5-20-23 roundup: Pro basketball, baseball, hockey, golf and soccer, High school football, baseball, softball and soccer, Legion baseball, Middle school athletics, College softball, NASCAR

By Richard Walker

When the 2023-24 athletic season begins at Mount Holly Middle School, a familiar face will be missing.

Mike Nixon, who has coached softball, volleyball, boys soccer and boys track at the school he once attended announced earlier this month that he was retiring after a long, successful coaching career.

Nixon’s teams have won five county boys track championships, two in softball, two in soccer and one in volleyball. His head coaching record was 124-53 – 80-40 in softball from 2011 to 2012, 32-13 in soccer from 2012 to 2015 and 12-0 in volleyball in 2022.

A 1986 East Gaston High graduate who ran cross country and track in high school, Nixon considers the 2013 soccer title his greatest memory.

Not only was the title unexpected – the Hawks were the No. 3 seed in the 4-team postseason playoffs – but it coincided with the 25-year anniversary of the school’s first county title in 1988.

“My favorite championship was probably the first soccer title,” Nixon said. “The two top seeds were upset in the semifinals that year, which meant that we (as the No. 3 seed) got to host the championship game.
“We decided to do it under the lights and got the word out to the entire community to come cheer us on. The stands were as packed that night as they would be for a football game so that was really fun.”

Nixon, a 1990 Elon graduate, says he often learned on the job and will always value the athletes he coached.

“I’ve been really lucky in having some awesome athletes over the years,” he said. “There are lots of coaches out there who know a lot more than I do and don’t have that sort of good fortune. I’m always cognizant of how fortunate I’ve been.
“What will I miss? I’ll definitely miss the competition. The matching of wits. The goal of instilling a positive attitude in the kids and giving them goals to shoot for. I’ll miss that moment when what we have worked on for weeks and weeks finally works, and the look on their face when it happens.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middle school sports

Belmont Middle School set a new single season for Gaston County Conference all-sports dominance with 124.3 points to win the Winner’s Cup for the 2022-23 school year.

The Wildcats, who won the football championship in addition to the softball, girls soccer and girls track title, surpassed the previous record of 118.3 points set by Belmont in the 2018-19 school year.

Other county titles in the 2022-23 school year were won by Cramerton (golf, boys soccer, wrestling), Mount Holly (volleyball, boys track), Southwest (boys basketball), Chavis (baseball) and Holbrook (girls basketball).

Also, York Chester was voted the Karen Sheppard Sportsmanship Award for the 2022-23 school year.

Here are the final all-sports points standings:

Belmont 124.3
Cramerton 99.8
Holbrook 87.5
Mount Holly 87
Stanley 85.3
W.C. Friday 68
Chavis 65
Southwest 56.5
York Chester 49
Grier 41.5
Bessemer City 35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College softball

The full first round NJCAA Division I World Series pairings (with seeding, district title won followed by team and record and Tuesday’s opening round game time):

No. 1 Southwest A- Odessa, Tex. (51-4) vs. No. 16 Southeast- Gordon State, Ga. (23-22), 1 p.m. ET
No. 8 Plains- Butler, Kansas (45-10) vs. Rocky Mountain- No. 9 Southern Idaho (45-16), 1 p.m. ET
No. 5 South Atlantic B- Northwest Florida State (52-9) vs. West- No. 12 Eastern Arizona (44-11), 3 p.m. ET
No. 4 Appalachian- Walters State, Tenn. (52-2) vs. Mid-South A- No. 13 Angelina, Tex. (27-21), 3 p.m. ET
No. 3 South- Wallace State, Ala. (51-5) vs. Central- No. 14 Kaskaskia, Ill. (47-16), 5 p.m. ET
No. 6 Southwest B- Grayson, Tex. (46-7) vs. Mid-South B- No. 11 Bossier Parrish, La. (45-15), 5 p.m. ET
No. 7 South Central- Seminole State, Okla. (42-6) vs. Midwest- No. 10 Indian Hills, Iowa (45-8), 7 p.m. ET
No. 2 South Atlantic A- Florida SouthWestern (49-5) vs. Mid-Atlantic- No. 15 Gaston College (43-8), 7 p.m. ET

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College baseball

Belmont Abbey has set school history in NCAA Southeast Regional 2 by reaching 40 victories for the fourth time in school history.

