4-15-22 roundup: Pro football, basketball and soccer, College basketball and baseball, High school baseball and softball, Middle school baseball and girls soccer
By Richard Walker
Former Gaston and Lincoln county star athlete Sage Surratt will be a part of pro football history on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when he and the Birmingham Stallions play the New Jersey Generals in the official restart of the old United States Football League.
Surratt was a sixth round pick of the Stallions in the league’s 2022 draft.
A star of Mount Holly Middle School’s 2012 Gaston County basketball championship team, Surratt went on to star in football and basketball at East Lincoln and Lincolnton high school’s, capped by his winning Associated Press N.C. player of the year honors in both sports in the 2016-17 school year when he played at Lincolnton.
A standout wide receiver at Wake Forest, Surratt was a free agent signee of the Detroit Lions in 2021 before later being released.
With the Stallions, Surratt is on a team with many Carolinas connections on its roster and coaching staff.
Joining Surratt on the roster are running back C.J. Marable (Coastal Carolina), tight end Cary Angeline (N.C. State), defensive end Chauncy Haney (North Greenville), defensive end Willie Yarbary (Wake Forest), cornerback Tae Hayes (Appalachian State), cornerback Brian Mills (North Carolina Central) and safety JoJo Tillery (Wofford).
On the team’s coaching staff is head coach Skip Holtz (former East Carolina head coach and South Carolina assistant coach) and defensive coordinator John Chavis (Dillon, S.C. native).
College basketball
When David “Dickey” Nutt came to Gaston College as athletic director and basketball coach, he had a chance to make an impact on a program that had been dormant for 50 years. As Nutt resigns from Gaston College to return to NCAA Division I basketball coaching as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri, there’s little doubt his impact on the program will be felt for years.
“Coach Nutt provided great leadership for the college and our community,” Gaston College president Dr. John Hauser said. “He was instrumental in the development of our athletic program from its infancy stage to where we are now. His vast experience helped to guide our decisions as we planned our programs and established operating protocols for each of our programs. He worked across all disciplines on campus from student services to academics while focusing on student success.
“Coach Nutt helped to bridge the gap for our Trustees, faculty, and staff to understand why athletics are important to Gaston College. He provided excitement, energy and enthusiasm to all he did for us and that carried over to the basketball court as he led our first team to a high finish in Region 10.”
Nutt’s resignation signals a return to his long coaching roots. A member of a coaching family from Arkansas, Nutt will again return to Division I coaching as an assistant coach to Dennis Gates at Missouri. It’ll mark the third different school with which Nutt has worked with Gates, first when they worked as assistant coaches under 1968 Gaston College graduate Leonard Hamilton and most recently at Cleveland State where Gates got his head coaching start.
Pro basketball
Here’s the schedule for this week’s NBA play-in tournament:
(Tuesday’s games)
East-7 Brooklyn 115, East-8 Cleveland 108 (Brooklyn becomes East-7)
West-7 Minnesota 109, West-8 L.A. Clippers 104 (Minnesota becomes West-7)
(Wednesday’s games)
East-9 Atlanta 132, East-10 Charlotte 103
West-10 San Antonio at West-9 New Orleans, 9:30 p.m.
