5-3-22 roundup: Pro football, baseball, basketball, soccer and hockey, High school baseball and softball, College baseball, Middle school baseball and girls soccer, Legion baseball

By Richard Walker

Former East Gaston High standout Robert Washington has been invited to Philadelphia Eagles rookie mini-camp that will be held this weekend.

A 2016 East Gaston High graduate, Washington played collegiately at Charlotte (2016-17), Old Dominion (2019) and Valparaiso (2021) where he picked up 1,758 yards rushing in 17 games is ninth in career yards in school history.

“It was a tearful moment,” Washington said in a Valparaiso news release. “I couldn’t stop smiling and I couldn’t stop screaming. This is pretty special; it’s a dream come true. It’s unbelievable to see all of the hard work paying off. It really hasn’t hit me yet. It’ll probably hit me when I get to training camp.
“I’m happy to be able to represent Valpo at the next level. They gave me the opportunity to show my talent, and that helped me get to this point. I talked to Coach Fox about it, and told him that I’m so happy I can do this for Valpo and for me. The people and the coaches led me to Valpo. My time at Valpo has been so special and went by so fast.”

Washington was named the Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Year following the spring 2021 season and was All-PFL first running back in the spring 2021 and fall 2021 seasons.

 

 

 

Pro basketball

According to Bleacher Report, Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan made the decision to fire head coach James Borrego last month – and not Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak as was previously reported.

The reason?

Sources told Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report that Jordan was disappointed with Charlotte’s defense that fell from 16th in the 30-team NBA in the 2020-21 season to 22nd thsis eason.

That’s not including the 144 points the Hornets yielded to Indiana in a 2021 play-in tournament loss and the 132 points they yielded to Atlanta in this year’s play-in tournament loss.

Also according to Fischer, Kupchak is “acting as though he’ll remain in charge of the team’s basketball operations” even as his contract expires after the season.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Hornets will interview Mike D’Antoni, Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham and Sean Sweeney for their head coaching job, with Fischer reporting D’Antoni, Atkinson, Mike Brown and former University of North Carolina star (and current Vanderbilt head coach) Jerry Stackhouse are potential candidates for the opening.

Another report from Marc Stein says Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who still has one year remaining on his contract with Utah, is another potential hire. Synder previously worked under Kupchak’s front office as a Lakers assistant and has ties to North Carolina as he played and coached at Duke.

 

 

 

 

High school baseball

(Tuesday’s games)
Forestview 6, Cramer

Ashbrook 11, Huss 5

Kings Mountain 5, Crest 4: The Mountaineers wrapped up their first league title since 2009 and 15th in school history.

South Point 3, North Gaston 1

North Lincoln 8, East Lincoln 7 (Monday): Trey Spees (2-3, 2 runs, 3 RBIs, 3-run home run), Graham Smiley (2-4, 2 runs) ,Evan Matile (3-4, 4 RBIs, 3-run home run), Garrett Michel (1-2, 1 run) led East Lincoln.

Upcoming schedule:

(Wednesday)
East Rutherford at South Point

(Thursday)
Cramer at Forestview
Crest at Kings Mountain

(Friday)
Ashbrook at Huss
South Point at North Gaston

Conference tournaments:

Western Foothills 3A
(Wednesday)
Foard at North Lincoln
East Lincoln at St. Stephens
(Friday)
Championship

Southern Piedmont 1A/2A
(Tuesday)
East Gaston 12, Thomas Jefferson 1: Liam Brady (winning pitcher), Logan Agosta (2 hits), Jaxon Cogdill (2 hits) and Gracen Mahadeo (2 hits) led East Gaston.
Cherryville 17, Bessemer City 2 (5 innings)
Shelby 5, Highland Tech 2: Parker Dixon (3-hitter, 7 strikeouts, 3 hits, 2 doubles) led Shelby.
(Wednesday)
Cherryville at East Gaston
Shelby at Burns
(Friday)
Championship

