LOCAL SPORTS ROUNDUP: Post 45, ZooKeepers surge in hot July

Randolph Post 45 advanced in the American Legion playoffs, the Asheboro ZooKeepers grabbed some breathing space atop the standings and more accolades for local high school softball players. Let’s take a look.

American Legion Baseball

■ Brady Armfield was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs as Randolph County throttled Queen City 12-2 to complete a two-game sweep of their Area III best-of-three quarterfinal series. Tate Andrews smashed a grand slam and finished with five RBIs. Jake Riddle was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Hudson Deel was 2-for-4. Price Kidd pitched a five-inning two-hitter.

■ Armfield had two hits and four RBIs as Randolph County outlasted Queen City 19-15 in Game 1 of their Area III best-of-three quarterfinal series. Andrews had two hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Deel had three hits, including two doubles, and three RBIs. Lucas Connor smashed a solo home run and scored four runs. Ashton Poe had two hits and two RBIs. Riddle had two hits and an RBI. Jackson Hill had an RBI single. John Kirkpatrick pitched 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to collect the win.

Randolph County advanced to play Union County in a best-of-five semifinal series.

■ Tyler Westbrooks, Cade McCallum and Avery Wright each had one hit in Liberty’s 11-2 loss to High Point in Game 1 of their best-of-three Area III first-round playoff series. Weston Murphy had an RBI.

■ Joshua Nelson delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning and lifted Liberty to a 5-4 win over High Point to even their first-round playoff series at 1-1. The win snapped a six-game losing streak. Murphy was 2-for-4 with an RBI while Westbrooks went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Jackson Vaughn was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Chance Holdaway pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and one earned run with five strikeouts and four walks. Landon Albright got the last two outs and picked up a save.

■ Holdaway smashed a two-run homer but Liberty saw its season come to an end in a 13-3 loss to High Point in the third game of their Area III best-of-three first-round playoff series. High Point won the series 2-1. John Wittig doubled in a run and Holdaway followed with his home run, giving Liberty a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning. But High Point roared back with five runs in the fourth and seven in the fifth. Wittig was 2-for-3. Liberty ended the season with a 5-15 record.

ZooKeepers Baseball 

■ Wilmis Castro went 2-for-2, including a two-run double, in the ZooKeepers’ 5-4 loss to Holly Springs. Perry Hargett was 1-for-4 with an RBI and Josh Martinez drove in a run. Robert Ahlgren pitched three innings of scoreless relief.

■ Brady McGuire was 2-for-2 with three RBIs in the ZooKeepers’ 12-2 rout of the Macon Bacon. Daniel Stephens was 2-for-4, including a solo home run, his sixth of the season. Blake Brookins was 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Koy Swanson was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Drue Saenz was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Caydon Laird and Bryce Smith both allowed a run in three innings.

■ Thomas Cano-Piszel smashed two home runs and drove in three runs as the ZooKeepers beat Florence 9-5. Tyler Peller was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. McGuire was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Stephens went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Brookins added a sacrifice fly. Olmedo Quezada allowed four hits and three runs with nine strikeouts in five innings.

■ Hargett was 4-for-4 with a double and four RBIs as the ZooKeepers outlasted High Point-Thomasville 12-9 in 10 innings. Hargett’s three-run double in the top of the 10th inning broke an 8-8 deadlock. Stephens was 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Cano-Piszel was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. A.J. Malzone contributed a two-run double. 

■ Elvin Ramos pitched a five-hitter over six innings with five strikeouts in the ZooKeepers’ 11-1 rout of the High Point-Thomasville HiToms. Landon Johnson and Laird each pitched a scoreless inning. Hargett was 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Koy Swanson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Chazz Grossington and Stephens both had two hits and an RBI. 

Brooks Brannon update 

■ The former Randleman star is batting .283 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs for the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. In a July 9 game, Brannon was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the Sea Dogs’ 15-8 loss to New Hampshire. He hit his 14th homer on July 10.

Brannon plays catcher and first base for the Sea Dogs.

Softball awards

■ State champion Southwestern Randolph placed six players on the North Carolina Softball Coaches Association All-State team. 

The Cougars’ Kami Dunn, Alyssa Harris, Bristol Marine, Nauttica Parrish, Maddie Strider and Katelyn West were named to the 4-A All-State team. Randleman’s Kadie Green, Addyson Dees, Kinzie Ivey and Kaylee Phillips were also named to the 4-A All-State team. Uwharrie Charter’s Tori Dixon and Emory Johnson were named to the 4-A All-State team as well.

Providence Grove’s Adi Johnson, Callie Lambert and Cailyn York were named to the 3-A All-State team.

■ West was named District 5 4-A Pitcher of the Year.

Also making 4-A All-District from Southwestern Randolph were Chloe Eudy, Jada Freeland, Dunn, Harris, Marine, Parrish and Strider. Randleman’s Ella Rogers, Green, Dees, Ivey and Phillips were 4-A All-District. Aubrie Kaufman, Dixon and Emory Johnson were named to the 4-A All-District team from Uwharrie Charter.

Providence Grove’s Ruby Caudle, Lara Wiseman, Adi Johnson, Lambert and York made the 3-A All-District team.