(Friday’s games)
Atlanta 107, Cleveland 101
New Orleans 105, L.A. Clippers 101
Here’s the schedule for upcoming NBA playoffs:
(Eastern Conference)
1-Miami vs. 8-Atlanta
Game 1 at Miami: April 17
Game 2 at Miami: April 19
Game 3 at Atlanta: April 22
Game 4 at Atlanta: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary) at Miami: April 26
Game 6 (if necessary) at Atlanta: April 28
Game 7 (if necessary) at Miami: April 30
4-Philadelphia vs. 5-Toronto
Game 1 at Philadelphia: April 16
Game 2 at Philadelphia: April 18
Game 3 at Toronto: April 20
Game 4 at Toronto: April 23
Game 5 (if necessary) at Philadelphia: April 25
Game 6 (if necessary) at Toronto: April 28
Game 7 (if necessary) at Philadelphia: April 30
2-Boston vs. 7-Brooklyn
Game 1 at Boston: April 17
Game 2 at Boston: April 20
Game 3 at Brooklyn: April 23
Game 4 at Brooklyn: April 25
Game 5 (if necessary) at Boston: April 27
Game 6 (if necessary) at Brooklyn: April 29
Game 7 (if necessary) at Boston: May 1
3-Milwaukee vs. 6-Chicago
Game 1 at Milwaukee: April 17
Game 2 at Milwaukee: April 20
Game 3 at Chicago: April 22
Game 4 at Chicago: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary) at Milwaukee: April 27
Game 6 (if necessary) at Chicago: April 29
Game 7 (if necessary) at Milwaukee: May 1
(Western Conference)
1-Phoenix vs. 8-New Orleans
Game 1 at Phoenix: April 17
Game 2 at Phoenix: April 19
Game 3 at New Orleans: April 22
Game 4 at New Orleans: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary) at Phoenix: April 26
Game 6 (if necessary) at New Orleans: April 28
Game 7 (if necessary) at Phoenix: April 30
4-Dallas vs. 5-Utah
Game 1 at Dallas: April 16
Game 2 at Dallas: April 18
Game 3 at Utah: April 21
Game 4 at Utah: April 23
Game 5 (if necessary) at Dallas: April 25
Game 6 (if necessary) at Utah: April 28
Game 7 (if necessary) at Dallas: April 30
2-Memphis vs. 7-Minnesota
Game 1 at Memphis: April 16
Game 2 at Memphis: TBA
Game 3 at Minnesota: TBA
Game 4 at Minnesota: TBA
Game 5 (if necessary) at Memphis: TBA
Game 6 (if necessary) at Minnesota: TBA
Game 7 (if necessary) at Memphis: TBA
3-Golden State vs. 6-Denver
Game 1 at Golden State: April 16
Game 2 at Golden State: April 18
Game 3 at Denver: April 21
Game 4 at Denver: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary) at Golden State: April 27
Game 6 (if necessary) at Denver: April 29
Game 7 (if necessary) at Golden State: May 1
College baseball
Gaston College 10, Southwest Virginia 0 (5 innings): After its first two-game losing streak of the season, the offensive swagger returned with a pair of back-to-back four-run innings that ended Friday’s game by the 10-run mercy rule. A three-run single by Chandler Riley ended the game with a 10-0 Rhinos’ victory and gave Gaston College righthander Gus Hughes his third shutout of the season.
Gaston College, which has 11 games left in the regular season, hosts Southwest Virginia again today in a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Rhinos then host Cleveland Community College next Wednesday in a 4 p.m. doubleheader before visiting Catawba Valley Community College next weekend in a three-game series.
High school baseball
(Thursday game)
East Lincoln 14, Bandys 8: Starter Kade Scott (3 innings) and relievers Seth Haigler (3 innings) and Hunter Henson (1 inning) combined to strike out nine batters for East Lincoln, whose offense was led by Isaac Armstrong (3-run home run), Garrett Michel (2-3, 2 walks, 2 home runs, 3 runs, 3 RBIs), Gavin Houser (2-4, 3 runs), Trey Spees (2-3, 2 runs), Evan Matile (1-1, 3 RBIs, 3 walks) and Haigler (1-2, 1 run).
Standings for Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties through April 14:
Big South 3A
Kings Mountain 9-1, 11-3
Crest 8-2, 11-5
South Point 6-4, 9-5
North Gaston 6-4, 7-6
Forestview 6-4, 8-7
Cramer 4-6, 9-7
Ashbrook 1-9, 5-11
Huss 0-10, 0-12
Southern Piedmont 1A/2A
Burns 9-1, 14-2
East Gaston 10-2, 12-5
Shelby 7-3, 12-5
Cherryville 6-4, 9-6
Bessemer City 3-7, 3-11
Highland Tech 1-9, 4-11
Thomas Jefferson 0-10, 0-12
Western Foothills 3A
North Lincoln 9-2, 12-2
Foard 9-2, 11-3
East Lincoln 8-3, 12-3
St. Stephens 8-3, 13-4
Hickory 5-6, 8-7
North Iredell 1-8, 5-9
West Iredell 1-8, 2-12
Statesville 0-9, 0-13
Catawba Valley 2A
Bandys 10-2, 13-5
Lincolnton 9-3, 11-6
Bunker Hill 8-4, 8-8
West Lincoln 8-4, 8-10
Maiden 6-6, 7-10
East Burke 4-8, 4-10
Newton-Conover 3-9, 5-10
West Caldwell 0-12, 1-17
Catawba Shores 1A/2A
Pine Lake Prep 6-1, 11-4
Lincoln Charter 5-1, 13-3
Comm Sch of Davidson 3-1, 7-3
Christ the King 3-3, 7-4
Langtree Charter 1-6, 7-10
Mtn Isl Charter 1-7, 5-10
Metro 7 1A
Corvian Comm 5-1, 5-8
Bradford Prep 4-1, 6-7
Queen’s Grant 4-1, 5-4
Piedmont CC 4-3, 7-6
Carolina Intl 1-6, 2-11
Sugar Creek 0-6, 0-6
Cabarrus Charter no team
Metrolina NCISAA
Metrolina Christian 7-1, 12-3
Hickory Grove Christian 3-1, 7-7-1
SouthLake Christian 3-1, 6-6
Gaston Christian 3-3, 6-6
Concord Academy 2-5, 5-9
Gaston Day 0-7, 2-11
(This week’s games)
Here are the pairings for the Gaston County Baseball Championship at Sims Legion Park:
(Monday’s games)
Bessemer City vs. East Gaston, 10 a.m.
