Chargers upset High Point Christian in baseball playoffs

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 17, 2006 2:19 PM

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HIGH POINT -- Travis Davis cranked out three doubles and emerged the winning pitcher in relief as Wayne Country Day upset High Point Christian 5-4 in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 1-A baseball playoffs Tuesday afternoon.

The sixth-seeded Chargers (13-9) seized their sixth win in their last eight outings and will face three-time defending state champion Waccamaw at 4 p.m. Friday at historic Fleming Stadium in Wilson. Waccamaw, the No. 2 seed in the 12-team field, shut out Wayne Christian 5-0.

Tied at 2-2 after four innings, Wayne Country Day posted three runs with two outs in the fifth.

Sam Steed singled and advanced to second when Ryan Ford drew a walk. Davis, who struck out in his first at-bat, plated Steed with the first of his three doubles on the day. Kevin Herring drove home Ford and Davis with a single up the middle to make it 5-2.

Davis replaced starter Travis Langston in the fifth and yielded two runs. He settled down, and recorded five strikeouts in the sixth and seventh innings combined.

"Travis probably had one of his best games last night," said third-year WCDS head coach Michael Taylor, whose team is making its first-ever final four appearance. "He saw the ball good after his first at-bat. When I turned the ball over to him, he was kind of shaky in the fifth.

"The two batters he struck out in the seventh was the heart of their lineup. High Point was a good team and very fundamentally sound."

Steed batted 2-for-4 and scored two runs.

Ford, Herring, Langston (RBI) and Cameron Ford each provided a base hit.

Top-seeded Lawrence Academy and Shannon Forest (S.C.) play in the other semifinal-round contest at 1 p.m. The two semifinal winners begin a best-of-three series at 7 p.m. Game two is at 11 a.m. Saturday and a third game, if necessary, will be played at 2 p.m.

2006 N.C. Independent

Schools Athletic Association

Class 1-A Playoffs

(at HP Christian Academy)

W. Country Day 100 130 0 -- 5 9 3

HP Christian 001 120 0 -- 4 8 1

Leading hitters -- Wayne Country Day -- Sam Steed 2-4; Ryan Ford 1-3, RBI; Travis Davis 3-4, 3 2Bs, RBI; Kevin Herring 1-3, 2 RBI; Trent Langston 1-3, RBI; Cameron Ford 1-4.

IP H R ER BB SO

Wayne Country Day

Langston 4 4 2 2 1 3

Davis (W) 3 4 2 1 0 5

Waccamaw ousts

Wayne Christian

WHITEVILLE -- Senior left-hander Dustin Williamson tossed a one-hitter and recorded 12 strikeouts in Waccamaw Academy's 5-0 victory over Wayne Christian in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A playoffs Tuesday afternoon.

Williamson yielded a double to T.A. Brannan, but kept the Eagle hitters baffled with a sweeping curveball.

"(Williamson) is definitely the best pitcher we've faced all year," said Wayne Christian coach Tim Brannan. "I thought our team played great defensively. We did have a couple of miscues."

Waccamaw banged out six hits against Eagle right-hander Tyler Thomas, who went the distance. Thomas struck out three and didn't give up a walk in six innings of work.

The Eagles concluded the year 16-4.

"We had a great year and did a lot of good things," said Brannan, whose team claimed its first-ever Carolina Christian 1-A regular-season title and repeated as CCC tournament champion.

2006 N.C. Independent

Schools Athletic Association

Class 1-A Playoffs

(at Waccamaw Academy, Whiteville)

W. Christian 000 000 0 -- 0 1 3

HP Christian 003 020 x -- 5 6 1

Leading hitters -- Wayne Christian -- T.A. Brannan 2B.

IP H R ER BB SO

Wayne Christian

Thomas (L) 6 6 5 3 0 3

Waccamaw

Williamson (W) 7 1 0 0 2 12

Bulldogs advance

in 1-A playoffs

PRINCETON -- Daniel Gerrell and Dustin Pate each smacked a two-run home run in Princeton's 8-1 victory over East Carteret in their N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A playoff game Tuesday.

Gerrell and Pate combined for four hits and seven RBI for the Bulldogs, who entertain No. 2-ranked West Columbus (23-2) at 7 p.m. Friday. Princeton (16-5) is ranked No. 8 statewide.

Pate emerged the winning pitcher, striking out seven and allowing one earned run on three hits.

"Dustin was sharp all night and stayed ahead in the count," said Bulldogs coach Bruce Proctor. "We played good, solid defense behind him. When we jumped out on top (3-0) in the first inning, that was big for us. When they scored in the fifth, we came back and answered. That was a momentum builder for us."