The No. 3 seeded Crusaders, who has previously reached that feat in 2008, 2009 and 2018, beat No. 6 seed Columbus State 15-13 and No. 2 Newberry 11-6 on Friday.

On Saturday, the Abbey rallied from a 7-2 deficit after five innings to complete an unbeaten run through their regional by defeating host Newberry 10-9. The Crusaders scored five times in the sixth to knot the score at 7, went ahead 8-7 after 7 1/2 innings before scoring two more times in the ninth after Newberry had forged a 9-8 advantage.

The win advances Belmont Abbey (41-16) to a best-of-3 Super Regional Tournament at defending NCAA Division II national champion North Greenville (47-9) next Friday and Saturday.

This week’s Big South Conference pairings for the postseason league tournament at High Point’s Truist Point:

(Thursday, May 25)
Game 1: No. 1 Campbell (41-13, 22-5) vs. No. 4 Gardner-Webb (31-23, 15-12), 1:00 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 USC Upstate (36-20, 21-6) vs. No. 3 Winthrop (17-12, 15-12), 5:00 p.m.

(Friday, May 26)
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11:00 a.m. (elimination game)
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3:00 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7:00 p.m. (elimination game)

(Saturday, May 27)
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, noon – ESPNU
Game 7: If Necessary: 4:00pm

This week’s ACC tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park:

Pool A teams: 1-seed Wake Forest, 8-seed Notre Dame, 12-seed Pittsburgh
Pool B teams: 2-seed Virginia, 7-seed North Carolina, 11-seed Georgia Tech
Pool C teams: 3-seed Clemson, 6-seed Boston College, 10-seed Virginia Tech
Pool D teams: 4-seed Miami, 5-seed Duke, 9-seed NC State

(Tuesday, May 23)
Game 1: 11 a.m. on ACC Network
Game 2: 3 p.m. on ACC Network
Game 3: 7 p.m. on ACC Network
(Wednesday, May 24)
Game 4: 11 a.m. on ACC Network
Game 5: 3 p.m. on ACC Network
Game 6: 7 p.m. on ACC Network
(Thursday, May 25)
Game 7: 11 a.m. on ACC Network
Game 8: 3 p.m. on ACC Network
Game 9: 7 p.m. on ACC Network
(Friday, May 26)
Game 10: 11 a.m. on ACC Network
Game 11: 3 p.m. on ACC Network
Game 12: 7 p.m. on ACC Network
(Saturday, May 27)
Semifinal No. 1: Pool group winner vs. Pool group winner, 1 p.m. on ACC Network
Semifinal No. 2: Pool group winner vs. Pool group winner, 5 p.m. on ACC Network
(Sunday, May 28)
Championship Game: Semifinal No. 1 winner vs. Semifinal No. 2 winner, Noon on ESPN2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro golf

Former Forestview High standout Harold Varner is tied for 33rd in the PGA Championships at the Oak HIll Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

Varner, a 2008 Forestview High graduate, has had rounds of 70, 71 and 74 at the par-70 course and will trail leader Brooks Koepka by 11 shots when Varner tees off for the fourth and final round at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legion baseball

Cherryville 6, Matthews 2: Joseph Webb (5 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 8 strikeouts), Wyatt Davis (2 innings, 1 run, 1 strikeout), Jacob Hamrick (2 hits, double), Riley Stiles (2 hits, 1 RBI), Zane Brockman (2 hits, 1 RBI) and Ashton Pope (double, 1 RBI) led Cherryville in its season opener.

Cleveland County 7, Gastonia 1: Ryan Ropp (6 innings, 1 hit, 3 strikeouts), Connor Gantt (2 hits, 1 RBI), Aidan Taylor (2 hits, double, 2 RBIs), Parker Dixon (2 hits) and Drew Dixon (2 hits) led Cleveland County and Cooper York, Erwing Soza and Parker Currell had 1 hit apiece for Gastonia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High school baseball

May 9 1st round playoff results:

1A
No. 1 Cherryville 6, No. 32 Mountain Island Charter 1
No. 13 Highland Tech 6, Mountain Heritage 1
Christ the King 10, No. 26 Piedmont Community Charter 0 (6 innings)
South Stokes 11, No. 29 Bessemer City 1 (5 innings)