Highland Tech vs. Forestview, 1 p.m.
North Gaston vs. Huss, 4 p.m.
Cramer vs. Ashbrook, 7 p.m.
(Tuesday’s games)
Monday’s 10 a.m., 1 p.m. losers, 10 a.m.
Monday’s 4 p.m., 7 p.m. losers, 1 p.m.
Monday’s 10 a.m., 1 p.m. winners, 4 p.m.
Monday’s 4 p.m., 7 p.m. winner, 7 p.m.
(Thursday’s games)
7th place, 10 a.m.
5th place, 1 p.m.
3rd place, 4 p.m.
Championship, 1 p.m.
Here are the pairings for 2022 Shelby Easter tournament pairings at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium:
Pool 1: Shelby, Crest, Piedmont, South Caldwell
Pool 2: Burns, Kings Mountain, South Point, Bandys
(Monday’s games)
Shelby vs. Piedmont, 4 p.m.
South Caldwell vs. Crest, 7 p.m.
(Tuesday’s games)
Kings Mountain vs. Bandys, 4 p.m.
Burns vs. South Point, 7 p.m.
(Wednesday’s games)
Shelby-Piedmont loser vs. Kings Mountain-Bandys loser, 11 a.m.
South Caldwell-Crest loser vs. Burns-South Point loser, 1:30 p.m.
Shelby-Piedmont winner vs. Kings Mountain-Bandys winner, 4 p.m.
South Caldwell-Crest winner vs. Burns-South Point winner, 7 p.m.
(Thursday’s games)
7th place, 11 a.m.
5th place, 1:30 p.m.
3rd place, 4 p.m.
Championship, 7 p.m.
Here are the pairings for the Catawba County Easter Baseball Classic at the Hickory American Legion Fairgrounds:
(Monday’s games)
No. 2 Foard vs. No. 7 West Lincoln, 11 a.m.
No. 3 St. Stephens vs. No. 6 Bunker Hill, 1:30 p.m.
No. 1 Alexander Central vs. No. 8 Newton-Conover, 4 p.m.
No. 4 Hibriten vs. No. 5 Hickory, 6:30 p.m.
(Tuesday’s games)
Consolation games, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Foard-West Lincoln winner vs. St. Stephens-Bunker Hill winner, 4 p.m.
Alexander Central-Newton-Conover winner vs. Hibriten-Hickory winner, 6:30 p.m.
(Wednesday’s games)
3rd place, 4 p.m.
Championship, 6:30 p.m.
Here are the pairings for the Beach Diamond Invitational at West Brunswick:
(Monday’s games)
Rock Hill Legion Collegiate vs. South Columbus, 11 a.m.
Scotland County vs. Northwest Guilford, 1 p.m.
Southwest Guilford vs. West Stanly, 4 p.m.
Cherryville at West Brunswick, 7 p.m.