Catawba Valley 2A
(Monday)
Bandys 15, West Caldwell 0 (5 innings)
Maiden 19, West Lincoln 5
Newton-Conover 9, Lincolnton 5
Bunker Hill 10, East Burke 3
(Wednesday)
Maiden at Bandys
Newton-Conover at Bunker Hill
(Friday)
Championship

 

 

 

 

 

High school softball

(Tuesday’s games)
Cramer 8, North Gaston 6

Crest 12, Huss 0 (4 innings): Aidan Ledbetter (5 strikeouts) and Ella Shope (3 strikeouts) combined on the shutout and Mackenzie Luckenbaugh (3-run home run), Shope, Molly Beam and Reese Gettys led the Crest offense.

Forestview 15, South Point 0 (3 innings)

(Friday)
Crest at Kings Mountain
Forestview at Cramer
Huss at Ashbrook
North Gaston at South Point

Conference tournaments:

Western Foothills 3A
(Wednesday)
Foard at East Lincoln
St. Stephens at North Lincoln
(Friday)
Championship

Southern Piedmont 1A/2A
(Tuesday’s quarterfinals)
Thomas Jefferson at Cherryville
Bessemer City at East Gaston
Shelby at Highland Tech
(Wednesday’s semifinals)
TJ-Cherryville vs. BC-EG winner
Shelby-HT winner at Burns
(Friday)
Championship

Catawba Valley 2A
(Monday’s quarterfinals)
West Lincoln 15, Newton-Conover 0 (4 innings):
West Caldwell 13, East Burke 3 (5 innings)
Bandys 15, Bunker Hill 5
Maiden 9, Lincolnton 3
(Tuesday at Lenoir-Rhyne)
West Lincoln vs. West Caldwell
Bandys vs. Maiden
(Thursday at Lenoir-Rhyne)
Championship

 

 

 

 

Middle school baseball

Gaston County Conference standings through May 3:
Belmont 9-0
Stanley 8-1
Chavis 7-2
Mount Holly 7-3
Cramerton 5-4
W.C. Friday 5-4
Holbrook 3-6
Bessemer City 2-7
Southwest 2-7
York Chester 2-7
Grier 0-9

(Tuesday’s game)
Cramerton 15, Southwest 0 (3 innings): Camden Tarbush and Coleman Schafer combined for the no hitter and Matthew De La Cruz (3 hits), Brock Bumgarder (2 hits), Grayson Lunsford (1 hit), Seth Artzner (1 hit), Braeden Cunningham (1 hit), Owen Kelly (1 hit), Porter Furr (1 hit) and Tarbush (1 hit) were offensive standouts for Cramerton.

W.C. Friday 6, Bessemer City 3 (Monday): Pitchers Jordan Cunningham (5 innings, win) and Andrew hardy (2 innings, 4 strikeouts, save) led W.C. Friday, whose offense was led by Hardy (2 hits, 2 RBIs), Joseph Kirkpatrick (1 hit, 1 run), Camden Kannupp (1 hit, 3 runs) and Elijah Cunningham (2 RBIs).

(Thursday’s games)
Chavis at Bessemer City
Cramerton at Belmont
Grier at Stanley
Holbrook at Southwest
W.C. Friday at York Chester

END REGULAR SEASON

 

 

Middle school girls soccer

Gaston County Conference standings through May 3:
Belmont 9-0
Cramerton 9-0
Mount Holly 8-2
W.C. Friday 6-3
Stanley 5-4
Holbrook 4-5
Chavis 3-6
Southwest 3-6
Bessemer City 1-8
Grier 1-8
York Chester 1-8

(Tuesday’s game)
Cramerton 6, Southwest 0

(Thursday’s games)
Chavis at Bessemer City
Cramerton at Belmont
Grier at Stanley
Holbrook at Southwest
W.C. Friday at York Chester

END REGULAR SEASON

 

 

 

Legion baseball

Gastonia Post 23 will have sign-ups for senior legion baseball Saturday, May 7 from 10-11 a.m. at Ashbrook High School bus parking lot. Players born in 2002 or earlier are not eligible. Contact [email protected] for any questions.

