Friday’s roundup: Prep baseball and softball, College baseball and softball, Pro hockey, Legion baseball, Golf
By Richard Walker
Crest High School kept its unbeaten season alive with a dramatic 5-4 win at North Gaston on Friday night.
The Chargers, who haven’t lost a conference game or regular season game since 2018, scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning before surviving a late North Gaston rally to wrap up at least a share of the 2021 Big South 3A Conference title.
The host Wildcats (6-6, 6-5) scored twice in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded with one out before Crest reliever Tucker McSwain coaxed a flyout and groundout to secure the victory.
Crest also has won league division titles in 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1985 and won league titles in 1986, 1996, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
After North Gaston tied the score on a two-out hit in the bottom of the sixth inning, Crest scored three runs in the top of the seventh before Chargers’ starter Ben Hodge was replaced after one out in the seventh and McSwain picked up the save.
Crest (11-0, 11-0) closes its regular season next Thursday at home against second-place Kings Mountain, which has a 9-1 league record its Tuesday home game against Forestview. The Chargers will take a 34-game conference winning streak and 16-game overall winning streak on the line.
Cramer 10, Ashbrook 0 (6 innings)
Forestview 13, Huss 1 (5 innings)
East Gaston 7, East Rutherford 2
South Point 6, Shelby 4
Burns 6, Kings Mountain 2
Local high school baseball standings through Friday’s games unless noted with (x-) with conference record first followed by overall record:
BIG SOUTH 3A
Crest 11-0, 11-0
Kings Mountain 9-1, 10-2
North Gaston 6-5, 6-6
Forestview 6-4, 8-4
Cramer 4-7, 6-7
Ashbrook 1-9, 1-11
Huss 0-11, 1-11
SOUTHWESTERN 2A
R-S Central 9-1, 10-2
South Point 7-3, 8-4
Chase 6-4, 8-4
East Rutherford 5-5, 6-5
East Gaston 5-7, 5-7
Burns 3-7, 4-8
Shelby 1-9, 1-11
SOUTH FORK 2A
East Lincoln 11-1, 11-1
x-North Lincoln 9-2, 9-2
Lk Norman Charter 8-4, 8-4
Bandys 6-6, 6-6
x-Maiden 6-5, 6-5
x-Lincolnton 3-8, 3-8
West Lincoln 2-10, 2-10
x-Newton-Conover 1-10, 1-10
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 1A
Cherryville 10-0, 12-0
Lincoln Charter 10-1, 11-1
Christ the King 5-4, 6-5
Thomas Jefferson 5-5, 6-5
Highland Tech 4-6, 5-6
Bessemer City 1-9, 1-11
Piedmont CC 0-10, 0-10
PAC 7 2A
x-Mtn Isl Charter 9-0, 9-0
Pine Lake Prep 10-2, 10-2
Comm Sch Davidson 7-3, 8-3
Union Academy 6-5, 6-5
Bradford Prep 4-6, 4-8
x-Langtree Charter 0-9, 0-9
Queen’s Grant 0-11, 1-11
High school baseball/softball
Here is the full schedule for all best-of-three S.C. High School baseball and softball state championship series:
Class 5A Baseball
Tuesday: Hillcrest 5-3 (Hillcrest leads series 1-0)
Friday: Summerville at Hillcrest
June 7 (if necessary): Summerville vs. Hillcrest at neutral site
Class 4A Baseball
Tuesday: A.C. Flora 10-0
Thursday: A.C. Flora 10-0 (A.C. Flora beats James Island 2 games to 0)
Class 3A Baseball
Tuesday: Gilbert 14-4
Thursday: West-Oak 6-0 (Series tied 1-1)
Saturday (if necessary): Gilbert vs. West-Oak at neutral site
Class 2A Baseball
Wednesday: Andrew Jackson 1-0
Friday: Legion Collegiate 11-1 in 5 innings (Series tied 1-1)
Monday: Andrew Jackson vs. Legion Collegiate at Lancaster
Class 1A Baseball
Tuesday: Lake View 11-2 (Lake View leads series 1-0)
Friday: Southside Christian at Lake View, late
Saturday (if necessary): Southside vs. Lake View at neutral site
Class 5A Softball
Tuesday: Byrnes 2-0
Thursday: Byrnes 4-0 (Byrnes beat Ashley 2 games to 0)
Class 4A Softball
Tuesday: Lugoff-Elgin 4-3 (Lugoff-Elgin leads series 1-0)
Friday: Lugoff-Elgin at Darlington
Saturday (if necessary): Lugoff-Elgin vs. Darlington at neutral site
Class 3A Softball
Tuesday: Dillon 3-2
Thursday: Seneca 6-5 (Series tied 1-1)
Saturday: Dillon vs. Seneca at neutral site
Class 2A Softball
Tuesday: Legion Collegiate 6-3
Thursday: Legion Collegiate 10-4 (Legion Collegiate beats Andrew Jackson 2 games to 0)
Class 1A Softball
Tuesday: Lake View 5-3
Thursday: Lake View 8-2 (Lake View beats Dixie 2 games to 0)
College baseball
Eight Carolinas teams are in the 64-team NCAA Division I baseball tournament.
