Local digest

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on February 28, 2007 2:36 PM

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Grady, Casey lead Spring Creek to season-opening win

SEVEN SPRINGS -- Ray Grady and Alex Casey banged out three hits apiece in Spring Creek's season-opening, 8-2 victory over Midway on Tuesday afternoon.

Grady doubled and collected three RBI, while Casey scored three runs. Kevin Prunest doubled and drove in a run. Josh Gammon added a hit and an RBI.

The Gators, directed by first-year head coach Heath Whitfield, finished with 13 hits overall.

Anthony Brogden, who claimed the mound victory, struck out five and yielded two hits in a four-inning stint. Tim Rogers tossed three innings of two-strikeout relief.

Spring Creek (1-0 overall) entertains Hobbton today.

Fighting Knights

upend So. Wayne

DUDLEY -- Garrett Barfield ripped a first-inning home run, but Southern Wayne couldn't overcome early-inning errors in a season-opening, 5-3 loss against Northern Nash.

Despite the defensive miscues, which led to two unearned runs, the teams entered the sixth inning tied at 3-3. Northern Nash took the lead with a two-run home run off Saints right-hander Michael Holland, who relieved Byron Powell after the fifth inning.

Holland allowed two hits, struck out three and walked four batters in two innings. Powell surrendered one earned run on two hits and posted two strikeouts in five innings of work.

Brady Wiggins paced the Saints with two hits in four plate appearances. Barfield, Powell, Dave Overman, Scott Holloman (RBI) and Jordan Williams had one hit apiece.

Southern Wayne (0-1 overall) entertains East Duplin today.

South Lenoir

nips archrival

DEEP RUN -- South Lenoir manufactured three runs off four hits and turned back county archrival North Lenoir 3-1 in the season opener for both teams Tuesday evening.

The Hawks' John Alphin surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits in the sixth inning, and endured the pitching loss. Alphin relieved starter Brandon Sutton, who yielded a solo home run to the Blue Devils in the first inning and finished the night with 13 strikeouts.

Bryce Grady, Taylor Ginn and Andrew Manning each provided one hit for North Lenoir -- the two-time defending N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 2-A state champion. Ginn scored on Manning's single in the early innings.

The Hawks (0-1) entertain West Craven today.

Comets cruise

past the Dawgs

PRINCETON -- Michael Radford and Andrew Cobb each rapped out a single in Princeton's 5-0, season-opening loss against Clayton.

Colin Parker took the mound loss and gave up three runs on one hit in two-plus innings. Relievers Ryan Daughtry and Chris Hinton yielded two runs on 11 hits in four-plus innings combined.

Richard Wall led the Comets with four hits in four at-bats.

Princeton (0-1 overall) is the guest of West Johnston on Saturday.

Softball

Darden hurls

one-hit shutout

DUDLEY -- Rachel Reynolds banged out two hits and Lauren Darden threw a one-hitter as Southern Wayne shut down Rosewood 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon.

Darden notched 13 strikeouts and walked two in a complete-game effort.

Alyssa Bradshaw and Meredith Davis each ripped a double in the Saints' season-opening win. Lynn Grantham provided one hit and an RBI in three at-bats. Brianna Lofton stole a base and concluded the day 1-for-4.

Rosewood pitcher Haile Meadows lost her second straight decision on the mound. The right-hander yielded six runs (three earned) on six hits and fanned two Saints in six innings of work.

April Pfeiffer had the lone hit for the Eagles, who endured their second straight shutout.

Southern Wayne (1-0 overall) entertains East Duplin today. Rosewood (0-2) travels to Hobbton on Thursday.

Greene Central

shuts out Vikes

SNOW HILL -- Jessica Moore and Elizabeth Webb combined for a two-hit shutout in Greene Central's 5-0, season-opening victory over Kinston.

Moore fanned nine Viking batters and surrendered two hits in four innings of work. Webb tossed two innings of five-strikeout relief.

Ashley Oakes and Blair Carraway paced the Rams' eight-hit attack with two singles apiece. The duo combined for three RBI.

Greene Central (1-0 overall) entertains Southern Wayne at 4 p.m. Friday.

North Duplin

takes opener

ROSEBORO -- Jessica Pridgen notched 13 strikeouts and allowed three walks in North Duplin's 9-3, season-opening victory over Lakewood.

Heather Hudson led the Rebels with three hits in five at-bats. Pridgen (RBI), Julie Ivey and Jodie Williamson (two RBI) collected two hits apiece.

North Duplin (1-0 overall) entertains Lakewood on March 6.

Tennis

Eastern Wayne

dumps N. Lenoir

Christian Pfuhl and Eric Barnes each claimed a tiebreaker, and sparked Eastern Wayne to a season-opening, 7-1 victory over North Lenoir on the Wayne Community College tennis courts.

Pfuhl, the Warriors' No. 4 seed, turned back the Hawks' Ryan Kramer 7-6 (1), 6-0. Fifth-seeded Eric Barnes dropped a second-set tiebreaker, but escaped Jacob Maready 6-2, 6-7 (5), 10-5.

Jared Stone, Drew Jackson and Ben Wines each produced a straight-set win. Stone-Jackson and Wines-Pfuhl also prevailed in doubles.

Trey Gray claimed the Hawks' lone singles win.

Eastern Wayne (1-0 overall) travels to J.H. Rose today.

Eastern Wayne 7

North Lenoir 1

Singles -- No. 1 Jared Stone (EW) d. Clinton O'dell 6-3, 6-3; No. 2 Drew Jackson (EW) d. Taylor Holmes 6-2, 6-1; No. 3 Ben Wines (EW) d. Chandler Phillips 6-3, 6-2; No. 4 Christian Pfuhl (EW) d. Ryan Kramer 7-6 (1), 6-0; No. 5 Eric Barnes (EW) d. Jacob Maready 6-2, 6-7 (5), 10-5; No. 6 Trey Gray (NL) d. Ken Lam 6-0, 6-2.

Doubles -- No. 1 Stone-Jackson (EW) d. O'dell-Holmes 8-0; No. 2 Wines-Pfuhl (EW) d. Forrest Griffith-Ethan Dail 8-2.

Note: No. 3 doubles not completed due to darkness.

Golf

Wayne Christian

sweeps tri-match

Clark Rose earned medalist honors with a 70 and Wayne Christian swept county rivals Spring Creek and Southern Wayne in non-conference action at Walnut Creek Country Club.

The Eagles fashioned a four-player score of 318 -- 67 strokes lower than Spring Creek. The Saints carded a 427.

Matt Davis complemented Rose's effort with an 82. Andrew Radford and Hayden Gardner each provided identical 18-hole scores of 83. Taylor Gardner and Eric Williams also participated in the season-opening match.

Dustin Wood emerged Spring Creek's top scorer with an 87.

Jay Kornegay paced Southern Wayne with a 97.

Wayne Christian (2-0 overall) returns to action March 13 against Trinity Academy-Raleigh.