Local teams fight for playoff berths

Mike Duprez
Randolph Hub 

Baseball and softball tournaments, conference track and golf championships, and the girls soccer teams keep jockeying for positions in the post-season. As the state playoffs begin this week for several prep sports, let’s see what happened last week to get those teams where they began this week.

BASEBALL

*Andrew Thomas scattered six hits with eight strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings and Jayten Beasley doubled in a run as No. 6 Providence Grove beat No. 3 Wheatmore in the first round of the PAC tournament. Trevor Kirkman got the last two outs for the save.

*Brady Armfield, Zack Scruggs and Jake Lunsford homered as No. 5 Southwestern Randolph outlasted No. 4 Trinity 13-12 in eight innings in the first round of the PAC tournament. Scruggs had three hits and three RBIs. Armfield had two hits and three RBIs. Lunsford had two hits and two RBIs. Grant Kirk, Kam Carter and Thomas Logan each had an RBI single. Ryan Jones gave up five hits and no earned runs in five innings of relief.

Brady Proctor homered and had three hits with four RBIs for Trinity. Brody Little homered and had two RBIs. Ethan Willard had three hits, including a double, and three RBIs. Walker Parrish had a double, single and two RBIs. Gage Griffiths and Andon Simmons both had two hits.

*Seth Way pitched a four-hitter with six strikeouts over six innings as No. 1 Randleman beat No. 5 Southwestern Randolph 6-1 in the semifinals of the PAC tournament. John Kirkpatrick got Randleman’s lone hit but the Tigers benefited from 10 walks, 2 hit batters and 2 errors.

Armfield was 2-for-2 for Southwestern Randolph.

*Sam Gore had two hits in No. 5 Asheboro’s 2-0 loss to No. 1 North Davidson in the semifinals of the MPC tournament. Amare Godwin allowed both runs in four innings. Gavin Allen threw two scoreless innings.

*Alex Carver smashed a grand slam as No. 2 Uwharrie Charter pounded No. 6 Providence Grove 12-2 in the semifinals of the PAC tournament. Caleb Stickle was 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs while Landon Zephir was 1-for-2 with two RBIs. Jose Ramirez had two RBIs and Walker Wilkins was 2-for-4. Carver went the five-inning distance on the mound, scattering six hits.

Beasley had a run-scoring single for Providence Grove.

*Carter Brown had three hits and three RBIs while Alex Carver smashed a solo home run as No. 2 Uwharrie Charter beat No. 1 Randleman 6-1 to win the PAC tournament championship. Caleb Stickle had a double, single and RBI. Brett Smith pitched a seven-hitter with nine strikeouts.

Braxton Walker had two hits and an RBI for Randleman. Way also had two hits.

SOFTBALL

*Addie Flinchum smashed a two-run homer among her three hits as No. 4 Eastern Randolph downed No. 5 Providence Grove 13-3 in the first round of the PAC tournament. Logann Beaver had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Ziera Watson had a hit and two RBIs. Trinity Hardin, Hailey Ritter and Julie Haynes each had an RBI single. Flinchum pitched a five-hitter.

Leela Von Der Hey had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs for Providence Grove. Devon Kelly had two hits and Callie Lambert had two RBIs. 

*Lileigh Payne had two triples, a single and two RBIs as No. 2 Southwestern Randolph routed No. 7 Trinity 15-0 in the first round of the PAC tournament. Micah Wilson also had three hits and drove in two runs. Madelyn Smith had two hits and two RBIs as did Alyssa Harris and Hayleigh Thompson. Kami Dunn and Sara Kate Marion each had a run-scoring single. 

*Thompson had a double, single and RBI as No. 2 Southwestern Randolph edged No. 3 Randleman 3-1 in the semifinals of the PAC tournament. Macie Crutchfield pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts and had an RBI double. Dunn also had an RBI double.

Kinzie Ivey went the distance in the circle for Randleman, allowing six hits and striking out eight.

*Riley Thompson had three hits and two RBIs in No. 1 Uwharrie Charter’s 9-5 win over No. 4 Eastern Randolph in the PAC tournament semifinals. Kenzie Hill had three hits, including a solo home run, and three RBIs. Ansley Wright had a double, single and two RBIs. Mollie Bulla had two hits while Jayla Hurley had a run-scoring single. Bulla went the distance in the circle, striking out 10.

Trinity Hardy had a hit and two RBIs for Eastern Randolph. Addie Flinchum had a pair of hits and Hailey Ritter got a triple. 

*Crutchfield hurled a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts as No. 2 Southwestern Randolph beat No. 1 Uwharrie Charter 4-1 to win the PAC tournament championship. She also had two hits and an RBI. Hayleigh Thompson doubled in a run.

Bulla smashed a solo home run, her fifth of the season, for Uwharrie Charter. Hill added a pair of hits and Bulla struck out eight from the circle.