(Tuesday’s games)
Consolation games and semifinals
(Wednesday’s games)
Placement games
High school softball
Standings for Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties through April 14:
Big South 3A
Crest 10-0, 14-1
Cramer 8-2, 12-3
North Gaston 8-2, 10-5
Kings Mountain 6-4, 7-7
Forestview 4-6, 8-7
South Point 3-7, 4-9
Ashbrook 1-9, 1-10
Huss 0-10, 0-12
Southern Piedmont 1A/2A
Burns 9-1, 14-1
Cherryville 8-1, 10-4
East Gaston 8-3, 8-7
Highland Tech 4-6, 6-7
Shelby 4-6, 4-10
Bessemer City 1-9, 3-11
Thomas Jefferson 1-9, 1-10
Western Foothills 3A
East Lincoln 11-0, 16-0
North Lincoln 9-2, 12-6
St. Stephens 8-3, 10-5
Foard 8-3, 8-8
North Iredell 3-8, 5-11
West Iredell 2-8, 2-10
Hickory 2-9, 4-13
Statesville 0-10, 0-11
Catawba Valley 2A
Bandys 11-1, 16-3
West Lincoln 11-1, 13-4
Maiden 7-4, 8-6
East Burke 7-5, 7-9
West Caldwell 5-7, 8-10
Lincolnton 3-7, 4-10
Bunker Hill 1-10, 1-13
Newton-Conover 0-10, 0-10
Catawba Shores 1A/2A
Mtn Isl Charter 5-1, 9-5
Lincoln Charter 4-1, 7-3
Comm Sch of Davidson 2-3, 2-4
Pine Lake Prep 2-4, 5-6
Langtree Charter 0-5, 0-13
Christ the King no team
Metro 7 1A
Piedmont CC 3-1, 8-3
Queen’s Grant 2-1, 6-8
Sugar Creek 0-1, 0-1
Bradford Prep 0-2, 0-3
Metrolina
Metrolina Christian 6-0, 9-5
Hickory Grove Christian 3-1, 5-6
Gaston Christian 1-2, 1-7
South Lake Christian 0-3, 0-4
Concord Academy 0-4, 3-8
Middle school baseball
Gaston County Conference standings through April 14:
Mount Holly 7-0
Stanley 7-0
Belmont 6-0
Chavis 4-2
Cramerton 3-2
Bessemer City 2-4
W.C. Friday 2-4
Holbrook 1-5
Southwest 1-5
York Chester 1-6
Grier 0-6
(Monday, April 25)
Bessemer City at Southwest
Chavis at Mount Holly
Cramerton at Holbrook
W.C. Friday at Grier
(Tuesday, April 26)
Belmont at Stanley
(Wednesday, April 27)
Mount Holly at Belmont
(Thursday, April 28)
Grier at Chavis
W.C. Friday at Cramerton
Holbrook at Bessemer City
Southwest at York Chester
Middle school girls soccer
Gaston County Conference standings through April 14:
Belmont 6-0
Cramerton 5-0
Mount Holly 6-1
Stanley 5-2
W.C. Friday 4-2
Chavis 2-4
Holbrook 2-4
Bessemer City 1-5
Grier 1-5
Southwest 1-5
York Chester 1-6
(Monday, April 25)
Bessemer City at Southwest
Chavis at Mount Holly
Cramerton at Holbrook
W.C. Friday at Grier
(Tuesday, April 26)
Belmont at Stanley
(Wednesday, April 27)
Mount Holly at Belmont
(Thursday, April 28)
Grier at Chavis
W.C. Friday at Cramerton
Holbrook at Bessemer City
Southwest at York Chester
Pro soccer
Here’s the full Charlotte FC schedule for the 2022 season (with results):
Feb. 26 at D.C. (L 0-3)
March 5, L.A. (L 0-1)
March 13, at Atlanta (L 1-2)
March 19, New England (W 3-1)
March 26, Cincinnati (W 2-0)
April 2, at Philadelphia (L 0-2)
April 10, Atlanta (W 1-0)
April 16, at New England, 7:30 p.m.
April 23, at Colorado, 9 p.m.
April 30, at Orlando, 7:30 p.m.
May 7, Miami, 3:30 p.m.
May 14, Montreal, 7 p.m.
May 22, Vancouver, 5 p.m.
May 29, at Seattle, 9:30 p.m.
June 11, New York, 3 p.m.
June 18, at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
June 25, at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
June 30, Austin, 7 p.m.
July 3, at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
July 9, Nashville, 7 p.m.
July 16, at Miami, 8 p.m.
July 23, at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
July 30, Columbus, 7 p.m.
August 3, D.C., 7 p.m.
August 6, Chicago, 7 p.m.
August 13, at LAFC, 10:30 p.m.
August 17, at New York City, TBD
August 21, Orlando, 7 p.m.
August 27, Toronto, 7 p.m.
September 3, at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
September 10, New York City, 7 p.m.
September 17, at Chicago, 8 p.m.
October 1, Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
October 9, at New York, TBD