 

 

 

 

College baseball

On a day in which the school’s championship banner was unveiled and placed on the outfield fence at Gastonia’s Sims Legion Park, Gaston College closed out its inaugural baseball season in style. The nationally-ranked Rhinos topped visiting USC Sumter 6-2 on Wednesday to finish the season with a 41-9 overall record.

Gaston College, ranked No. 5 in Monday’s PBR Juco poll and No. 9 in Monday’s National Junior College Athletic Association poll, went 30-6 to win the West Division of Region 10’s Division II.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro basketball

Here’s the schedule for the NBA playoffs:

(Eastern Conference)
FIRST ROUND
1-Miami vs. 8-Atlanta (Miami wins series 4-1)

4-Philadelphia vs. 5-Toronto (Philadelphia wins series 4-2)

2-Boston vs. 7-Brooklyn (Boston wins series 4-0)

3-Milwaukee vs. 6-Chicago (Milwaukee wins series 4-1)

SEMIFINALS
1-Miami vs. 4-Philadelphia
Game 1 at Miami: May 2 (Miami 106-92)
Game 2 at Miami: May 4
Game 3 at Philadelphia: May 6
Game 4 at Philadelphia: May 8
Game 5 at Miami (if necessary): May 10
Game 6 at Philadelphia (if necessary): May 12
Game 7 at Miami (if necessary): May 15

2-Milwaukee vs. 3-Boston
Game 1 at Milwaukee: May 1 (Milwaukee 101-89)
Game 2 at Milwaukee: May 3 (Boston 109-86)
Game 3 at Boston: May 7
Game 4 at Boston: May 9
Game 5 (if necessary) at Milwaukee: May 11
Game 6 (if necessary) at Boston: May 13
Game 7 (if necessary) at Milwaukee: May 15

(Western Conference)
FIRST ROUND
1-Phoenix vs. 8-New Orleans (Phoenix wins series 4-2)

4-Dallas vs. 5-Utah (Dallas wins series 4-2)

2-Memphis vs. 7-Minnesota (Memphis wins series 4-2)

3-Golden State vs. 6-Denver (Golden State wins series 4-1)

SEMIFINALS
1-Phoenix vs. 4-Dallas
Game 1 at Phoenix: May 2 (Phoenix 121-114)
Game 2 at Phoenix: May 4
Game 3 at Dallas: May 6
Game 4 at Dallas: May 8
Game 5 at Phoenix (if necessary): May 10
Game 6 at Dallas (if necessary): May 12
Game 7 at Phoenix (if necessary): May 15

2-Memphis vs. 3-Golden State
Game 1 at Memphis: May 1 (Golden State 117-116)
Game 2 at Memphis: May 3 (Memphis 106-101)
Game 3 at Golden State: May 7
Game 4 at Golden State: May 9
Game 5 at Memphis (if necessary): May 11
Game 6 at Golden State (if necessary): May 13
Game 7 at Memphis (if necessary): May 16

 

 

 

 

Pro hockey

The Carolina Hurricanes’ first round playoff schedule in their series against the Boston Bruins:

Game 1 at Carolina: May 2 (Carolina 5-1)
Game 2 at Carolina: May 4
Game 3 at Boston: May 6
Game 4 at Boston: May 8
Game 5 at Carolina (if necessary): May 10
Game 6 at Boston (if necessary): May 12
Game 7 at Carolina (if necessary): May 14

 

 

 

Pro soccer

Here’s the full Charlotte FC schedule for the 2022 season (with results):

(3-6-1 record)
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 (L 1-2)
April 23, at Colorado (T 0-0)
April 30, at Orlando (L 1-2)
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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro baseball

Gastonia took its 10th straight victory, 3-1 over York, on the road on Tuesday night.