2A
No. 1 Burns 10, Southwestern Randolph 8
No. 8 Lincoln Charter 18, North Surry 8
No. 17 East Gaston 6, Trinity 3
No. 23 Shelby 1, North Stanly 0
West Stanley 14, No. 28 West Lincoln 0 (5 innings)

3A
No. 5 South Point 6, Greensboro Dudley 5
No. 11 Kings Mountain 7, Cramer 2
Foard 7, No. 12 Crest 2
Tuscola 4, No. 16 North Gaston 3
No. 19 North Lincoln 1, Hickory 0
Oak Grove 8, No. 20 East Lincoln 0

NCISAA 2A
Unseeded Gaston Day 9, Hickory Christian Academy 1

NCISAA 3A
No. 7 Gaston Christian 17, Asheville School 1

May 12 2nd round pairings:

1A
No. 1 Cherryville 6, South Stanly 1
No. 13 Highland Tech 1, South Stokes 0

2A
No. 1 Burns 2, East Gaston 1
No. 8 Lincoln Charter 15, McMichael 6
East Davidson 5, No. 23 Shelby 1

3A
Foard 12, No. 5 South Point 2
No. 11 Kings Mountain 2, Carson 1
West Henderson 8, No. 19 North Lincoln 0

NCISAA 2A
(May 11) Westchester Country Day 7, Gaston Day 2

NCSIAA 3A
(May 11) No. 7 Gaston Christian 4, Calvary Day 0
(May 13) No. 7 Gaston Christian at Hickory Grove Christian

May 16 3rd round pairings:

1A
Union Academy 5, No. 1 Cherryville 1
Eastern Randolph 3, No. 13 Highland Tech 1

2A
No. 1 Burns 4, No. 8 Lincoln Charter 3

3A
West Henderson 9, No. 11 Kings Mountain 7
–

May 19 regional semifinal pairings:

2A
No. 1 Burns 4, West Stokes 3

May 23, 25, 27 regional finals:

2A
No. 1 Burns vs. Eden Morehead
Game 1 at Burns
Game 2 at Eden Morehead
Game 3 (if necessary) at Burns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High school softball

May 9 1st round playoff results:

1A
No. 5 Cherryville 10, Mount Airy 0
North Stokes 6, No. 7 Mountain Island Charter 1
No. 10 Piedmont Community Charter 7
Uwharrie Charter 33, No. 18 Highland Tech 0 (5 innings)
South Davidson 6, No. 24 Bessemer City 1

2A
No. 7 Burns 5, East Burke 2
Anson County 2, No. 8 Lincoln Charter 1
No. 17 West Lincoln 2, Forbush 1
McMichael 16, No. 32 East Gaston 1

3A
No. 5 East Lincoln 6, Montgomery Central 0
No. 6 Crest 7, NO. 27 North Lincoln 4
East Rowan 10, No. 16 Cramer 0
Southern Guilford 4, No. 18 Kings Mountain 3
West Henderson 14, No. 19 North Gaston 4
West Rowan 12, No. 29 Forestview 0

May 12 2nd round pairings:

1A
East Wilkes 12, No. 5 Cherryville 2
North Stokes 12, No. 10 Piedmont Community Charter 1

2A
Mount Pleasant 4, No. 7 Burns 0
McMichael 14, No. 17 West Lincoln 1 (5 innings)

3A
No. 5 East Lincoln 5, Pisgah 1
Carson 8, No. 6 Crest 0

NCISAA 3A
High Point Christian Academy 12, No. 8 Gaston Christian 2

May 16 3rd round pairings:

3A
No. 5 East Lincoln 5, West Rowan 3

May 19 regional semifinals:

3A
No. 5 East Lincoln 2, Enka 0

May 23, 25, 27 regional finals:

3A
No. 5 East Lincoln vs. No. 7 Rockingham County
Game 1 at East Lincoln
Game 2 at Rockingham County
Game 3 (if necessary) at East Lincoln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High school girls soccer

Here are the full state playoff pairings for area schools:

(May 15 1st round)
1A
No. 10 Mountain Island Charter 9, Avery County 0
Bradford Prep 2, No. 17 Highland Tech 1
N.C. Leadership Academy 5, No. 21 Piedmont Community Charter 0

