NCHSAA state championship central: follow Saturday’s baseball, soccer, softball finals
Get coverage for the NCHSAA state championship games Friday and Saturday below. Scroll down for the East-West soccer rosters, which were recently released.
Scroll down for recaps and scores
Live scores
(all games and matches televised by NFHS Network)
NCHSAA state championship Day 2
SOFTBALL RECAPS
1A: EAST WILKES 7, PINETOWN NORTHSIDE 5
East Wilkes won Game 2 of the series at Duke University and forced a third and deciding contest.
The Cardinals, appearing in their first softball state finals, built a 7-1 lead after 5 1/2 innings and held on. Kyleigh Lane homered for East Wilkes in the fifth inning, and the Cardinals added four runs in the sixth.
Trailing 7-2 in the bottom of the seventh, the Panthers close the gap on Megan Hopkins’ three-run home run. But relief pitcher Zoe Cheek entered the game and got the final two outs.
East Wilkes 100 114 0 — 7
Pinetown Northside 000 011 3 — 5
BASEBALL RECAPS
3A: EAST ROWAN 11, SOUTH CENTRAL 3
Sophomore Harrison Ailshie drove in four runs, leading the Mustangs (34-2) to a two-game sweep and their fourth state championship.
Ailshie, named the 3A finals’ Most Valuable Player, smacked an RBI double in the fourth inning and a three-run homer in the sixth. Senior Braden Shive collected four hits and scored three runs.
East Rowan scored four times in the first, but South Central (24-6) rallied with three in the bottom of the second inning on Mason Hobbs’ bases-loaded double. The Mustangs responded with four runs in the fourth and three in the sixth.
East Rowan, which also won state championships in 1993 and 2010, finished with a 15-game winning streak and outscored opponents 347-93 this season.
East Rowan 400 403 0 — 11
South Central 030 000 0 — 3
2A: GREENE CENTRAL 8, BURNS 5
Burns’ hopes of repeating as state champion ended with the Bulldogs (31-3) being swept by Greene Central.
The Rams, who won their sixth state championship (but first in 24 years), scored three times in the first inning and three times in the second. Riley Raford slammed a three-run homer for Greene Central in the first and had an RBI single in the second.
Colby Putnam homered for Burns in the third inning, and Ethan Gay smacked a two-run single in the seventh, when the Bulldogs scored three times.
Winning pitcher Brandon Buress was named the 2A finals’ Most Valuable Player.
Burns 001 010 3 — 5
Greene Central 330 011 X — 8
Girls’ soccer championship schedule
(all matches at Matthews SportsPlex)
FRIDAY
CLASS 4A
Marvin Ridge 2, Ashley 1
Story/Photos/Videos: Marvin Ridge upsets Ashley
SATURDAY
CLASS 1A
Christ the King 5, Woods Charter 0
Story/Photos/Videos: Christ The King 3-peats in style
CLASS 3A
South Point (18-2-2) vs. Jacksonville (19-1-4), 2:30
CLASS 2A
Pine Lake Prep (20-1-1) vs. Seaforth (24-1-1), 6
Softball championship schedule
(all series are best-of-three)
Class 4A: Weddington (21-5) vs. Garner (28-2)
(at UNC-Greensboro)
Game 1: Garner 3, Weddington 1
Game 2: Garner 12, Weddington 1
Click here for story, photos, video
Class 3A: Kings Mountain (24-2) vs. South Brunswick (26-4)
(at Duke)
Game 1: South Brunswick 2, Kings Mountain 0
Game 2: 2 p.m. Saturday (South Brunswick, home team)
Game 3 (if needed): 8 p.m.. Saturday (Kings Mountain, home team) (game will be at 5 p.m. if 1A series ends in two games)
Class 2A: Southwestern Randolph (22-7) vs. Midway (21-4)
(at UNC-Greensboro)
Game 1: Southwestern Randolph 13, Midway 0 (5 innings)
Game 2: 2 p.m. Saturday (SW Randolph, home team)
Game 3 (if needed): 8 p.m. Saturday (Midway, home team) (game will be at 5 p.m. if 4A series ends in two games)
Class 1A: East Wilkes (28-4) vs. Pinetown Northside (22-5)
(at Duke)
Game 1: Northside 3, East Wilkes 0
Game 2: East Wilkes 8, Northside 5
