Local Sports Digest

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on May 7, 2008 4:02 PM

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SMITHFIELD -- Wayne Christian claimed its third consecutive Class 1-A Carolina Christian Conference baseball tournament championship with an 8-0 victory over Trinity of Durham on Tuesday afternoon.

The Eagles (13-2 overall) have now won three consecutive CCC regular-season and tournament titles. That includes a 34-game win streak against league opposition.

Tournament MVP and CCC player of the year Adam Brannan allowed just one hit to go with four strikeouts and one walk over five scoreless innings of work. All-CCC and all-tournament selection Jeremy Jefferson tossed two scoreless innings of relief.

Brannan went 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and three runs scored. Travis Thomas was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Jefferson finished 1-for-2 with an RBI and Michael Johnson added two RBI.

Thomas, Johnson and Kyle Harrell were also named to the all-CCC and all-tournament teams.

Wayne Christian earned an automatic bid to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association playoffs. The pairings will be announced today.

Hawks stay hot

LaGRANGE -- North Lenoir concluded its regular season with an 11-1 non-conference win over South Lenoir on Tuesday.

The Hawks (18-1 overall) will host Southern Vance at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2-A state playoffs.

Stephen Pridgen (four RBI), Brandon Whitehurst (two RBI) and C.C. Croom (two runs) each had two hits for North Lenoir. John Alphin ended the evening 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and Dejuan Gray was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Mike Wetherington earned the win on the mound, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out 12 and walking one.

WCDS tops Greenfield

WILSON -- Cameron Ford pitched seven strong innings and Wayne Country Day earned a 5-2 victory at Greenfield on Tuesday.

Ford allowed two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and four walks in the Chargers' regular season finale. WCDS (8-10 overall) concluded the season with five wins in its last six contests.

Kevin Herring led the Chargers offense with two hits, and Corey Robert and Hil Tanner each contributed a hit and an RBI.

"We finished the year out on a high note," Wayne Country Day head coach Michael Taylor said. "This team could have folded and gave up on the season but they kept playing and believing in themselves."

The Chargers will learn their postseason fate today.

Softball

Conquerors to semis

Faith Christian advanced to the semifinals of the N.C. Christian Schools Association 2-A state playoffs with a 14-5 win over visiting Sheets Memorial on Tuesday.

Brooke Anderson, Jennifer Christopher, Rene Provencal and Kaitlyn Floars each had two hits. Christopher struck out eight and walked three to record the win on the mound.

The Conquerors (11-3 overall) travel to Cramerton this weekend.

EW edges Bruins

WILSON -- Live to play another day.

That was Eastern Wayne's motto heading into the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference tournament and it rang true as the Warriors downed Wilson Beddingfield 1-0 on Tuesday.

Casey Mitchell went 1-for-3 and scored the game's only run. Lani Fricks added an infield hit. Fricks allowed four hits and struck out three while walking one to earn the mound win.

Paula Webber turned in a game-saving catch on a flare hit to the outfield with two outs in the sixth inning and a Beddingfield runner on third base.

The Bruins threatened again in the seventh with runners on the corners and two outs, but Fricks induced a ground out to end the ballgame.

Eastern Wayne visits Charles B. Aycock in the semifinals at 7 p.m. tonight.

PHS rough up Gators

PRINCETON -- A seven-run, second inning was all Princeton needed to cruise past visiting Spring Creek 12-0 in 41/2 innings on Tuesday.

Devon Murphy went 2-for-2 and Ashley Braswell and Hannah Wood each added hits for the Bulldogs. Princeton benefited from eight walks by Spring Creek pitchers Staci Lane and Elizabeth Edwards.

April Keene and Traci Bridgers combined to allow just one Gators hit while striking out seven. Brittany Collier recorded the only hit for Spring Creek.

The Bulldogs (12-6 overall, 8-2 Carolina) will host a playoff game next Tuesday.