2A
No. 5 East Gaston 3, Randleman 1
East Davidson 2, No. 21 Lincolnton 1
No. 23 Lincoln Charter 3, Bandys 2
Wheatmore 9, No. 31 Shelby 0

3A
No. 1 South Point 18, West Charlotte 0
No. 10 East Lincoln 5, Foard 0
No. 14 Crest 6, Rockingham County 0
Ashe County 3, No. 15 Forestview 0
St. Stephens 4, No. 20 Cramer 1
Lake Norman Charter 9, No. 30 Ashbrook 0
West Henderson 2, No. 31 North Lincoln 0

(May 18 2nd round)
1A
No. 10 Mountain Island Charter 9, Draughn 0

2A
No. 5 East Gaston 2, East Davidson 1
Wilkes Central 4, No. 23 Lincoln Charter 2

3A
No. 1 South Point 3, North Henderson 0 (May 17)
No. 10 East Lincoln 3, W-S Atkins 1, OT
Lake Norman Charter 5, No. 14 Crest 1

(May 22 3rd round)
1A
No. 10 Mountain Island Charter at Christ the King

2A
No. 5 East Gaston at Hendersonville

3A
No. 1 South Point hosts Enka
No. 10 East Lincoln at West Henderson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro soccer

Charlotte FC lost at Bank of America Stadium for the first time since early March in a 2-1 home defeat to Nashville SC.

Here is Charlotte FC’s full 2023 schedule with results:

(5-6-3 record)
Feb. 25 New England Revolution (L 0-1)
March 4 at St. Louis City SC (L 1-3)
March 11 Atlanta United FC (L 0-3)
March 18 at Orlando City SC (W 2-1)
March 25 New York Red Bulls (T 1-1)
April 1 at Toronto FC (T 2-2)
April 8 at Real Salt Lake (L 1-3)
April 15 Colorado Rapids (T 2-2)
April 22 Columbus Crew (W 1-0)
April 29 at D.C. United (L 0-3)
May 6 New York City FC (W 3-2)
May 13 at Atlanta United FC (W 3-1)
May 17 Chicago Fire FC (W 2-1)
May 20 Nashville SC (L 1-2)
May 27 at L.A. Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.
May 31 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
June 3 at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
June 10 Seattle Sounders FC, 7:30 p.m.
June 21 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
June 24 CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 5 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
July 8 FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
July 15 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 20 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 L.A. FC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at Nashville SC, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 at FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 30 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 Inter Miami CF, TBD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro basketball

The NBA play-in tournament games:

(April 11)
Game 1- East No. 8 Atlanta at East No. 7 Miami – Atlanta 116-105
Game 2- West No. 8 Minnesota at West No. 7 L.A. Lakers – L.A. Lakers 108-102 (OT)

(April 12)
Game 3- East No. 10 Chicago at East No. 9 Toronto – Chicago 109-105
Game 4- West No. 10 Oklahoma City at West No. 9 New Orleans – Oklahoma City 123-118

(April 14)
East No. 10 Chicago at East No. 7 Miami – Miami 102-91
West No. 10 Oklahoma City at West No. 8 Minnesota – Minnesota 120-95

The first round NBA playoffs schedule:

East No. 1 Milwaukee vs. East No. 8 Miami
Game 1: April 16 at Milwaukee – Miami 130-117
Game 2: April 19 at Milwaukee – Milwaukee 127-106
Game 3: April 22 at Miami – Miami 121-99
Game 4: April 24 at Miami – Miami 119-114
Game 5: April 26 at Milwaukee – Miami 128-126, OT (Miami wins series 4-1)

East No. 2 Boston vs. East No. 7 Atlanta
Game 1: April 15 at Boston – Boston 112-99
Game 2: April 18 at Boston – Boston 119-106
Game 3: April 21 at Atlanta – Atlanta 130-122
Game 4: April 23 at Atlanta – Boston 129-121
Game 5: April 25 at Boston – Atlanta 119-117
Game 6: April 27 at Atlanta – Boston 128-120 (Boston wins series 4-2)

East No. 3 Philadelphia vs. East No. 6 Brooklyn
Game 1: April 15 at Philadelphia – Philadelphia 121-101
Game 2: April 17 at Philadelphia – Philadelphia 96-84
Game 3: April 20 at Brooklyn – Philadelphia 102-97
Game 4: April 22 at Brooklyn – Philadelphia 96-88 (Philadelphia wins series 4-0)