Here are the pairings and results for the regionals:
Fayetteville Regional hosted by Arkansas (No. 1 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 1 Arkansas 13, No. 4 NJIT 8
No. 2 Nebraska 8, No. 3 Northeastern 6
SATURDAY’S GAMES
NJIT vs. Northeastern
Arkansas vs. Nebraska
Austin Regional hosted by Texas (No. 2 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 1 Texas 11, No. 4 Southern U. 0
No. 2 Arizona State 7, No. 3 Fairfield 6
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Southern U. vs. Fairfield
Texas vs. Arizona State
Knoxville Regional hosted by Tennessee (No. 3 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 3 Liberty 11, No. 2 Duke 6
No. 1 Tennessee 9, No. 4 Wright State 8
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Duke vs. Wright State
Liberty vs. Tennessee
Nashville Regional hosted by Vanderbilt (No. 4 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 2 Georgia Tech 7, No. 3 Indiana State 6
No. 1 Vanderbilt 10, No. 4 Presbyterian 0
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Indiana State vs. Presbyterian
Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt
Tucson Regional hosted by Arizona (No. 5 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 3 UC Santa Barbara 14, No. 2 Oklahoma State 4
No. 1 Arizona (40-15) vs. No. 4 Grand Canyon (39-19-1)
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Oklahoma State vs. Arizona-Grand Canyon loser
UC Santa Barbara vs. Arizona-Grand Canyon winner
Fort Worth Regional hosted by TCU (No. 6 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 3 Dallas Baptist 6, No. 2 Oregon State 5
No. 1 TCU 12, No. 4 McNeese 4
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Oregon State vs. McNeese
Dallas Baptist vs. TCU
Starkville Regional hosted by Mississippi State (No. 7 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 1 Mississippi State 8, No. 4 Samford 4
No. 2 VCU (37-14) vs. No. 3 Campbell (35-16)
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Samford vs. VCU-Campbell loser
Mississippi State vs. VCU-Campbell winner
Lubbock Regional hosted by Texas Tech (No. 8 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 1 Texas Tech 6, No. 4 Army 3
No. 3 North Carolina 5, No. 2 UCLA 4
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Army vs. UCLA
Texas Tech vs. North Carolina
Palo Alto Regional hosted by Stanford (No. 9 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 1 Stanford 9, No. 4 North Dakota State 1
No. 2 UC Irvine (40-16) vs. No. 3 Nevada (25-18)
SATURDAY’S GAMES
North Dakota State vs. UC Irvine-Nevada loser
Stanford vs. UC Irvine-Nevada winner
South Bend Regional hosted by Notre Dame (No. 10 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 1 Notre Dame 10, No. 4 Central Michigan 0
No. 2 Connecticut 6, No. 3 Michigan 1
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Central Michigan vs. Michigan
Notre Dame vs. Connecticut
Columbia Regional hosted by South Carolina (Old Dominion No. 11 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No 2 South Carolina 4, No. 3 Virginia 3
No. 1 Old Dominion 4, No. 4 Jacksonville 3
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Virginia vs. Jacksonville
South Carolina vs. Old Dominion
Oxford Regional hosted by Ole Miss (No. 12 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 3 Florida State 5, No. 2 Southern Miss 2
No. 1 Ole Miss 6, No. 4 Southeast Missouri State 3
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Southern Miss vs. Southeast Missouri State
Florida State vs. Ole Miss
Greenville Regional hosted by East Carolina (No. 13 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 1 East Carolina 8, No. 4 Norfolk State 5
No. 2 Charlotte 13, No. 3 Maryland 10
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Norfolk State vs. Maryland
East Carolina vs. Charlotte
Eugene Regional hosted by Oregon (No. 14 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 1 Oregon 13, No. 4 Central Connecticut State 10
No. 2 Gonzaga (33-17) vs. No. 3 LSU (34-22), 10 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Central Connecticut State vs. Gonzaga-LSU loser
Oregon vs. Gonzaga-LSU winner
Gainesville Regional hosted by Florida (No. 15 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 4 South Florida 5, No. 1 Florida 3
No. 2 Miami 1, No. 3 South Alabama 0
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Florida vs. South Alabama
South Florida vs. Miami
Ruston Regional hosted by Louisiana Tech (No. 16 overall seed)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
No. 2 N.C. State 8, No. 3 Alabama 1
No. 1 Louisiana Tech 18, No. 4 Rider 2
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Alabama vs. Rider
N.C. State vs. Louisiana Tech
NCAA Division II: Pairings are set for the World Series being held Saturday through June 12 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary.