ND falls to NJ

CALYPSO -- Errors came back to bite North Duplin a 6-1 loss to Carolina 1-A Conference leading North Johnston on Tuesday night.

Rebels starter Jessica Pridgen pitched a complete game allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Pridgen's cause wasn't aided by four North Duplin errors.

Panthers hurler Leann Woodall held the Rebels to one earned run on three hits to go with nine strikeouts and one walk.

Jenny Coley provided North Duplin's (9-7, 5-5 Carolina) lone RBI and Brittney Coley and Pridgen both chipped in hits.

"Words cannot justify how proud I am of this team," Rebels head coach Heather Best said. "We went from a team that was 1-4 in the conference to winning four straight and knocking off the first-place team. Our entire team contributed to this record."

RW halts Chargers

AYDEN -- Haile Meadows struck out 12 and led Rosewood to a 5-1 win at Ayden-Grifton on Tuesday evening.

Meadows allowed three hits in seven innings and went 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored.

Jessica Price was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Halie Howell (RBI) and Alyssa Spell were also 2-for-4. Megan Church added a hit.

Soccer

Chargers clinch CPIC

HENDERSON -- Wayne Country Day held off a late rally and defeated Kerr-Vance Academy 3-2 on Tuesday afternoon to clinch the Coastal Plains Independent 1-A Conference regular-season title.

A tie between Faith Christian of Rocky Mount and Greenfield helped the Chargers CPIC title outright.

Wayne Country Day (12-3-2, 8-1-1 CPIC) took a 1-0 lead early in the second half on Catherine Ford's goal on an assist from Kim Martell.

Martell tucked a left-footed shot under the crossbar in the 50th minute off an assist from Mack Thompson to stretch the lead to 2-0. Thompson added a second assist in the 54th minute on a goal by Daniel Holland.

Kerr-Vance came charging back with two goals in five minutes and trailed just 3-2 with two minutes left.

Chargers keeper Ellen Elmore finished with seven saves.

Golf

Eagles win CCC

BUIES CREEK -- Wayne Christian used a team score of 309 to slip past Cape Fear Christian and win the Carolina Christian 1-A Conference tournament at Keith Hills Country Club.

With the victory, the Eagles finished the season undefeated in conference play and also claimed the CCC regular-season title. Cape Fear recorded a team score of 312 followed by Trinity of Durham with a 338.

Taylor Gardner led Wayne Christian with a round of 75 with teammate Matt Davis firing a 76. Hayden Gardner and Eric Williams both finished with rounds of 79. Davis, Taylor and Andrew Radford also participated for the Eagles.

Davis, Williams and Taylor and Hayden Gardner were all named to the All-Carolina Christian Conference team.

Wayne Christian begins defense of its state title Monday at Hyland Hills Country Club in Pinehurst.

Tennis

WCS routs Trinity

Wayne Christian school strolled past Trinity of Raleigh 9-0 at Herman Park on Tuesday.

Recording singles wins for the Eagles (8-0, 4-0 CCC) were Taylor Gray, Sam Rouse, Woody Sasser, Chris Easom, Daniel Glover and Kenneth Giordano.

The doubles tandems of Gray-Rouse, Sasser-Easom and Glover-Giordano were also victorious.

Warriors advance

JACKSONVILLE -- Eastern Wayne collected five singles points and defeated White Oak 7-2 in their first-round, N.C. High School Athletic Association dual-team playoff match.

The Warriors received singles wins from Drew Jackson, Eric Barnes, Chris Knobling, Thomas Jackson and Will Kastner. Knobling-Barnes and T. Jackson-Marvin Bowman each prevailed in doubles.

Eastern Wayne (13-5 overall) visits Washington next Tuesday.

Correction

In Tuesday's edition of the News-Argus, a Charles B. Aycock player was misidentified as Josh Martin scoring a run against Eastern Wayne.

The runner was Matt Radford, who had been promoted from the junior varsity team.

The News-Argus regrets any inconvenience the error might have caused.