Wildcats, Eagles roll in 1-A playoffs

Mike Duprez
Randolph Hub 

Playing a regular season against 2-A teams has Eastern Randolph primed for the 1-A softball playoffs. Here’s a look at their and other results from last week.

1-A state playoffs, first round

*Addie Flinchum had a sensational all-around game as No. 4 seed Eastern Randolph routed No. 29 Bradford Prep 13-0 in five innings. She fired a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and went 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double and 6 RBIs. Ayanna Mears was 3-for-3 with a home run for the Wildcats. Lanie McDaniel was 3-for-3 with a triple and 2 RBIs. Ziera Watson had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Bailey Herring and Skylar Pugh both had two hits. 

*Kenzie Hill had four hits, including a home run, and five RBIs as No. 15 Uwharrie Charter got off to a 10-0 first-inning lead and crushed No. 18 Highland Tech 32-0 in a 5-inning game. Kynley Brewer had four hits and three RBIs. Molly Bulla had three hits, including a home run. Logan Zephir had three hits and two RBIs. Bulla pitched a no-hitter and struck out 11.

2-A state playoffs, first round

*Caressa King homered and had three RBIs in No. 2 Southwestern Randolph’s 10-0 win over No. 31 East Davidson. Maddie Strider also homered and had two RBIs. Lileigh Payne had a double and three RBIs. Ky Perdue, Madelyn Smith and Alley Lowe all had two hits. Alyssa Harris and Macie Crutchfield combined on the shutout. Harris struck out four and Crutchfield fanned three.

*Devon Kelly’s two-out, walk-off double in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted No. 15 Providence Grove to a 1-0 win over No. 18 West Caldwell. Emma Mazzarone pitched a one-hitter with 19 strikeouts.

*No. 29 Randleman fell 11-0 to No. 4 West Stanly.

1-A state playoffs, second round

*Flinchum pitched a two-hitter with 15 strikeouts while going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and 2 RBIs as No. 4 Eastern Randolph drubbed No. 20 Starmount 9-0. Starmount had upset No. 13 Murphy in the first round. Pugh was 2-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs to lead the offense. Watson was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Dori Luther, McDaniel and Mears all had two hits.

*Bulla pitched a two-hitter with 14 strikeouts in No. 15 Uwharrie Charter’s 4-1 upset of No. 2 South Stanly, which entered the game 22-4. Jayla Ferguson was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI. Ansley Wright, Emory Johnson and Hill all had two hits. Maddie Burrow had a hit and RBI.

2-A state playoffs, second round

*Crutchfield fired a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in No. 2 Southwestern Randolph's 5-0 win over No. 15 Providence Grove. Perdue went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Madison Varner was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs. 

Mazzarone gave up two earned runs and struck out 13 for Providence Grove, which ended the season 14-9.

BASEBALL ROUNDUP:

Two-time defending state 2-A baseball champion Randleman opened the playoffs in dominating fashion as a No. 2 seed this time while Uwharrie Charter did the same as a No. 2 seed in 1-A. 

But the big news of the week was Eastern Randolph’s ascent in the 1-A playoffs despite a 4-17 record going in. 

Here’s a playoffs recap from last week.

1-A state playoffs, first round

*Ben Medinger smashed a three-run homer as No. 2 Uwharrie Charter whipped No. 31 Queen’s Grant 12-5. Brett Smith allowed two hits and struck out six in 4 1/3 innings.

*Eastern Randolph, seeded 21st with a 4-17 regular season record, upset No. 12 Mount Airy 9-3. ER scored four runs in the first and put the game away with a three-run fifth to open up an 8-2 lead. Samuel Asbill got the win.

2-A state playoffs, first round

*No. 2 seed Randleman opened defense of its back-to-back state championship crowns with a 17-2 rout of No. 31 Reidsville. Seth Way was 3-for-3 with 6 RBIs to lead the onslaught. He was also the winning pitcher. Caleb Dunn and Ben Walker both had a hit and 3 RBIs. John Kirkpatrick, Sean Miller, Jacob Riddle and John Kirkpatrick all had two hits. Drake Purvis pitched 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief with 4 strikeouts.

*Southwestern Randolph nearly pulled off a huge upset before falling 10-8 to No. 1 seed Burns. The Cougars, seeded No. 32, trailed 9-2 before staging a staunch rally. Eli Gravely had two hits and four RBIs while Adam Cole had three hits. Caleb McNeill had two hits and an RBI. Easton Clapp had a double and RBI. Southwestern Randolph ended its season with a 9-15 record.

*No. 18 Providence Grove's Andrew Thomas pitched a four-hitter but No. 15 Forbush got two of them in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 1-0 win. Thomas struck out four and walked two. The Patriots finished the season with a 14-11 record.

*Jake Little got two hits in No. 16 Trinity’s 6-3 loss to No. 17 East Gaston. Cade Hill took the loss. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 15-11 record.

*Jake Parks and Caleb Coggins got the only hits as No. 29 Wheatmore fell 7-0 to No. 4 West Stokes. The Warriors ended their season with an 8-14 record.

3-A state playoffs, first round

*Tanner Marsh had three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs as No. 26 Asheboro upset No. 7 Enka 13-7. Cohen Caviness was 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs for the Blue Comets. Chandler Macon had two hits and two RBIs. Davis Gore and Ben Luck both had two hits while Adam Curry belted a solo home run.

1-A state playoffs, second round

*Jake Hunter and Caleb Stickle both had two hits with two RBIs as No. 2 Uwharrie Charter pounded No. 18 Bishop McGuinness 10-4. Walker Wilkins had a hit and two RBIs while Troy Carver went 2-for-4. Hunter pitched five innings of shutout relief, allowing one hit with five strikeouts, to get the win. The Eagles face No. 10 North Stokes (23-5) on Tuesday.

*No. 21 Eastern Randolph pulled off its second straight upset. This time, the Wildcats beat No. 5 Hayesville, 5-2, which entered the game 12-1. Lucas Smith and Stratton Barwick combined efforts on the mound for the victory. ER is now 6-17 heading into a third round matchup against No. 13 Highland Tech (13-12) on Tuesday. Highland Tech upset No. 4 South Stokes in the second round.

2-A state playoffs, second round

Austin Lemons and Hunter Atkins both smashed two home runs in No. 2 Randleman’s five-inning, 13-3 rout of No. 15 Forbush. Atkins finished the night 4-for-4 with 5 RBIs. Lemons was 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs and allowed two hits in five shutout innings. He struck out five. Way also homered and Kirkpatrick was 3-for-4. Chesney Welch was 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

3-A state playoffs, second round

*Marsh was 2-for-4 with a home run, double and 2 RBIs in No. 26 Asheboro’s 11-6 loss to No. 10 East Rowan. Davis Gore was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Amare Godwin was 2-for-4 and Caviness belted a solo home run. The Blue Comets finished the season 13-12.