SOCCER

*Noelle Swaim scored two goals in Providence Grove’s 3-1 win over Trinity. Anaeli Puente Garcia got the other goal. Caroline Duvall and Sarah Majors each had an assist.

*Jaira Arellano scored a pair of goals as Asheboro blanked Central Davidson 4-0. Bridget Diaz Lopez and Penny Smith each had one goal. Abby Becker, Abeni Hernandez and Arellano each had one assist. Carlisle Dozier made three saves and Emma Redding stopped a pair of shots.

*Lucy Griffin, Mallory Garner and Alaina Kidd scored the goals in Southwestern Randolph’s 3-0 win over Eastern Randolph. Garner also had two assists and Sarah Kluba made two saves.

*Kendal Jarrell, Reese Craven, Jazmin Palma and Lily Charlesworth all scored two goals in Uwharrie Charter’s 8-1 win over Randleman. Palma also had two assists while Jarrell and Charlesworth each had one.

*Palma and Jarrell each scored three goals in Uwharrie Charter’s 9-0 win over Eastern Randolph. Charlesworth added two goals and Lilly Medley had one goal. Palma had two assists and Craven got one. Alexis Marion made six saves.

*Taryn Waugh scored three goals in Providence Grove’s 6-0 win over Randleman. Anaeli Puente Garza scored two goals and Patience Keller added one. Brooke Ingram and Garza each had an assist.

*Ellie Garrison scored seven goals in Wheatmore’s 9-0 win over Southwestern Randolph. The NCHSAA career scoring leader upped her total to 54 goals for the season. Natalie Bowman and Alexis Holifield recorded the other goals. Kaitlyn Vasquez and Bowman each had three assists. Maggie Messner and Bri Hill each had an assist while Lucy Lockwood made a pair of saves.

GOLF

*Ryan Marshall earned medalist honors with a 77 to help lead Wheatmore to a 10-stroke victory in the PAC championship at Holly Ridge. Trinity’s Bo Earnhardt was second with an 82 while Tyler Gee of Eastern Randolph and Reese Poe of Southwestern Randolph both shot 84. Randleman’s Ashton Dillow and Eastern Randolph’s Craven Cox both shot 85.

TRACK AND FIELD

*Asheboro’s girls won the Mid-Piedmont Conference championship and the boys came in second.

Winning events for the Asheboro girls were Nyla Price (100-meter hurdles), Jalaya Showers (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump), the 4x200 relay, the 4x100 relay and  Lia George (high jump).

Winning events for the Asheboro boys were Valentino Mark (100-meter dash in 10.88 seconds, 200-meter dash), the 4x100 relay, the 4x400 relay and Lance Everhart (high jump, pole vault, long jump).

*Providence Grove’s girls and Randleman’s boys won the PAC championship.

Winning for the Providence girls were the 4x800 relay (Laurel Bernhardt, Aaliyah Burpee, Abbey Lewis, Jensen Auman), Haylee Sodlink (100-meter hurdles), the 4x200 relay (Aubrey Goodman, Kenzi Mundy, Karis Ferguson, Mailey Way), Auman (1600 meters, 800 meters, 3200 meters), and the 4x400 relay (Bernhardt, Reese Davis, Mundy, Lewis).

Winning for the Providence Grove boys were Nick Jennings (100-meter dash), and Christian Swaim (300-meter hurdles).

Winning for the Trinity boys were the 4x800 relay (Riley Foster, Tommy Smithers, Mitchell Marin-Pulido, Giovanni Jaimes), Jaimes (800 meters), and the 4x400 relay (Foster, Memphis Chap, Andrew Cox, Jaimes).

Winning for the Trinity girls was Kensley Fox (shot put).

Winning for the Randleman boys were Triston Chriscoe (110-meter hurdles, the 4x100 relay (Jaden Martinez, Luke Richardson, Chase Farlow, Amari Ferdna), Bryson Nall (400-meter dash), Farlow (high jump, long jump), Jay Richards (pole vault), Ferdna (triple jump), and Ty Moton (discus, shot put).

Winning for the Randleman girls was Gracie Beane (200-meter dash, high jump, long jump, triple jump).

Winning for the Southwestern Randolph girls were Kiersten Litell (100-meter dash, 300-meter hurdles), the 4x100 relay (Ay-Janai Doggett, Jordin George, Zuyanah Crawford, Litell), Coley Shiftlet (400-meter dash).

Winning for the Wheatmore boys were the 4x200 relay (Daylin Ludwick, Danny Craig, Sa’Cory Maryland, Devonte Jenkins), Zach Hazelwood (1600 meters, 3200 meters), and Dakota Ludwick (200-meter dash).

Winning for the Eastern Randolph girls was Miranna Corea (discus).