7-12-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football, baseball and soccer, College athletics, Legion baseball, NASCAR
By Richard Walker
Cherryville Post 100 and Cleveland County Post 82-155 took wins in the openers of their best-of-7 North Carolina Area IV semifinal series in convincing fashion on Wednesday night.
Cherryville had a 7-run 3rd inning to spur it on to a 9-2 victory over Rutherford County at Cherryville’s Fraley Field.
Starter and winner Joseph Webb went five innings with 11 strikeouts to pick up the win and the Post 100 offense was led by Reid Stroupe (3 hits), Jacob Hamrick (2 hits, 1 RBI), Will Blackburn (1 hit, 3 RBIs) and Ethan Guy (1 hit, 2 RBIs).
The second game of that series is at 7 p.m. Thursday night at R-S Central High School.
Cleveland County had a 5-run 3rd inning powered by home runs from Aidan Taylor and Marshall McGowan for a 5-2 victory over Asheville at Shelby’s Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium.
Starter and winner Colby Putnam went six innings with 13 strikeouts to pick up the win and the Post 82-155 offense was led by Nick Williams (2 hits), Putnam (2 hits), Taylor (3-run home run) and McGowan (2-run home run).
The second game of that series is at 7 p.m. Thursday night at West Henderson High School.
The full Area IV Senior Legion playoff schedule:
-First round (July 1-5, best of 5)
West No. 1 Cleveland County, West No. 2 Cherryville, East No. 1 Queen City – byes
East No. 4 Matthews vs. West No. 5 Burke
Game 1 – July 1 at M – suspended with M leading 1-0 in 2nd
Game 1 – July 2 at B – M 8-7
Game 2 – July 2 at B – M 9-3
Game 3 – July 3 at M – M 6-4 (M wins series 3-0)
West No. 3 Asheville vs. East No. 6 Gastonia
Game 1 – July 1 at A – A 13-3 in 5
Game 2 – July 1 at A – A 9-4
Game 3 – July 2 at G – A 13-3 in 6 (Asheville wins series 3-0)
East No. 2 Mint Hill vs. West No. 7 Hickory
Game 1 – July 1 at M – postponed
Game 1 – July 2 at H – M 4-1
Game 2 – July 2 at H – H 7-6
Game 3 – July 3 at M – H 12-0 in 5
Game 4 – July 4 at H – M 9-6
Game 5 – July 5 at M – H 13-3 (Hickory wins series 3-2)
West No. 4 Rutherford vs. East No. 5 Lincoln
Game 1 – July 1 at R – R 13-5
Game 2 – July 2 at L – R 8-6
Game 3 – July 3 at R – R 9-7 (R wins series 3-0)
East No. 3 Gaston Braves vs. West No. 6 Caldwell
Game 1 – July 1 at GB – C 9-2
Game 2 – July 2 at C – GB 8-4
Game 3 – July 3 at GB – C 9-5
Game 4 – July 4 at C – C by forfeit (C wins series 3-1)
-Quarterfinals (July 6-11, best of 5)
West No. 1 Cleveland vs. East No. 4 Matthews
Game 1 – July 6 at C – C 5-0
Game 2 – July 7 at M – ppd., rain
Game 2 – July 8 at M – C 6-2
Game 3 – July 9 at C – C 6-3 (C wins series 3-0)
West No. 3 Asheville vs. West No. 7 Hickory
Game 1 – July 6 at A – A 7-4
Game 2 – July 7 at H – A 3-2
Game 3 – July 8 at A – A by forfeit (A wins series 3-0)
East No. 1 Queen City vs. West No. 4 Rutherford
Game 1 – July 6 at Q – R 7-3
Game 2 – July 7 at Q – R 8-7
Game 3 – July 8 at R – R 7-6 (R wins series 3-0)
West No. 6 Caldwell vs. West No. 2 Cherryville
Game 1 – July 6 at Cville – Cville 2-1
Game 2 – July 7 at Caldwell – Cville 3-2 in 9
Game 3 – July 8 at Cville – Cville 10-2 (Cville wins series 3-0)
-Semifinals (July 12-19, best of 7)