The full Gastonia Honey Hunters’ 2022 schedule (Games times 6:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 4:15 on Sunday):

April (8-1)
21 Lancaster, Pa. (L 2-5)
22 Lancaster, Pa. (W 4-3)
23 Lancaster, Pa. (W 8-1)
24 Lancaster, Pa. (W 13-4)
26 Wild Health, Ky. (W 12-1)
27 Wild Health, Ky. (W 17-4)
28 Wild Health, Ky. (W 6-4)
29 Staten Island (W 5-4)
30 Staten Island (W 6-5)

May (2-0)
1 Staten Island (W 10-5)
3 at York, Pa. (W 3-1)
4 at York, Pa.
5 at York, Pa.
6 at Staten Island
7 at Staten Island
8 at Staten Island
10 at So. Maryland
11 at So. Maryland
12 at So. Maryland
13 at Staten Island
14 at Staten Island
15 at Staten Island
17 So. Maryland
18 So. Maryland
19 So. Maryland
20 Charleston, W.Va.
21 Charleston, W.Va.
22 Charleston, W.Va.
24 at Lancaster, Pa.
25 at Lancaster, Pa.
26 at Lancaster, Pa.
27 at Long Island
28 at Long Island
29 at Long Island
30 at Long Island
31 Long Island

June
1 Long Island
2 Long Island
3 at High Point
4 at High Point
5 at High Point
7 at Charleston, W.Va.
8 at Charleston, W.Va.
9 at Charleston, W.Va.
10 High Point
11 High Point
12 High Point
14 Charleston, W.Va.
15 Charleston, W.Va.
16 Charleston, W.Va.
17 at Lexington, Ky.
18 at Lexington, Ky.
19 at Lexington, Ky.
21 Charleston, W.Va.
22 Charleston, W.Va.
23 Charleston, W.Va.
24 at So. Maryland
25 at So. Maryland
26 at So. Maryland
28 Wild Health, Ky.
29 Wild Health, Ky.
30 Wild Health, Ky.

July
1 at Lexington, Ky.
2 at Lexington, Ky.
3 at Lexington, Ky.
4 High Point
5 High Point
6 at High Point
7 at High Point
8 High Point
9 High Point
10 High Point
12 at Wild Health, Ky.
13 at Wild Health, Ky.
14 at Wild Health, Ky.
15 Lexington, Ky.
16 Lexington, Ky.
17 Lexington, Ky.
19 at York, Pa.
20 at York, Pa.
21 at York, Pa.
22 at High Point
23 at High Point
24 at High Point
26 Lexington, Ky.
27 Lexington, Ky.
28 Lexington, Ky.
29 York, Pa.
30 York, Pa.
31 York, Pa.

August
2 at Lexington, Ky.
3 at Lexington, Ky.
4 at Lexington, Ky.
5 High Point
6 High Point
7 High Point
9 Staten Island
10 Staten Island
11 Staten Island
12 at High Point
13 at High Point
14 at High Point
16 So. Maryland
17 So. Maryland
18 So. Maryland
19 High Point
20 High Point
21 High Point
23 at Charleston, W.Va.
24 at Charleston, W.Va.
25 at Charleston, W.Va.
26 at High Point
27 at High Point
28 at High Point
30 High Point
31 High Point

September
1 High Point
2 Wild Health, Ky.
3 Wild Health, Ky.
4 Wild Health, Ky.
6 at Wild Health, Ky.
7 at Wild Health, Ky.
8 at Wild Health, Ky.
9 Lexington, Ky.
10 Lexington, Ky.
11 Lexington, Ky.
13 at High Point
14 at High Point
15 at High Point
16 at Charleston, W.Va.
17 at Charleston, W.Va.
18 at Charleston, W.Va.