East No. 4 Cleveland vs. East No. 5 New York
Game 1: April 15 at Cleveland – New York 101-97
Game 2: April 18 at Cleveland – Cleveland 107-90
Game 3: April 21 at New York – New York 99-79
Game 4: April 23 at New York – New York 102-99
Game 5: April 26 at Cleveland – New York 106-95 (New York wins series 4-1)

West No. 1 Denver vs. West No. 8 Minnesota
Game 1: April 16 at Denver – Denver 109-80
Game 2: April 19 at Denver – Denver 122-113
Game 3: April 21 at Minnesota – Denver 120-111
Game 4: April 23 at Minnesota – Minnesota 114-108
Game 5: April 25 at Denver – Denver 112-109 (Denver wins series 4-1)

West No. 2 Memphis vs. West No. 7 L.A. Lakers
Game 1: April 16 at Memphis – L.A. Lakers 128-112
Game 2: April 19 at Memphis – Memphis 103-93
Game 3: April 22 at Los Angeles – L.A. Lakers 111-101
Game 4: April 24 at Los Angeles – L.A. Lakers 117-111, OT
Game 5: April 26 at Memphis – Memphis 116-99
Game 6: April 28 at Los Angeles – L.A. Lakers 125-85 (L.A. Lakers win series 4-2)

West No. 3 Sacramento vs. West No. 6 Golden State
Game 1: April 15 at Sacramento – Sacramento 126-123
Game 2: April 17 at Sacramento – Sacramento 114-106
Game 3: April 20 at Golden State – Golden State 114-97
Game 4: April 23 at Golden State – Golden State 126-125
Game 5: April 26 at Sacramento – Golden State 123-116
Game 6: April 28 at Golden State – Sacramento 118-99
Game 7: April 30 at Sacramento – Golden State 120-100 (Golden State wins series 4-3)

West No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. West No. 5 L.A. Clippers
Game 1: April 16 at Phoenix – L.A. Clippers 115-110
Game 2: April 18 at Phoenix – Phoenix 123-109
Game 3: April 20 at Los Angeles – Phoenix 129-124
Game 4: April 22 at Los Angeles – Phoenix 112-100
Game 5: April 25 at Phoenix – Phoenix 136-130 (Phoenix wins series 4-1)

The second round NBA playoffs schedule (x-if necessary):

East No. 8 Miami vs. East No. 5 New York
Game 1: April 30 at New York – Miami 108-101
Game 2: May 2 at New York – New York 111-105
Game 3: May 6 at Miami – Miami 105-86
Game 4: May 8 at Miami – Miami 109-101
Game 5: May 10 at New York – New York 112-103
Game 6: May 12 at Miami – Miami 96-92 (Miami wins series 4-2)

East No. 2 Boston vs. East No. 3 Philadelphia
Game 1: May 1 at Boston – Philadelphia 119-115
Game 2: May 3 at Boston – Boston 121-87
Game 3: May 5 at Philadelphia – Boston 114-102
Game 4: May 7 at Philadelphia – Philadelphia 116-115, OT
Game 5: May 9 at Boston – Philadelphia 115-103
Game 6: May 11 at Philadelphia – Boston 95-86
Game 7: May 14 at Boston – Boston 112-88 (Boston wins series 4-3)

West No. 1 Denver vs. West No. 4 Phoenix
Game 1: April 29 at Denver – Denver 125-107
Game 2: May 1 at Denver – Denver 97-87
Game 3: May 5 at Phoenix – Phoenix 121-114
Game 4: May 7 at Phoenix – Phoenix 129-124
Game 5: May 9 at Denver – Denver 118-102
Game 6: May 11 at Phoenix – Denver 125-100 (Denver wins series 4-2)

West No. 7 L.A. Lakers vs. West No. 6 Golden State
Game 1: May 2 at Golden State – L.A. Lakers 117-111
Game 2: May 4 at Golden State – Golden State 127-100
Game 3: May 6 at Los Angeles – L.A. Lakers 127-97
Game 4: May 8 at Los Angeles – L.A. Lakers 104-101
Game 5: May 10 at Golden State – Golden State 121-106
Game 6: May 12 at Los Angeles – L.A. Lakers 122-101 (L.A. Lakers win series 4-2)