West No. 1-East No. 4 winner vs. West No. 3 Asheville
Game 1 – July 12 at C – C 5-1
Game 2 – July 13 at A
Game 3 – July 14 at C
Game 4 – July 15 at A
Game 5 (if necessary) – July 16 at C
Game 6 (if necessary) – July 17 at A
Game 7 (if necessary) – July 18 at C
West No. 4 Rutherford vs. West No. 2 Cherryville
Game 1 – July 12 at C – C 9-2
Game 2 – July 13 at R
Game 3 – July 14 at C
Game 4 – July 15 at R
Game 5 (if necessary) – July 16 at C
Game 6 (if necessary) – July 17 at R
Game 7 (if necessary) – July 18 at C
-Final (July 20-22, 1 game or best of 3)
The full Area IV Junior Legion playoff schedule (All series best-of-3):
Area IV Playoffs (All series best-of-3):
-Quarterfinals June 30-July 4
No. 1 South Caldwell-1 (10-0) vs. No. 8 R-S Central (6-4)
Game 1 – June 30 at SC – SC 3-0
Game 2 – July 1 at R-S – R-S 10-3
Game 3 – July 2 at SC – SC 5-4 in 10 (SC wins series 2-1)
No. 4 Dallas (7-3) vs No. 5 Chase (7-3)
Game 1 – June 30 at Dallas – Dallas 8-1
Game 2 – July 1 at Chase – Dallas 13-1 (Dallas wins series 2-0)
No. 3 Matthews (8-2) vs. No. 6 Cherryville (6-4)
Game 1 – June 30 at Matthews – Matthews 11-8
Game 2 – July 1 at Cherryville – Matthews 6-1 (Matthews wins series 2-0)
No. 2 East Rutherford (9-1) vs. No. 7 South Caldwell-2 (6-4)
Game 1 – June 30 at ER – ER 9-4
Game 2 – July 1 at SC – ER 18-7 (ER wins series 2-0)
-Semifinals July 5-8
No. 1 South Caldwell-1 vs. No. 4 Dallas
Game 1 – July 5 at SC – SC 7-0
Game 2 – July 6 at Dallas – SC 13-3 (SC wins series 2-0)
No. 3 Matthews vs. No. 2 East Rutherford
Game 1 – July 5 at ER – ER 6-5 in 8
Game 2 – July 6 at M – ER 10-0 in 5 (ER wins series 2-0)
-Finals July 9-12
No. 1 South Caldwell-1 vs. No. 2 East Rutherford
Game 1 – July 9 at SC – SC 4-3 in 8
Game 2 – July 10 at ER – SC 8-1 (SC wins series 2-0)
The pairings for the N.C. state tournament at Cherryville’s Fraley Field:
(Saturday, July 15)
Game 1 – Area 1 No. 2 vs. Area 4 No. 1 (South Caldwell), 10 a.m.
Game 2 – Area 2 No. 2 vs. Area 3 No. 1, 12:30 p.m.
Game 3 – Area 3 No. 2 vs. Area 1 No. 1, 4 p.m.
Game 4 – Host (Cherryville) vs. Area 2 No. 2, 6:30 p.m.
(Sunday, July 16)
Game 5 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 9:30 a.m.
Game 6 – Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, noon
Game 7 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Game 8 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 5 p.m.
(Monday, July 17)
Game 9 – Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7, 10 a.m.
Game 10 – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8, 12:30 p.m.
Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 3 p.m.
(Tuesday, July 18)
Game 12 – Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 11, 11 a.m.
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 9, 1:30 p.m.
(Wednesday, July 19)
Game 14 – Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13, 11 a.m.
Game 15 – if necessary, 2 p.m.
College athletics
Shannon Corbett, a 2019 graduate of Belmont Abbey, has been named Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Senior Woman Administrator, the school’s Vice President and Director of Athletics Stephen Miss announced on Wednesday.
Corbett will begin her duties on July 19.
