Local digest

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on May 17, 2018 10:38 AM

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WILLIAMSTON -- Riverside put pressure on Rosewood's defense in the bottom of the ninth inning and extended its postseason run Tuesday evening.

The Knights capitalized in the "small ball" game and squeezed out a 3-2 victory in round three of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A baseball playoffs.

Fifth-seeded Rosewood, the two-time reigning Carolina Conference champ, seized a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning.

Riverside pulled to within 2-1 after three innings and knotted the game at 2-all in the fifth on an RBI triple from its No. 9 batter in the lineup.

In the ninth, the Knights (19-6 overall) pushed across the game-deciding run on a misplayed bunt that rolled toward first and second base.

Wyatt Searles paced the Eagles' offense with two hits. Chance Howard (RBI), Conner Vernon, Logan Price and Tucker Chapin (RBI) provided one hit apiece.

JP Peacock and Howard combined for a five-hitter on the hill. Peacock allowed two earned runs on four hits and three walks in six innings. He retired seven Riverside batters on strikeouts. Howard tossed two innings of one-hit, one-run, five-strikeout relief.

Chapin played his final game for the purple and gold along with Howard, Kolby Harris, Peacock, Vernon and Max White.

Rosewood concluded the year 16-5 overall.

Eagles grounded

HENDERSON -- Wayne Christian senior Jaxon Anderson belted a solo home run in the first inning, but defending state champ Kerr-Vance Academy cruised to an 11-1 win in semifinal-round play of N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A baseball playoffs Tuesday evening.

The second-seeded Spartans (17-3 overall) face top-seeded Wayne Country Day (18-4) in the state championship series. Game one in the best-of-three set is Friday at 6 p.m. on the venerable Fleming Stadium diamond in Wilson.

Anderson collected the Eagles' lone hit on the day.

Addison Johnson and Will White combined for 4 2/3 innings of work on the bump. Johnson allowed five hits, while White yielded six hits and whiffed two KVA batters.

Johnson, White, Anderson and sophomore Cole Jacobs each earned a nod on the all-Coastal Plains Independent Conference team. It was the final game for four WCS seniors -- Anderson, Jacobs, Austin Kornegay and Muhammad Brooks.

The Eagles ended the year 8-7.

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Dogs ousted by Warriors

LOUISBURG -- Meredith Wooten turned in a two-hit performance during Princeton's season-ending 2-1 loss to Louisburg in the NCHSAA 1-A playoffs Tuesday evening.

Wooten recorded the team's lone RBI in the fourth inning.

Hailey Woodall, Brianna Myers, Megan Bryant, Casey Mitchell and Emily Ricks each registered one hit.

Mitchell took the mound loss. The right-hander permitted two earned runs on five hits during a five-inning stint inside the circle. Freshman Graclyn Massey hurled one inning of no-hit, one-strikeout relief.

Neither team committed an error.

Mitchell, Ricks, Myers and Bryant played their final game in a Princeton uniform. The quartet participated on four Carolina Conference championship teams, logged a total of 75 wins and helped the Dogs claim the program's lone state title in 2016.

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WCDS finishes 8th

FOXFIRE VILLAGE -- Joey Democko ended up 27th overall among individuals and Wayne Country Day placed eighth as a team during the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 1-A state championships.

A sophomore, Democko fired a two-day round of 188 on the challenging Red Fox (East course) layout at Foxfire Resort Golf and Resort.

Freshman Ashton Gupton filed a 36-hole score of 203, good enough for 35th in the 54-player field. Junior Kelly Lewis turned in a 39th-place finish of 212, followed by seventh-grader Anna Reimers, who logged a 218 (42nd).

Ryan Thiele, one of two seniors, ended up 52nd with a 244. Hunter Lippold collected a 260.

WCDS compiled a team score of 821.

Walnut Creek LGA

Faye Franklin walked away with low gross honors during weekly play on the picturesque Walnut Creek Country Club links.

Maureen Prys secured low net.

Sam Gillett emerged as the low putts winner.