Conference finals schedule (x-if necessary)
-Eastern
No. 8 Miami vs. No. 2 Boston
Game 1: May 17 at Boston – Miami 123-116
Game 2: May 19 at Boston – Miami 111-105
Game 3: May 21 at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: May 23 at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5-x: May 25 at Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 6-x: May 27 at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 7-x: May 29 at Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT)

-Western
No. 1 Denver vs. No. 7 L.A. Lakers
Game 1: May 16 at Denver – Denver 132-126
Game 2: May 18 at Denver – Denver 108-103
Game 3: May 20 at Los Angeles – Denver 119-108
Game 4: May 22 at Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 5-x: May 24 at Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 6-x: May 26 at Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 7-x: May 28 at Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro hockey

The Carolina Hurricanes’ NHL playoffs schedule (x-if necessary):

(First round)
Carolina vs. New York Islanders
Game 1: April 17 at Carolina – Carolina 2-1
Game 2: April 19 at Carolina – Carolina 4-3 in OT
Game 3: April 21 at N.Y. Islanders – N.Y. 5-1
Game 4: April 23 at N.Y. Islanders – Carolina 5-2 (TNT)
Game 5: April 25 at Carolina – N.Y. 3-2
Game 6: April 28 at N.Y. Islanders – Carolina 2-1 in OT (Carolina wins series 4-2)

(Second round)
Carolina vs. New Jersey
Game 1: May 3 at Carolina – Carolina 5-1
Game 2: May 5 at Carolina – Carolina 6-1
Game 3: May 7 at New Jersey – New Jersey 8-4
Game 4: May 9 at New Jersey – Carolina 6-1
Game 5: May 11 at Carolina – Carolina 3-2, OT (Carolina wins series 4-2)

(Conference finals)
Carolina vs. Florida
Game 1: May 18 at Carolina – Florida 3-2, 4 OT
Game 2: May 20 at Carolina – Florida 2-1, OT
Game 3: May 22 at Florida, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: May 24 at Florida, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5-x: at Carolina
Game 6-x: at Florida
Game 7-x: at Carolina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro baseball

Charlotte 7, Scranton Wilkes-Barre 5: Former South Point High standout Garrett Davila, promoted to Charlotte from Class AA Birmingham before the game, started and yielded five hits and one run with five strikeouts in six innings but go no decision in the Knights victory in the fifth game of the 6-game series. The finale of the series is at 1:05 p.m. at Charlotte’s Truist Field.

Gastonia 8, Lexington 0: Zach Mort (6 hitless innings, 8 strikeouts) and three relievers combined on a shutout for the Honey Hunters.

Here is the full Gastonia Honey Hunters’ 2023 schedule:

Overall record: 14-6
April (3-0)
28 Frederick (W 10-4)
29 Frederick (W 8-6)
30 Frederick (W 7-4)

May (11-6)
2 at So. Maryland (W 8-6)
3 at So. Maryland (W 11-6)
4 at So. Maryland (L 2-4)
5 at Long Island (W 3-2)
6 at Long Island (L 1-3)
7 at Long Island (L 4-6)
9 Frederick (W 2-1 in 10)
10 Frederick (W 10-0)
11 Frederick (W 9-7)
12 at High Point (L 5-8)
13 at High Point (W 12-5)
14 at High Point (L 3-4)
16 Charleston, W.Va. (W 13-4)
17 Charleston, W.Va. (W 4-2)
18 Charleston, W.Va. (L 4-6)
19 at Lexington (W 15-2)
20 at Lexington (W 8-0)
21 at Lexington
23 at Frederick
24 at Frederick
25 at Frederick
26 Lancaster
27 Lancaster
28 Lancaster
29 Lancaster
30 High Point
31 High Point

June
1 High Point
2 Lexington
3 Lexington
4 Lexington
6 at Charleston, W.Va.
7 at Charleston, W.Va.
8 at Charleston, W.Va.
9 at Frederick
10 at Frederick
11 at Frederick
13 So. Maryland
14 So. Maryland
15 So. Maryland
16 Staten Island
17 Staten Island
18 Staten Island
20 at Lancaster
21 at Lancaster
22 at Lancaster
23 at Staten Island
24 at Staten Island
25 at Staten Island
27 High Point
28 High Point
29 High Point
30 So. Maryland

