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Pierson Hanvey’s complete game that included holding visiting Watauga to five hits and striking out nine carried Hickory to a 7-0 high school baseball victory on Thursday night.
The Red Tornadoes (5-4, 2-3) picked up their second shutout win of the season (the other was 25-0 over Statesville) and gained head coach David Craft his 455th career win. He has 435 of those as head coach at his alma mater.
Hanvey had good control against the Pioneers (2-5, 1-4 Northwestern 3A-4A), walking only two.
Bryce Stober went 2-for-4 with a double, Macory Mitchell was 2-for-4 and Brody Carborough drove in two runs for the Red Tornadoes, who share fourth place with McDowell and St. Stephens.
The game was originally scheduled to be played in Boone before the schools traded home playing dates.
Hickory is at home on Friday at 6:30 p.m., facing West Caldwell in a conference game while Watauga heads to St. Stephens for a league game on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Bandys 7, West Lincoln 2
The Trojans erased an early deficit to continue undefeated (8-0) with a South Fork 2A victory over the Rebels at Bandys.
The win continues the Trojans’ hottest start since 2005, when they opened the season 13-0, and they share first place with North Lincoln at 5-0 in the league.
Bandys has a league game on Friday at 4 p.m. at Lake Norman Charter, and North Lincoln’s game against Lincolnton — originally to be played at North Lincoln — is at 7 p.m. Friday in Lincolnton (due to lightning issues at North Lincoln).
North Lincoln travels to Bandys for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday.
On Thursday night, the Rebels (4-4, 2-3) grabbed a 1-0 lead by an RBI double by Logan Carpenter that dropped between two Bandys outfielders. It came after Pete Craig’s one-out single and a stolen base.
Bandys threatened in the first inning, getting a leadoff double by Travis Russell. But he was called out after an appeal (that he did not touch first base). After Cy Spencer walked and Andrew Patrick singled, the Trojans had runners at second and third with one out but did not score.
Bandys took a 2-1 lead with a two-run single in the bottom of the third inning.
The Trojans broke it open with five runs on six hits in the fourth inning. Elijah Carr doubled then Laz Maxwell and Ivan Huffman each laid down back-to-back bunt singles and both runners scored on a throwing error that made it 4-1. After a run-scoring single by Patrick, Spencer drove in a run with a ground ball out and Patrick’s RBI single made it 7-1.
West Lincoln got within five runs in the sixth inning when Chris Moxley’s fielder’s choice scored a run.
Carpenter led the Rebels with two hits, a RBI and a run scored. Nathan Beam also had two hits.
Patrick pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits and no walks. He struck out eight and hit two. Alex Reavis came in and pitched the final inning, allowing a walk.
Russell, Patrick, T.J. Rasar and Maxwell each had two hits to pace the Trojans, who had 11.
SOFTBALL
Fred T. Foard 9, Hibriten 0
Adison Yoder threw a complete game two-hitter, striking out eight, and went 3-for-4 to pace the Tigers to their eighth straight victory.
Ford, 4-0 in the Northwestern Foothills 2A and 8-1 overall, is a half-game in front of Bunker Hill in the conference standings.
Emily Campbell hit a home run for the third time this season for Foard, and she drove in two runs.
Foard has a non-conference home game on Friday against Cannon McMillian (Pa.) that begins at 6 p.m.
Hibriten will be at home on Friday for a 6 p.m. league game against Hibriten.
Maiden 4, East Lincoln 3
With Jaiden Kiser doubling and driving in three runs, Grace Herman getting two hits and Morgan Bohemier throwing a complete game, the Blue Devils won a key South Fork 2A game at home.
Boheimier gave up five hits, walked three and struck out nine as Maiden won to move into a share of first place with West Lincoln, both at 4-1 and a half-game up on Newton-Conover and North Lincoln.
Payton Baker took the loss for the Mustangs, 3-2 in the league.
Maiden had six hits.
The Blue Devils face Newton-Conover at 5 p.m. on Friday in a league game at Maiden while East Lincoln is at home on Friday at 6 p.m. for a conference battle with West Lincoln.
Alexander Central 9, Canon McMillan (Pa.) 7 (Wednesday)
Lanie Goforth and Kelsea Dejarnette each had three hits and Julie Gast drove in three as the Cougars won a non-league home game.
Gast and Alexis Walter each had two hits for Alexander Central (8-2), which had 14 and overcame making two errors.
Lindsay Schmidt and Kylah Kubiczki each had two hits for Canon McMillan, which had 10 hits.
Alexander Central scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning but was tied at 3 after Canon McMillan scored a run in the third inning.
The Cougars led 4-3 after a run in the third inning, then fell behind 7-4 before picking up a run in the bottom of the third inning.
A fourth-run sixth inning got Alexander Central in front 9-7.
Chesney Millsaps (8-2) threw a complete game for the Cougars, allowing seven runs (six earned), walking four and striking out three.
Abu Miuchelucci, the first of three Canon McMillan pitchers, took the loss. She went 2 1/3 innings, allowing five hits, four runs (all earned) with three walks and two strikeouts.
Alexander Central is at home Friday at 6 p.m. to face McDowell in a Northwestern 3A-4A game. The Cougars and Titans are 4-1 in the league and share first place with South Caldwell.
Canon McMillan faces Fred T. Foard at Foard on Friday at 6 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Lake Norman Charter 9, Newton-Conover 0
Two goals each by Olivia Masterton and Olivia Tanaka sparked Lake Norman Charter 9-0 home victory that moved it into first place in the South Fork 2A.
The Knights moved to 3-0 in the conference against the Red Devils, who had lost only one league match in the previous two seasons.
Lake Norman Charter, 6-0-1 overall, has a half-game lead over Maiden, 2-0 in the league, in the leagues race with Lincolnton and East Lincoln each 2-1 and Newton-Conover dropped to 2-2.
Ayden Yates, Kasey Hahn, Hallie Arko, Alex Behnke and Brooke Rhodes each added a goal for the Knights. Yates had three assists.
Madie Sims led Lake Norman Charter’s backline defense.
Lake Norman Charter has a makeup league match on Monday at 6 p.m. at Maiden while the Red Devils are at home on Tuesday to face North Lincoln in a conference match at 6 p.m.