“We are thrilled to announce the successful re-recruitment of Shannon Corbett, one of Belmont Abbey College’s best and brightest,” Miss said in a school news release. “From her first arrival on campus as a student, Shannon exhibited a unique capacity to lead derived, in part, from her clear alignment with Belmont Abbey College’s mission, culture, and core values. In addition to Shannon’s experiences as a student participating in athletics and interning within our department, her working in the Conference Carolinas conference office and within the St. Francis (PA) Athletic Department have provided further opportunities to hone her skills, better preparing her to form and develop our students as well as to lead our colleagues.
“Ultimately, Shannon’s hire is yet another indication of our unwavering conviction in our mission, in our alumni, and in our continued commitment to elevating our athletic department as we pursue regional and national relevance: every program, every year.”
Corbett returns to The Abbey after two years as Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Development and Academic Services at St. Francis (Pa.). Previously, she was the Conference Officer for Conference Carolinas in Greenville, S.C.
“I am so honored to be able to return to Belmont Abbey College,” Corbett said in a school news release. “I would like to thank Abbot Placid Solari, O.S.B., President Thierfelder, and Stephen Miss for the opportunity. The Abbey’s mission has made a huge impact on my life – professionally, personally and spiritually. I am thrilled to be able to work with an amazing group of coaches, staff, and students. I can’t wait to continue the mission of The Abbey and help the student-athletes grow!”
A native of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., Corbett was a distance runner in the women’s cross country/track and field program for two seasons before taking the role of team manager and student assistant.
Corbett holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in accounting and sport management and was the recipient of the Belmont Abbey Sports Management Program’s Outstanding Student award. She completed her Masters degree in Sports Administration from Southeastern Oklahoma State in August 2020.
Pro basketball
The Charlotte Hornets’ California Classic Summer League schedule in Sacramento:
July 3 vs. San Antonio Spurs (L 77-98)
July 5 vs. Golden State Warriors (L 83-98)
The Charlotte Hornets’ Las Vegas Summer League schedule:
July 7 vs. San Antonio Spurs (L 68-76)
July 9 vs. L.A. Lakers (L 75-93)
July 11 vs. Portland (L 93-97)
July 13 (Cox Pavilion) – vs. New Orleans (7:30 p.m., NBA TV)
Pro soccer
Here is Charlotte FC’s full 2023 schedule with results:
(7-7-8 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 (W 1-0)
May 31 at Philadelphia Union (L 0-1)
June 3 at Columbus Crew (W 4-2)
June 10 Seattle Sounders FC (T 3-3)
June 21 at New York Red Bulls (T 2-2)
June 24 CF Montreal (T 0-0)
July 5 at New York City FC (T 1-1)
July 8 FC Cincinnati (T 2-2)
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 baseball
Here is the full Charlotte Knights’ 2023 schedule:
Overall record: 37-49
First half record: 35-40
Second half record: 2-9
-First half
March 31-April 2 Louisville (2-1)
April 4-9 at Columbus (3-3)
April 11-16 Jacksonville (3-3)
April 18-23 at Louisville (2-4)
April 25-30 Norfolk (2-4)
May 2-7 at Gwinnett (4-2)
May 9-14 Durham (3-3)
May 16-21 Scranton-Wilkes Barre (2-4)
May 23-28 at Jacksonville (4-2)
May 30-June 4 Nashville (3-3)
June 6-11 at Gwinnett (1-5)
June 13-18 at Durham (3-3)
June 20-25 Louisville (3-3)
-Second half
June 28-July 3 at Norfolk (1-4)
July 4-9 Jacksonville (1-5)
July 14-16 at Lehigh Valley
July 18-23 Memphis
July 25-30 at Durham
Aug. 1-6 at Norfolk
Aug. 8-13 Gwinnett
Aug. 15-20 at Nashville
Aug. 22-24, 26-27 Memphis
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 at Jacksonville
Sept. 5-10 Durham
Sept. 12-17 Nashville
Sept. 18-24 at Memphis
Gastonia 2, Charleston, W.Va. 1: Gunnar Kines threw 8 innings of scoreless, 2-hit ball with 7 strikeouts to improve to 8-2 on the season and Bryan Blanton recorded the final 3 outs for his 5th save of the year for the Honey Hunters. Earlier on Wednesday, infielder Carlos Franco signed with Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League to give Gastonia nine professional signings this season.
