The Draughn softball team continued to cruise along atop the Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference, winning by huge margins in its two most recent games.
The Lady Wildcats defeated visiting Avery County by a 16-1 margin on March 21 before taking a 15-2 home victory over Mitchell on Tuesday thanks to solid production up and down the lineup in both contests.
Draughn pounded out 17 hits on Tuesday and scored four or more runs in each of the first three innings. Maria Medrano (two doubles, two runs), Lindsey Hensley (RBI, three runs, three SB), Avie Helton (walk, two runs, three RBIs, SB), Bailey Winkler (run, RBI), and Maddie Grady (run, RBI) had two hits apiece.
Also for the Lady Wildcats, Cydnee Deal (double, RBI, SB) and Braylen Clontz (double, walk, RBI) also scored two runs each, and Reagan Webb (double) and Makenzie Powell (double, run, SB) both drove in two runs, with Helton (5 IP, ER, 4 K) pitching the whole way in the win.
Against Avery, Clontz (double, run, two RBIs, SB), Webb (two runs, SB), Deal (double, triple, two runs, two RBIs), Hensley (triple, two runs, two RBIs, SB), and Elaina Curnutte (double, two runs, two RBIs) each collected two hits. Addelynn Honeycutt added a double, two RBIs, and a run, Aubrey Childers hit a triple, and Powell (4 IP, ER, 6 K) earned the victory.
“I think our girls are taking a good approach at the plate,” Draughn coach Chris Powell said. “Even though we have no seniors and are a young team, we do have a lot of experience in that junior class at the varsity level, we have a couple sophomores who started last year, and even some of the freshmen came in having played high-level travel ball and have been very productive.”
In between those two contests, Draughn (8-1, 5-0 WHC) suffered its only loss to date in 8-4 fashion at unbeaten, nonconference West Caldwell on Monday.
The Lady Wildcats scored three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead which grew to 4-2 an inning later, but West plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie it and four in the sixth to win it.
Medrano hit a solo homer for Draughn, and other offensive standouts included Winkler (two hits, run), Clontz (single, run, RBI, three SBs), and Hensley (RBI single). Helton pitched 51/3 innings, yielding five earned runs.
“West Caldwell is very good, and we just made a couple mistakes late that they took advantage of,” Powell said. “For us to go battle with them toe to toe, I think we saw what it’s going to take to compete.”
And one season after competing for a conference crown but finishing a game out of first place, the league-leading Wildcats want to do more than just compete this spring.
“The nonconference schedule is built to help us when we get to the Owens, Madisons, Mountain Heritages here coming up to end things,” Powell said. “Owen (3-0 WHC) is maybe the top dog in the conference right now, couple people have them ranked pretty highly I know.
“Always, one of your goals is to win a conference championship, but all we can do is focus on being 1-0 in each game.”
Meanwhile, the other three Burke County softball squads combined to go winless over the last week.
Freedom (5-8, 0-3 Northwestern 3A/4A Conf.) fell 20-1 in five innings at South Caldwell on March 21 and 12-1 in five at Ashe County on Tuesday.
The Lady Patriots’ Rumi Campbell went 2 for 2 with a double against South, with Abigayle Gibson (double) driving in Daniell Robinson for the guests’ only run and Robinson and Lani Campbell both pitching 21/3 innings.
Rumi Campbell (walk, RBI) and Cassidy Taylor then had FHS’ lone hits against Ashe, and Kadance Ward walked, stole a base, and scored the only run.
Patton (4-6, 1-2 Mountain Foothills 7 1A/2A Conf.) was edged, 13-10, at Brevard on Tuesday in its lone game recently. The Lady Panthers led 2-0 and 9-3 but couldn’t hang on, allowing four runs in the bottom of the fourth and six in the sixth as they were outhit by an 18-10 margin. PHS’ individual statistics were not available.
And East Burke (3-9, 2-5 Catawba Valley 2A Conf.) lost 11-0 in five at West Lincoln on March 21 and 11-5 at home against Maiden on Tuesday.
The Lady Cavaliers trailed just 4-0 until a Lady Rebels’ seven-run fifth to end last week. Amanda McLean, Raegan Carter, and Alyssa Shoemaker had a hit apiece for EB. The Lady Cavs’ hitting leaders Tuesday included Carter (single, run, two RBIs), McLean (double, RBI), Hayden Lowman (two runs), Kyndal Morrison (double, run, RBI), and Linda Crawford (double, walk, RBI).
BASEBALL
Three county teams gain key victories
Patton and Draughn improved their active win streaks to four and five games, respectively, in the early portion of the week, while East Burke also gained a key bounceback conference victory.