Game 3: 5 p.m. Saturday (East Wilkes home team)
Baseball championship schedule
Class 4A: T.C. Roberson (27-4) vs. Ashley (25-4)
(at Burlington Athletic Stadium)
Game 1: T.C. Roberson 3, Ashley 0
Game 2: 2 p.m. Saturday (Ashley, home team)
Game 3: 8 p.m. Saturday (TBA, home team) (game will be at 5 p.m. if 2A series ends in two games)
Class 3A: East Rowan (34-2) vs. South Central (23-6)
(at Ting Stadium, Holly Springs)
Game 1: East Rowan 3, South Central 2 (9 innings)
Game 2: East Rowan 11, South Central 3
Class 2A: Burns (31-2) vs. Greene Central (28-1)
(at Burlington Athletic Stadium)
Game 1: Greene Central 2, Burns 0
Game 2: Greene Central 8, Burns 5
Class 1A: Uwharrie Charter (27-6) vs. Pinetown Northside (20-7)
(at Ting Stadium, Holly Springs)
Game 1: Uwharrie Charter 2, Pinetown Northside 1 (8 innings)
Game 2: 2 p.m. Saturday (Northside, home team)
Game 3 (if needed): 8 p.m. Saturday (Uwharrie Charter, home team) (game will be at 5 p.m. if 3A series ends in two games)
NCHSAA state championship Day 1
SOFTBALL RECAPS
4A: GARNER 3, WEDDINGTON 1
If Weddington High School is going to win its first NCHSAA 4A state softball championship, the Warriors are going to have to start playing a little cleaner brand of softball.
Weddington lost Game 1 of its best-of-3 series with Garner Friday because of two errors and a missed pop-fly that led to three Garner runs. Garner won 3-1 and will need to win Game 2 Saturday at 11 a.m. at UNC-Greensboro to take its first state title.
Weddington (21-4), which had its six-game win streak snapped, will need to win Saturday morning and then win a forced Game 3 Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. to take the title.
Friday night, Garner (27-2) won for the 17th time in 18 tries, in a game where both starting pitchers — Weddington’s Joella Thomas and Garner’s Gabriella Czuczuk — both were pretty solid. But after UNC recruit Jadyn Howe gave Weddington a 1-0 lead with a huge home run to center field, the Warriors committed those two errors, which ultimately were the difference in the game.
Howe’s shot came in the top of the second.
In the bottom of the inning, Garner got a runner on with a single. The next batter hit the blooping single to the outfield that was misplayed, scoring a run. A similar play, in the third inning, helped a Garner runner score from first base with the go-ahead run.
Later in the bottom of the sixth, one of Garner’s best hitters, Lily Keefer, popped up a foul ball behind home plate that should’ve been caught. The ball fell the ground. Moments later, with her team up 2-1, Keefer smashed home a run to left, her seventh home run and 37th RBI of the season.
▪ Weddington pitcher Joella Thomas had six strikeouts. Garner starter Gabriella Czuczuk allowed one run on three hits. Raleigh Stewart relieved her in the sixth.
Weddington 000 000 0 — 1 4 2 — 0
Garner 011 000 X — 3 5 0 — 0
3A: SOUTH BRUNSWICK 2, KINGS MOUNTAIN 0
Kina Davis tossed her 19th shutout of the season, and South Brunswick took the opening game of the series at Duke University.
Davis scattered four hits and struck out 12 for the Cougars (26-4). Kings Mountain fell to 24-2.
Davis, who helped her cause with a home run, struck out two Mountaineers in the seventh inning and ended the game by fanning Zaniah Field.
Kali Weaver had two of the Mountaineers’ four hits, and losing pitcher Madeline Huffman tossed a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts.
Game 2 of the series will be played at 2 p.m. Saturday.
South Brunswick 010 001 0 — 2 3 0
Kings Mountain 000 000 0 — 0 4 4
2A: SOUTHWESTERN RANDOLPH 13, MIDWAY 0
Southwestern Randolph (22-7) exploded for eight runs in the third inning and rolled to a Game 1 victory. The contest was shortened to five innings by the 10-run rule.