Here is the full Gastonia Honey Hunters’ 2023 schedule:
Overall record: 44-23
First half record: 41-22
Second half record: 3-1
-First half
April (3-0)
28 Spire City (W 10-4)
29 Spire City (W 8-6)
30 Spire City (W 7-4)
May (17-9)
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 Spire City (W 2-1 in 10)
10 Spire City (W 10-0)
11 Spire City (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 (W 5-3)
23 at Spire City (W 6-0)
24 at Spire City (W 8-5)
25 at Spire City (W 8-3)
26 Lancaster (L 3-4 in 11)
27 Lancaster (ppd., rain)
28 Lancaster (ppd., rain)
29 Lancaster (W 9-1)
29 Lancaster (L 3-4)
30 High Point (L 8-10)
31 High Point (W 14-10)
June (19-8)
1 High Point (W 7-4)
2 Lexington (W 3-2)
3 Lexington (W 10-1)
4 Lexington (W 4-1)
6 at Charleston, W.Va. (W 4-1)
7 at Charleston, W.Va. (L 1-13)
8 at Charleston, W.Va. (L 2-4)
9 at Spire City (W 5-4)
10 at Spire City (W 12-7)
11 at Spire City (L 6-9)
13 So. Maryland (W 5-0)
14 So. Maryland (L 9-10)
15 So. Maryland (W 11-6)
16 Staten Island (W 5-4)
17 Staten Island (W 7-5)
18 Staten Island (W 5-1)
20 at Lancaster (L 0-6)
21 at Lancaster (W 9-7)
22 at Lancaster (W 4-1)
22 at Lancaster (L 2-6)
24 at Staten Island (W 12-3)
25 at Staten Island (L 2-7)
27 High Point (W 8-3)
28 High Point (W 7-3)
29 High Point (L 1-11)
30 So. Maryland (W 15-0)
July (4-6)
1 So. Maryland (L 6-7)
1 So. Maryland (W 8-7)
2 So. Maryland (W 3-2 in 10)
4 at Spire City (L 3-4)
5 at Spire City (L 8-18)
6 at Spire City (L 4-6)
7 at High Point (L 1-8)
-Second half
8 at High Point (W 7-2)
9 at High Point (L 13-14)
11 at Charleston, W.Va. (W 5-3)
12 at Charleston, W.Va. (W 2-1)
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 Spire City
9 Spire City
10 Spire City
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 Spire City
30 Spire City
31 Spire City
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
Pro football
The Carolina Panthers’ training camp schedule:
Practices (at Wofford unless noted):
July 26-27 10:15 a.m.
July 29 11 a.m.
July 31 10:25 a.m.
Aug. 1 10:15 p.m.
Aug. 2 Fan Fest at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, 7 p.m.
Aug. 4 10:25 a.m.
Aug. 5-6 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 8 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 9 Joint practice with N.Y. Jets, 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 10 Joint practice with N.Y. Jets, 9 a.m.
Here is the 2023 preseason and regular season schedule for the Carolina Panthers:
(Preseason)
Aug. 12 N.Y. Jets, 4 p.m.
Aug. 18 at N.Y. Giants, 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 Detroit, 8 p.m.
(Regular season)
Sept. 10 at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Sept. 18 New Orleans, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 24 at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.
Oct. 1 Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Oct. 8 at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Oct. 15 at Miami, 1 p.m.
Oct. 22 OFF WEEK
Oct. 29 Houston, 1 p.m.
Nov. 5 Indianapolis, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 9 at Chicago, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 19 Dallas, 1 p.m.
Nov. 26 at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Dec. 3 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Dec. 10 at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 17-18 Atlanta, TBD
Dec. 24 Green Bay, 1 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Jan. 6-7 Tampa Bay, TBD
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 (Josh Berry)
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro NC (Kyle Larson-3)
May 29 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC (Ryan Blaney)
Jun 4 NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison IL (Kyle Busch-3)
Jun 11 NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma, Sonoma CA (Martin Trues, Jr.-3)
Jun 25 NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville, Lebanon TN (Ross Chastain)
Jul 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Chicago, Chicago IL (Shane van Gisbergen)
Jul 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA (William Byron-4)
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