The Cavaliers (7-4, 5-2 CVAC) defeated Maiden, 5-1, at home on Tuesday to knock the Blue Devils out of a first-place tie with West Lincoln as both teams are now tied for second, one game back.
EB led 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning, when it plated four insurance runs in the payback win after Maiden had won the teams’ earlier matchup in 10 innings. Colt Butcher started and pitched the first six innings before Barger Shook closed the game from the mound. Both teams finished with four hits, and EB committed one error versus two by Maiden.
The Cavs lost 11-0 in five innings at West Lincoln on March 21, hurt in large part by a nine-run West bottom of the third. Shook, Maddox Mosteller, and Gabe Wittenberg had EB’s lone hits, and Jonas Weidner drew a walk, while Mason Mosteller (3 IP, 6 ER, 2 K) took the loss.
Draughn (6-5, 5-0 WHC) moved above .500 overall for the first time this season following home wins over Avery County on March 21 (13-3 in five innings) and Mitchell on Tuesday (11-3), which moved the Wildcats to 38-3 all-time in WHC games, including a 20-1 home mark.
The Wildcats trailed 2-0 and again at 3-2 before scoring nine runs in the third against Avery to pull away for good. Jacob Mull (2 for 2, walk, four RBIs, SB) homered for Draughn, whose other offensive standouts included Griffin Stephens (2 for 4, double, five RBIs, SB), Tate Jensen (2 for 3, walk, double, RBI, two runs, SB), Tyler Lange (two hits, two runs, three SBs), and Marshall Brinkley (hit, two walks, two runs, two SBs).
Stephens (5 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 13 K) also excelled on the mound to collect the win.
Draughn’s win Tuesday was highlighted by a six-run fourth and by Jensen’s third triple already this season. Jensen also singled, doubled, walked, and stole a base in a 3-for-3 day, tallying three RBIs and scoring three runs, while Gage Dula (RBI) and Wyatt Bonorden (run) had two hits each, and Chase Yambor (single, RBI, SB) and Cayden Barker (walk, RBI) both scored two runs.
Jensen (6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER) also struck out 13 batters in gaining the decision from the mound.
Patton (6-4, 1-2 MF7) gained its biggest win to date on Tuesday, topping Brevard – the fifth-ranked team in the 2A West region currently – on the road by a 12-6 margin.
The Panthers scored three runs in the first and again in the second and never looked back as starting pitcher Cohen Christian struck out nine over 62/3 innings and Cole Attaway homered for a third consecutive game, finishing 2 for 4 with three RBIs.
Patton was also led at the plate by Davis (three hits, double), Christian (three hits), Laine Barrier (3 for 4, two doubles, four RBIs), Landry Duvall (three hits), and Trevor Throneburg (three-run double) as all nine starters reached base in the win.
Freedom (6-6, 0-3 NWC) lost 10-0 at home to South Caldwell on March 21 and 7-2 at Ashe County on Tuesday.
Kaden Michaels’ double was Freedom’s only hit against undefeated South, while Alex Wall (4 IP, 6 K) pitched and allowed just two earned runs. The Patriots then allowed a six-spot in the third to break an early tie against Ashe and were unable to recover; individual statistics were not available.
TRACK AND FIELD
East Burke boys win home meet
The East Burke boys team won and the girls finished second in their nine-team host meet that also included Draughn and Patton and was held on Tuesday in Icard.
The Cavaliers got wins at the meet from Elijah Baker (boys 800 meters, 2:11.39; 1600 meters, 5:00.43), Kolby Byrd (boys shot put, 54’6”), Jesiah Rees (boys 100 meters, 11.43), Kendale Cook (boys 110 hurdles, 15.80), Nathan Rees (boys 300 hurdles, 45.20), Dautry Ragle (boys long jump, 20’2½”), and Emmonie Haith (girls 100 meters, 13.50).
Patton got two wins each from Elisabeth Sawdy (girls 1600 meters, 5:35.62; 3200 meters, 12:06.15) and Madison Turner (girls 100 hurdles, 19.77; 300 hurdles, 57.83) and one each from Hannah Huggins (girls long jump, 15’3”), Gabe Wykle (boys 3200 meters, 10:29.33), and Cayden Roscoe (boys triple jump, 42’5”).
And Draughn’s lone win came via Anna Cape in the girls pole vault (8’0”), while the Wildcat boys were led by Van Teague’s third-place finish in the same event.
NCSSM-Morganton and the North Carolina School for the Deaf both competed at R-S Central’s Tri City Invitational meet on Tuesday, highlighted locally by the Lady Dragons’ Ava Gruber winning the high jump (4’8”) and Stella Friedman winning the 800 meters (2:21.02).
