Tuesday’s roundup: Pro hockey, High school baseball, softball and track, College softball and baseball, Legion baseball
By Richard Walker
Bessemer City’s Savannah LaCount set Cleveland Community College history on Tuesday when she was named to the All-Region X team
LaCount, a 2020 Bessemer City High graduate, is the first spring sports athlete at CCC to earn all-region honors.
A pitcher, third baseman and outfielder, LaCount hit .229 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 30 games at the plate and was 0-2 with a 2.45 ERA in nine pitching appearances (six starts).
High school softball
After winning the league regular season title and advancing to the Western N.C. 2A championship game, East Lincoln took two of the three major awards in All-South Fork 2A Conference voting.
Mustangs pitcher Payton Baker was the defensive player of the year and East Lincoln’s Mike Freeman was named coach of the year after finishing 16-2 overall and 13-1 in the league.
The Mustangs’ Taliya Thomas, Betsy Eatmon, Katie Hogue and Katelynn Crowe joined Baker on the all-conference.
Other all-conference selections were Maiden’s Kaidyn Rogers and Kaley Kiser, Lake Norman Charter’s Kristy Seifert, Bandys’ Caroline McIntosh, Lydia Poovey, Rylee Bost and Anneliese Andrews, North Lincoln’s Tessa Hunt, Morgan McCaslin, Lilly Stump and Ashlyn White, West Lincoln’s Morgan Chapman and Emma Bumgarner, Newton-Conover’s Grace Loftin, Kayla Hollar and Georgia Ingle and Lincolnton’s Ashley Antonio
Pro hockey
The Carolina Hurricanes are in the midst of their 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.
First round series vs. Nashville Predators
Game 1 – Monday, Carolina 5-2 (Carolina leads series 1-0)
Game 2 – Wednesday at Carolina, 8 p.m.
Game 3 – May 21 at Nashville, 7 p.m.
Game 4 – May 23 at Nashville
Game 5 (if necessary) – May 25 at Carolina
Game 6 (if necessary) – May 27 at Nashville
Game 7 (if necessary) – May 29 at Carolina
High school baseball
Crest 3, Kings Mountain 2: Ben Hodge pitched a complete game in the matchup of unbeaten Big South 3A Conference rivals.
West Lincoln 8, Lincolnton 3: Brett Mason struck out 11 for West Lincoln as it knocked off visiting Lincolnton.
Burns 7, Shelby 3
Cherryville 15, Bessemer City 2
Chase 11, East Gaston 6
Christ the King 24, Piedmont Community Charter 0 (3 innings)
East Lincoln 8, Bandys 2
South Point 9, East Rutherford 7
Forestview 4, Cramer 3
Thomas Jefferson 4, Highland Tech 1
High school track
At Kings Mountain – The Host Mountaineers won the boys and girls meets of a meet with Cramer, Forestview and North Gaston.
Girls team scores – Kings Mountain 93, Cramer 82, Forestview 37, North Gaston 25
Boys teams scores – Kings Mountain 122, Forestview 61, Cramer 60, North Gaston 17
Kings Mountain’s individual winners: Girls – Alexis Jackson (triple jump), Taylor Smith (shot put), Bailey Ledford (pole vault), Sindy Ulloa (2 mile), 400-and 800-relay teams, Boys – Dameon Wilson (discus), Titus Phillips (high jump), Marcus Odums (long jump, triple jump), Dillon Messenger (pole vault), Jeramie Thurman (100-meter dash), 400- and 800-meter relay teams
Legion baseball
The Gaston Braves Post 144-266 American Legion baseball team will hold sign-ups on June 5 at 4 p.m. at Gaston Christian School. For information, email [email protected].
College baseball
ACC update: As we close in on the ACC Baseball Tournament at Charlotte’s Truist Field from May 25-30, here’s the current league standings and upcoming conference games:
(Atlantic Division)
Notre Dame 22-10
Florida State 19-14
N.C. State 17-13
Louisville 16-13
Clemson 16-17
Boston College 9-21
Wake Forest 7-22
(Coastal Division)
Georgia Tech 19-13
Miami 17-15
Pittsburgh 16-14
North Carolina 17-16
Virginia Tech 16-16
Virginia 16-17
Duke 13-17
This weekend’s 3-game series that start on Thursday: Duke at Clemson, Virginia at Boston College, Florida State at N.C. State, Miami at Louisville, Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh at Wake Forest, North Carolina at Georgia Tech