Madelyn Smith, Maddie Strider and Hayleigh Thompson each had two-run hits in the third, and Strider added a two-run double in the fourth.
Midway (21-4) was held to one hit by winning pitcher Macie Crutchfield, who also struck out nine.
Southwestern Randolph 028 30 — 13 17 2
Midway 000 00 — 0 1 0
1A: PINETOWN NORTHSIDE 3, EAST WILKES 0
Northside’s Emaleigh Cherry blasted a three-run home run in the top of the fifth, providing the victorious Panthers with all the offense they needed in a Game 1 victory.
Northside (22-4) got clutch pitching from Jorden Clark, who got herself out of a big jam in the bottom of the second by striking out an East Wilkes hitter with the bases loaded.
Game 2 of the series is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Duke University.
Northside 000 030 0 — 3 9 0
East Wilkes 000 000 0 — 0 6 0
BASEBALL RECAPS
4A: T.C. ROBERSON 3, ASHLEY 0
Defending state champion Roberson scored all its runs in the first inning, then relied on the pitching of Michael Simpson and C.J. Wallace for the victory.
The Rams (27-4) had five hits in their big first inning. Caden Davidson drove in one run with a double, Simpson had a run-producing sacrifice fly, and J.T. Smith had an RBI single.
Meanwhile, Simpson worked 6.1 innings and scattered six hits. He was relieved by Wallace in the seventh, after Ashley (25-4) got back-to-back singles with one out. Wallace quickly ended the game by getting the next Ashley batter to hit into a double play.
T.C. Roberson will go for a second straight state title in Game 2 at 2 p.m. Saturday at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
Ashley 000 000 0 — 0 6 0
T.C. Roberson 300 000 0 — 3 8 1
3A: EAST ROWAN 3, SOUTH CENTRAL 2
The Mustangs (33-2) got a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning and captured Game 1 of the series against the Falcons (24-5) at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs.
Logan Dyer reached on a walk for East Rowan in the ninth and went to third on Braden Shore’s double. Cobb Hightower loaded the bases with an intentional walk, and Harrison Ailshie drove in the winning run when he walked on a 3-1 pitch.
Krystopher Hernandez and Mason Phelps had RBI singles for the Mustangs, who got out of a jam in the seventh inning by successfully executing the hidden ball trick.
Game 2 of the series will be at 11 a.m. Saturday.
South Central 000 200 000 — 2
East Rowan 020 000 001 — 3
2A: GREENE CENTRAL 2, BURNS 0
Greene Central’s Austin Hardy pitched a shutout, and the Rams took a 1-0 best-of-three series lead over defending 2A state champion Burns at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
The Rams (28-1) scored on a throwing error in the top of the fourth inning and on a Braden Burress RBI single in the seventh. Burns (31-2) loaded the bases in the third inning, but Hardy pitched his team out of a jam.
Burns ace Colby Putnam pitched well, scattering four hits and striking out 10. He also went 3-for-4 at the plate.
Game 2 in the series will be at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Greene Central 000 100 1 — 2 4 0
Burns 000 000 0 — 0 6 3
1A: UWHARRIE CHARTER 2, PINETOWN NORTHSIDE 1
Carter Brown’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Uwharrie Charter (27-6) over Northside (20-7) in the 1A series opener at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs.
The Eagles, going for their second straight 1A state championship, trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh, as Northside pitcher James Sawyer was in control. But the Eagles cobbled together a tying run on Landon Zephir’s RBI single.
Brown’s walk-off hit in the eighth scored Troy Carver, who had walked.
Ashton Willard drove in Northside’s run with a single in the fifth.
Sawyer finished with 15 strikeouts, and winning pitcher Jake Hunter fanned 12.
Game 2 of the series is at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Pinetown Northside 000 010 00 — 1
Uwharrie Charter 000 000 11 — 2
East-West girls’ soccer rosters announced
Here are rosters for the East-West girls’ all-star game, July 16, at Greensboro Grimsley