Saturday’s games
Game 1 – No. 4 Trevecca Nazarene vs. No. 5 Tampa, 2 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 1 Central Missouri vs. No. 8 Northwest Nazarene, 6 p.m.
Sunday’s games
Game 3 – No. 3 Angelo State vs. No. 6 Wingate, 2 p.m.
Game 4 – No. 2 Seton Hill vs. No. 7 Southern New Hampshire, 6 p.m.
Monday’s games
Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, June 8
Game 7 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 2 p.m.
Game 8 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, June 9
Game 9 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 2 p.m.
Game 10 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 6 p.m.
Thursday, June 10
Game 11 – Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 12 – Game 6 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 6 p.m.
Friday, June 11
Game 13/14 (if necessary) – If Game 6 and Game 8 winners lose on June 10, TBA
Saturday, June 12
Championship game, TBA
College softball
Full pairings and results for the World Series at Oklahoma City:
Thursday’s games
Game 1: James Madison 4, No. 1 Oklahoma 3, 8 innings
Game 2: No. 5 Oklahoma State 3, Georgia 2
Game 3: No. 3 Alabama 5, No. 11 Arizona 1
Game 4: No. 2 UCLA 4, No. 10 Florida State 0
Friday’s games
Game 5: James Madison 2, Oklahoma State 1
Game 6: Alabama vs. UCLA
Saturday’s games
Game 7: Oklahoma vs. Georgia, noon
Game 8: Arizona vs. Florida State, 2:30 p.m.
Game 9: Loser Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 7 p.m.
Game 10: Oklahoma State 5 vs. Winner Game 8, 9:30 p.m.
Sunday’s games
Game 11: James Madison vs. Winner Game 9, 1 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 10, 3:30 p.m.
Game 13 (if necessary): Rematch Game 11, 7 p.m.
Game 14 (if necessary): Rematch Game 12, 9:30 p.m.
Championship series:
Game 1: June 7, 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: June 8, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): June 9, 7 p.m.
Pro hockey
The Carolina Hurricanes are in the midst of a Stanley Cup playoff pursuit after winning their fourth division title in 25 seasons in North Carolina. The Hurricanes won the 2006 Stanley Cup championship, advanced to the 2002 Stanley Cup finals and were in the Eastern Conference finals in 2019. Carolina is 36-12-8 this season and are the No. 1 seed in the Central Division.
Central Division semifinals vs. Nashville Predators
Game 1 – May 17, Carolina 5-2
Game 2 – May 19, Carolina 3-0
Game 3 – May 21, Nashville 5-4 in 2 OT
Game 4 – May 23, Nashville 4-3 in 2 OT
Game 5 – May 25, Carolina 3-2 in OT
Game 6 – May 27, Carolina 4-3 in OT (Carolina wins series 4-2)
Central Division finals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Game 1 – Sunday, Tampa Bay 2-1
Game 2 – Tuesday, Tampa Bay 2-1
Game 3 – Thursday, Carolina 3-2, OT (Tampa Bay leads series 2-1)
Game 4 – Saturday, at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.
Game 5 – June 8, at Carolina
Game 6 (if necessary) – June 10, at Tampa Bay
Game 7 (if necessary) – June 12, at Carolina
Legion baseball
The Gaston Braves Post 144-266 American Legion baseball team will hold sign-ups on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Gaston Christian School. For information, email [email protected].
Basketball
East Lincoln High will host its 25th annual basketball camps on June 14-17 and June 28-July 1. Both camps are for boys and girls that are rising second- to tenth-graders. Cost is $65 preregistration and $75 the day of the Camp. Applications can be sent electronically by emailing Coach Chip Ashley at [email protected] or you can download online at http://www.eteamz.com/denvernuggets1.
Golf tournament
The Rutherford County Sports Hall of Fame is holding registration for the T. Max Champion Memorial Golf Tournament presented by Hardin’s Drugs. The event will be held Aug. 6 at Cleghorn Golf and Sports Club in Rutherfordton and will consist of three-person teams and a registration of $75 per player. The proceeds will benefit the RCSHOF Scholarship Fund and a prize of $600 will be awarded to the winning team. For more information on the T. Max Champion Memorial Golf Tournament or to nominate an athlete for the Rutherford County Sports Hall of Fame, please visit the RCSHOF website at https://rcshof.org/ or the organization’s Facebook page.