The Dragons’ Zu Mikolajec placed third in both the girls 100 and 300 hurdles, and the boys team was paced by fifth-place finishes from Noah Stiggins in the 400 meters and high jump as well as from Brayden Tody in the 800 meters.
NCSD’s highest finishes at the meet belonged to Jaiden Johnson (boys 200 meters, 18th) and Emily Elliott (girls 200 meters, 21st).
And Freedom athletes on March 22 competed in the Odell Williams Raider Invitational at North Iredell — named after the NIHS alum and former EB head coach — getting a win from KeAndre Davis in the boys long jump (23’8”).
The FHS boys 4x100 relay team finished second (43.94), Tiras Walker took fourth in the boys long jump and sixth in the triple jump, and the girls team was led by Ava Cook’s 12th-place finish in the 400 meters.
GIRLS SOCCER
Morganton squads win once apiece
NCSSM-Morganton (7-1-1, 4-0-1 WHC), Patton (8-3, 2-3 MF7), and Freedom (5-5) each earned wins in their only recent games.
The Lady Dragons won 2-1 at Draughn (1-8, 1-4 WHC) on Tuesday as they scored the game-winning goal in the second half after the teams had battled to a 1-1 tie through 40 minutes. Individual statistics were not available.
Patton defeated R-S Central at home on Tuesday, 1-0, as Ana Sic assisted a Jaxyn Nolan 36th-minute goal and goalkeeper Michelle Beckmann made five saves in the shutout, aided by the performance of defenders Kimi Vicente, Mia Chapman, and Adisyn Smith.
Freedom led host Burns 2-0 by halftime in Wednesday’s 3-0 win in which Leah Kirksey, Maria Perez Rodriguez, and Drew Rogers scored a goal each. Freshman Jessenia Chavez added an assist for Freedom, and goalkeeper Aura Andres-Tomas had the shutout.
And East Burke (1-7, 0-3 CVAC) lost 2-0 on two second-half goals against Newton-Conover at home Tuesday despite eight saves from keeper Cayden Robinson.
BOYS TENNIS
Dragons sweep Draughn, still lead WHC
NCSSM-Morganton (6-3, 4-0 WHC) defeated visiting Draughn (1-10, 1-5 WHC) on Wednesday, 9-0, gaining wins from eight different players.
In singles, NCSSM-M’s winners included No. 1 Julian Monzavifar (6-0, 6-0), No. 2 Josh Banchik (6-1, 6-1), No. 3 Nash Taylor (6-0, 6-1), No. 4 Sam Evans (6-0, 6-0), No. 5 Andy Quach (6-0, 6-0), and No. 6 Nathan Huber (6-0, 6-0).
Quach/Evans (8-4) and Taylor/Huber (8-1) claimed wins on the first two doubles lines, and NCSSM-M’s Prahas Ramidi/Quincy Stanley (8-0) won at No. 3 doubles to complete the in-county afternoon sweep.
Patton (0-9, 0-8 MF7) lost just 5-4 at home against East Rutherford on Monday as Bryant Arrowood and Kyle Taylor enjoyed 2-0 days. Arrowood won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles and teamed with Noah Handley for an 8-5 No. 1 doubles triumph, while Taylor won 6-2, 7-6 at No. 4 singles and 8-4 at No. 2 doubles alongside David Gomez-Rodriguez.
The Panthers also fell 9-0 and 8-1 in a home doubleheader against Polk County on Wednesday, with Arrowood winning once at No. 1 singles (6-4, 7-6).
Freedom (0-5 NWC) remained winless with a 9-0 home loss to Watauga on Monday and a 6-0 loss at Alexander Central on Wednesday as Ezra Scott at No. 1 singles claimed the team’s only two games won.
BOYS GOLF
EB’s Newton goes back-to-back
East Burke senior Nick Newton on Monday at Catawba Country Club shot an even-par 72 to tie for medalist honors in a CVAC 2A match, winning for a second consecutive week.
It was Newton’s third CVAC individual win over the last two seasons. His effort helped EB (405) place sixth as a team, also getting a 95 from Trevor Fraley.
Freedom (364) finished third as a team on Tuesday at Orchard Hills Golf Course, getting matching rounds of 89 from Timothy Cope, Holden Webb, and Braxton King and a 97 from Grey Snipes.
Draughn (356) placed fifth in Monday’s WHC 1A/2A match, which was played on the front nine (twice) at Grassy Creek Golf Course. The Wildcats’ Cash Baker shot 83 to tie for seventh place, while Bryson Powell added 87, Guian Collado shot 91, and Logan Carswell and Kayden Lytle had 95s. (NCSSM-Morganton did not play in the match.)
And led by Mason Brown’s fifth-place score of 80, Patton improved its team score to finish fifth on Monday in a MF7 1A/2A match at Cleghorn Golf Club.
