Sports roundup: Post 45 tops Liberty

The local Legion teams continue to battle as the conference season nears. Some highlights from last week.

American Legion Baseball

■ Cohen Caviness had two hits, including a double, and RBI in Randolph County’s 5-4 loss to Rowan County. Ethan Willard had three hits and Carter Brown had two. Brody Little had an RBI on a bases-loaded walk. Tate Andrews was the losing pitcher in relief. Lincoln Coble started on the mound, followed by Elijah Prince. Braxton Walker got the last two outs.

■ Caleb Coggins had a single, double and two RBIs as Randolph County downed Liberty 8-3. Jackson Hill had a single, double and RBI. Sam Gore had a two-run single and Zack Scruggs singled in a run. Drew Harmon allowed four hits and an earned run in five innings with four strikeouts for the win. Prince and Andrews each pitched an inning of relief.

Eli Holland had a double for Liberty and Bryson Marley was the losing pitcher. Luke Johnson pitched in relief.

■ Chance Holdaway and Chase Collins combined on a five-hitter in Liberty’s 5-0 win over Moore County. Holdaway allowed one hit with four strikeouts in four innings. Collins gave up four hits and struck out five in three innings. Post 81 scored all its runs in the first inning. Will Stalker and Grant Underwood had RBI singles while Holdaway doubled in a run. Cade McCallum, Mason Tyler, Stalker, Holdaway and Underwood all had two hits.

■ Liberty’s game with Hamlet was suspended in the fourth inning because of rain with score tied 2-2. It will be completed June 29 in Hamlet before a regularly scheduled game.

Brooks Brannon update

■ The former Randleman star and ninth-round selection of the Boston Red Sox in 2022 was batting .261 with 5 home runs and 27 RBIs as of June 14 for the High-A Greenville Drive. Brannon, who helped lead Randleman to back-to-back state championships, is in his third season of professional baseball.

Peyton Williams update

■ The former Post 45 pitcher is 1-2 with a 2.45 earned run average and eight saves as of June 14 for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Williams, who spent five seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization, reaching as high as Double-A, is in his second season with the Ducks.

Hunter Atkins update

■ The former Randleman star, who currently plays college baseball at Catawba, is on the Asheboro Zookeepers roster this summer. Atkins is hitting .182 in four games in his second season with the Zookeepers. He hit .294 last season. Atkins hit .297 with 32 RBIs in 53 games for Catawba.

Drake Purvis update

■ Purvis, a former Randleman pitcher who was a key member of both state championship teams in 2021 and 2022, has made two appearances so far for the High Point-Thomasville HiToms. Purvis was 7-0 with a 3.33 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings for Gaston College in his freshman season.

Asheboro ZooKeepers

■ The Asheboro ZooKeepers are near the top of the West Division of the Coastal Plain League, but it hasn’t been easy. A 3-1 home loss to Martinsville on June 7  snapped a five-game winning streak. Three wins followed, then a pair of losses before Sunday night’s 12-2 rout over Martinsville. Now at 9-4, Asheboro is one of seven CPL teams with winning records. This week, the ZooKeepers have home games on Thursday and Monday.

Girls Soccer

■ Uwharrie Charter senior Alexis Marion signed with Carolina University. An all-conference selection as a goalkeeper, Marion had a goals against average of 0.436. Marion made 194 saves and recorded 11 shutouts for the Eagles, who reached the second round of the 1-A state playoffs.