
North Lincoln scored two runs on Carr, going up 5-4, and Carr was then the pitcher of record and gained his win via Crowe’s game-winning hit.
The Trojans’ next game is Thursday at 7 p.m. at home, facing Maiden in a conference game, and North Lincoln goes to West Lincoln on Thursday (7 p.m.) for a league game.
East Lincoln 8, Newton-Conover 0
Junior right-hander Tyler Cox threw a complete game, allowing one hit and striking out 12, as the Mustangs won a South Fork 2A game in Newton.
Senior Kooper Hogue went 3-for-4 as East Lincoln won via shutout for the first time this season.
After starting the season 0-6, the Mustangs (3-8, 2-5) have averaged 5.4 runs per game over their last five games.
East Lincoln faces Lake Norman Charter in a conference game Thursday at 4 p.m. on the road while the Red Devils go to Lincolnton on Thursday for a 7 p.m. league game.
Bunker Hill JV pairings
Bunker Hill has released pairings for its junior varsity baseball tournament scheduled April 5-6.
The two-day, five-team tournament begins next Thursday at 11 a.m. with No. 5 seed St. Stephens facing No. 4 Hickory.
The second game next Thursday at 2 p.m., pits No. 3 Fred T. Foard against No. 2 Bunker Hill and a 5 p.m. game matches the Game No. 1 winner against top-seed Alexander Central.
THURSDAY, APRIL 5
Game 1: No. 5 St. Stephens vs. No. 4 Hickory, 11 a.m.
Game 2: No. 3 Fred T. Foard vs. No. 2 Bunker Hill, 2 p.m.
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 Alexander Central, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 6
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 11 a.m.
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 5 p.m.
GIRLS SOFTBALL
Maiden 19, Lincolnton 5
Caitlyn Wray went 4-for-4 for a double, home run and four RBIs to lead first-place Maiden’s victory over Lincolnton on the road.
Taylor Beard went 3-for-3 with a double, drove in two runs and scored three runs and Grace Herman was 3-for-4 and scored four runs for the Blue Devils.
Maiden is 7-1 in the South Fork 2A, two games up in the win column on North Lincoln (5-1).
Maggie Sigmon was the winning pitcher, going three innings. She walked three, gave up no runs and struck out two.
Alex Swett took the loss for the Wolves, 0-7 in the conference.
Maiden plays Bandys on the road on Thursday at 6 p.m. in a league game while North Lincoln is at Bandys on Wednesday (6 p.m.) for a league game.
East Lincoln 7, Newton-Conover 4
The Mustangs broke a 3-all tie with two runs in the fourth inning en route to a South Fork 2A victory on the road.
East Lincoln, 5-2 in the league, had six hits with Faith Cook and Katie Hogue each driving in two runs.
The Red Devils, 3-3 in the conference, had eight hits. Kali Flanagan had two, including a home run, and losing pitcher Destini Vines added two.
Payton Baker threw a complete game, allowing eight hits with four runs (three earned), walking four and striking out two for the Mustangs.
Vines gave up six hits over seven innings, allowed seven runs (six earned), walked seven and struck out five and took a loss for Newton-Conover.
The Red Devils left 10 runners stranded.
East Lincoln goes to Lake Norman Charter for a league game at 4 p.m. on Thursday while the Red Devils play a conference game at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Lincolnton.
GIRLS SOCCER
Lake Norman Charter 6, Lincolnton 2
Ayden Yates scored twice and Kasey Hahn had three assists, leading the Knights past the Wolves in a South Fork 2A match in Lincolnton.
Faith Brenner gave the Wolves an early lead but first-place Lake Norman Charter (8-0-1, 5-0-0) then got a goal by Olivia Tanaka on an assist by Yates and took the lead when Hahn scored on another assist by Yates.
Lincolnton pulled even at 2-all when Zaira Lopez got behind the defense and took a scoop pass from Brenner and scored.
Yates scored in the second half for a 3-2 lead and then she scored again on a corner kick to make it 4-2.
Alex Behnke and Olivia Masterton added goals for the Knights, who got two saves from Kaela Rasenberger.
Blanca Morales made nine saves for Lincolnton.
BOYS GOLF
Hickory leads conference race
Hickory has a 19-stroke lead over Alexander Central after a Northwestern 3A-4A match this week at Silver Creek, the league’s second of the season.
The Red Tornadoes shot a 306 at Silver Creek to win by four strokes over Alexander Central, and the Red Tornadoes are at 623 through two matches to the Cougars’ 642.
Jared Clontz of Freedom was medalist at Silver Creek with a round of 71.
Eli Wyatt shot 73, Ben Nichols shot 75 and Colby Sheplar shot 78 to lead Hickory’s team victory.
NORTHWESTERN 3A-4A
(at Silver Creek)
Team scores: 1. Hickory 306; 2. Alexander Central 310; 3. St. Stephens 314; 4. W. Caldwell 317; 5. Watauga 329; 6. Freedom 344; 7. S. Caldwell 358; 8 McDowell 395.
Medalist: Jared Clontz (F) 71.
Individual scores, winning team: Hickory 306 (Eli Wyatt 73, Ben Nichols 75, Colby Sheplar 78, Jackson Graham 82, Cloin Healy 96).
Other top rounds: Bryce Hull (SS) 73, Cole Carrigan (AC) 74, Garrison Millsaps (AC) 75, Jordan Austin (W) 75, Trent McLauchin (SS) 76, Hunter Braswell (ACX) 78.
Team scores after two league matches: 1. Hickory 623; 2. Alexander Central 642; 3. W. Caldwell 644; 4. St. Stephens 653; 5. Watauga 687; 6. S. Caldwell 706; 7. Freedom 719; 8. McDowell 787.