Local digest

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 12, 2012 11:56 PM

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Baseball

Wayne Country Day 11,

North Hills Christian 1

* Wayne Country Day erupted for five first-inning runs and handed North Hills Christian an 11-1, mercy-rule loss in the opening round of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A playoffs Friday afternoon.

The third-seeded Chargers (13-8 overall) entertain either Fayetteville Cape Fear Christian or The Epiphany School on Tuesday. First pitch is 4:30 p.m.

"We really got things started in the first inning," WCDS head coach Michael Taylor said.

Junior Cody Neal connected on a lead-off single and senior infielder Cole Davis reached safely on an error. With one out, Neal and Davis moved into scoring position on a perfectly-executed double steal.

Mason Bland plated both runners with a single. Josh Jackson was hit by a pitch and Trent Proimos walked to keep the rally alive. Bland trotted home when Thomas Kierski reached on an error. After a strikeout, Jacob Parks singled up the middle, which scored Jackson and Proimos to cap the first-inning outburst.

Neal, whose two-RBI single invoked the mercy rule in the sixth inning, finished the day with three hits and an RBI. Davis doubled in a three-hit, one-RBI effort. Hil Tanner provided a hit and an RBI.

Jackson contributed a hit and two RBI. Bland had two RBI, while Kierski recorded two hits. Parks, the No. 9 batter in the order, drove in two runs.

WCDS stole 12 bases.

Davis emerged the winning pitcher in relief of Neal. The right-hander permitted an earned run on two hits and struck out seven. Neal threw three innings, allowed two hits and fanned six North Hills batters.

North Duplin 3, Heide Trask 2

* ROCKY POINT -- Larry White scattered three hits in a five-inning stint during North Duplin's opening-round, 3-2 victory over Heide Trask in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A state playoffs Friday evening.

The Rebels (15-6) travel to Red Springs on Tuesday.

White (6-1) surrendered one earned run, struck out three and didn't issue a walk. Ryan Wolfe logged two innings of two-hit, one-strikeout relief for his team-leading seventh save of the season.

James Kornegay slugged a first-inning, two-run home run. Breyon Johnson doubled in a 1-for-4 effort. Konnor Brock and Joseph King each batted 1-for-3.

"Our seniors have worked hard all year and played great tonight," first-year North Duplin head coach James Hobbs said. "They all contributed to the win and I am very proud of them."

C.B. Aycock 5, D.H. Conley 3

* GREENVILLE -- Justin Barbour's two-run single capped a game-changing, third-inning rally and Charles B. Aycock slipped past nemesis D.H. Conley, 5-3, in the opening round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A playoffs Friday evening.

The Golden Falcons (16-8 overall) travel to Jacksonville on Tuesday.

The Vikings, the Coastal Conference champions, bolted to a 3-0 lead through 21/2 innings of play. Aycock starter Bryant Stafford issued four walks and the defense committed four errors behind him.

But Stafford didn't worry for long.

Adam Pate's third-inning, lead-off walk sparked a four-run uprising. Pate advanced to second on a wild pitch. Blake Sutton walked and Cameron Taylor juiced the bases with a single.

Collin DuBose plated Pate with a base knock. Barbour smacked his gamne-tying single and DuBose scored on a wild pitch to put Aycock ahead 4-3. Stafford struck out the side in the bottom of the third and worked the fourth.

The Golden Falcons added a single run in the fifth.

Barbour finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI. DuBose and Taylor each had one hit.

"I was real proud of Bryant," Golden Falcons head coach Charles Davis said. "He struggled the first couple of innings and found his groove."

Stafford yielded three runs (one earned) on five walks and struck out five Conley batters in four innings. DuBose provided three innings of scoreless and hitless relief, and struck out the Vikings in the seventh to preserve the comeback win.

"We didn't panic and were able to get some timely hits," Davis said.

Grace of Sanford 4, Wayne Christian 0

Wayne Christian's season came to an end with a 4-0 loss to Grace Christian of Sanford on Saturday.

Chandler Harrell and Chase Darden each allowed two earned runs in the defeat. Bryce Norman pitched three innings of scoreless relief.

Girls' soccer

Wayne Country Day 5,

Trinity of Durham 2

* DURHAM -- Sweet revenge.

Trinity of Durham built a two-goal advantage 10 minutes into the contest Friday afternoon, but Wayne Country Day answered in dominating fashion. Sarah Best's goal in the 15th minute ignited a five-goal run which led to a 5-2, opening-round win in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A playoffs.

The ninth-seeded Chargers (13-6-0 overall) travel to top-seeded Statesville Christian on Tuesday afternoon.

"From the sideline we could hear Catherine Ford tell the team to just breathe and we can get back in this," WCDS head coach Paul Casey said.

Margaret Tanner collected the equalizer on an assist from Mollie McDonald. Tanner knocked in the eventual game-winning goal a few minutes later, and the Chargers took command.

Best and Ford each found the back of the net once to put WCDS up 5-2 at halftime.

Neither team scored in the second half.

"We hit the frame at least five times in the second half, but couldn't get another ball into the net," Casey said. "Mack Thompson led our defensive squad from the 10th minute of the game and didn't allow Trinity to score again. We (on the sideline) decided to make a switch to stop them from getting the ball in so deep on us.

"But before we could make the move Thompson had already taken control and made the change we were thinking of. She is our coach on the field. I can't say enough about how my senoir captions (Ford, Thompson, Katherine Roethling) took control and led their underclassmen teammates."

WCDS avenged an earlier loss Trinity.