2006 N.C. High School

Athletic Association

Class 1-A Playoffs

(at Fred Bartholomew Complex)

E. Carteret 000 010 0 -- 1 3 4

Princeton 300 050 x -- 8 9 2

Leading hitters -- Princeton -- Daniel Gerrell 2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI; Dustin Pate 2-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI.

IP H R ER BB SO

East Carteret

Shearin (L) 6 9 8 4 2 4

Princeton

Pate (W) 7 3 1 1 1 7

Tennis

Williamston

ousts Gators

WILLIAMSTON -- Williamston collected two doubles points and turned back Spring Creek 5-3 in their N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A semifinal-round match Tuesday afternoon.

Gator senior Cliff Wilson improved to 21-1 on the singles scene with a 6-0, 6-2 decision against Fielding Elliott. Both return to action Friday morning in the NCHSAA Individual Championships at the Cary Tennis Center.

Second-seeded Jonathan Potts rallied from an opening-set loss to beat the Tigers' Coleman Mills 5-7, 6-4, 7-1. Justin Smith, a junior, routed Scott Kimble 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 singles.

Williamston seized two key victories at Nos. 5 and 6 singles.

Trent Caldwell fended off one match point in the third-set tiebreaker and upended the Gators' Jonathan Sutton 1-6, 6-2, 8-6. Teammate James Oliver captured a first-set tiebreaker against Frederick Ellis and triumphed 7-6 (5), 6-3.

The Tigers won Nos. 2 and 3 doubles.

Spring Creek, the state 1-A runner-up a year ago, finished the year 8-7.

Williamston rose to 13-7 overall and entertains Topsail (4-0) for the eastern regional championship next Tuesday afternoon.

2006 N.C. High School

Athletic Association

Dual-Team Playoffs

(at Williamston HS)

Williamston 5

Spring Creek 3

Singles -- No. 1 Cliff Wilson (SC) d. Fielding Elliott 6-0, 6-2; No. 2 Jonathan Potts (SC) d. Coleman Mills 5-7, 6-4, 7-1; No. 3 Jeff Harrell (W) d. Daniel Correll 6-0, 6-3; No. 4 Justin Smith (SC) d. Scott Kimble 6-2, 6-0; No. 5 Trent Caldwell (W) d. Jonathan Sutton 1-6, 6-2, 8-6; No. 6 James Oliver (W) d. Frederick Ellis 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Doubles -- No. 2 Kimble-Caldwell (W) d. Potts-Smith 10-4; No. 3 Harrell-Oliver (W) d. Sutton-Ellis 10-2.

Note -- No. 1 doubles not completed.

Golf

Warren takes

seventh in 1-A

SILER CITY -- Spring Creek's Stephen Warren finished tied for seventh overall among individual leaders during the two-day, N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A Championships contested at Siler City Country Club.

Warren carded a two-day round of 151 and finished four strokes behind eventual state champion Johnson York of East Surry.

Princeton's Scott Woodward tied for 12th at 156.

East Surry emerged the team champion with a 14-stroke victory over Siler City-Jordan Matthews. Mount Airy ended up third, followed by Cherryville and Hendersonville.

Campbell has

good second day

FOX FIRE VILLAGE -- Charles B. Aycock senior Ryan Campbell fired an even-par 72 and finished tied for ninth overall in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A Championships played on the Fox Fire Resort and Golf Club West Course.

Campbell was 2-under through nine holes and ended the two-day competition with a 148. The Golden Falcons posted a two-day, four-player total of 650 and placed 11th among the 12 competing teams.

Waynesville Tuscola claimed the team title with a stellar 588. Hickory shot 600 and three-time eastern regional champion Wilson Fike was third at 606. Forestview and Western Guilford rounded out the top five with scores of 607 and 617, respectively.

Charlotte Catholic's Michael Muscatelli edged Fike's John Tyler Griffin by one stroke for medalist honors.

Eagles finish

third in NCISAA

PINEHURST -- Matt Davis posted a two-day total of 152 and sparked Wayne Christian to a third-place finish in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A Championships played at Hyland Hill Golf Course.

The Eagles recorded a four-player total of 634 during the two-day event. Clark Rose contributed a 167. Andrew Radford and Chad Smith provided 36-hole scores of 168 and 159, respectively.

Covenant Day, last year's runner-up to the Eagles, seized the team title with a 622. Cresset Christian was second at 626.

"(We) were a little disappointed after two strong finishes in recent weeks," said Wayne Christian coach Clarence Rose. "(We) were fourth after the first day and came back to make a run at Covenant Day. But we could not close the deal.

"The first day hurt us, but I still thought we had a good chance to repeat."