July
1 So. Maryland
2 So. Maryland
4 at Frederick
5 at Frederick
6 at Frederick
7 at High Point
8 at High Point
9 at High Point
11 at Charleston, W.Va.
12 at Charleston, W.Va.
13 at Charleston, W.Va.
14 Staten Island
15 Staten Island
16 Staten Island
18 High Point
19 High Point
20 High Point
21 at So. Maryland
22 at So. Maryland
23 at So. Maryland
25 at Staten Island
26 at Staten Island
27 at Staten Island
28 at Long Island
29 at Long Island
30 at Long Island

August
1 High Point
2 High Point
3 High Point
4 Lexington
5 Lexington
6 Lexington
8 Frederick
9 Frederick
10 Frederick
11 at Long Island
12 at Long Island
13 at Long Island
15 York
16 York
17 York
18 Lexington
19 Lexington
20 Lexington
22 at Long Island
23 at Long Island
24 at Long Island
25 at Lancaster
26 at Lancaster
27 at Lancaster
29 Frederick
30 Frederick
31 Frederick

September
1 So. Maryland
2 So. Maryland
3 So. Maryland
4 So. Maryland
5 at High Point
6 at High Point
7 at High Point
8 Charleston, W.Va.
9 Charleston, W.Va.
10 Charleston, W.Va.
12 So. Maryland
13 So. Maryland
14 So. Maryland
15 at Lexington
16 at Lexington
17 at Lexington

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auto racing

The 2023 NASCAR schedule (with winners in parentheses):

Feb 5 Clash at The Coliseum, Los Angeles CA (Martin Truex, Jr.)
Feb 16 Duel No. 1, Daytona Beach FL (Joey Logano)
Feb 16 Duel No. 2, Daytona Beach FL (Aric Almirola)
Feb 19 Daytona 500, Daytona Beach FL (Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.)
Feb 26 NASCAR Cup Series at California, Fontana CA (Kyle Busch)
Mar 5 NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV (William Byron)
Mar 12 NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, Avondale AZ (William Byron-2)
Mar 19 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA (Joey Logano-2)
Mar 26 NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of the Americas, Austin TX (Tyler Reddick)
Apr 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond, Richmond VA (Kyle Larson)
Apr 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, Bristol TN (Christopher Bell)
Apr 16 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Martinsville VA (Kyle Larson-2)
Apr 23 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Lincoln AL (Kyle Busch-2)
May 1 NASCAR Cup Series at Dover, Dover DE (Martin Truex, Jr.-2)
May 7 NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas, Kansas City KS (Denny Hamlin)
May 14 NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, Darlington SC (William Byron-3)
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open Race, North Wilkesboro NC, 6 p.m. on FS1
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro NC, 8 p.m. on FS1
May 28 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC, 6 p.m. at FOX
Jun 4 NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison IL, 3:30 p.m. on FS1
Jun 11 NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma, Sonoma CA, 3:30 p.m. on FOX
Jun 25 NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville, Lebanon TN, 7 p.m. on NBC
Jul 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Chicago, Chicago IL, 5:30 p.m. on NBC
Jul 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA, 7 p.m. on USA
Jul 16 NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire, Loudon NH, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Jul 23 NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono, Long Pond PA, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Jul 30 NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond, Richmond VA, 3 p.m. on USA
Aug 6 NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan, Brooklyn MI, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Aug 13 NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Road Course, Speedway IN, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Aug 20 NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen NY, 3 p.m. on USA
Aug 26 NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona, Daytona Beach FL, 7 p.m. on NBC

(Cup Playoffs)
Sep 3 NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, Darlington SC, 6 p.m. on USA
Sep 10 NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas, Kansas City KS, 3 p.m. on USA
Sep 16 NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, Bristol TN, 7:30 p.m. on USA
Sep 24 NASCAR Cup Series at Texas, Fort Worth TX, 3:30 p.m. on USA
Oct 1 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Lincoln AL, 2 p.m. on NBC
Oct 8 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC, 2 p.m. on NBC
Oct 15 NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Oct 22 NASCAR Cup Series at Miami, Homestead FL, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Oct 29 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Martinsville, 2 p.m. on NBC
Nov 5 NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, Avondale AZ, 3 p.m. on NBC