Draughn softball falls 1-0 at R-S, settles for second place

The Draughn softball team was forced to settle for a second-place finish in the Western Piedmont 3A/4A Conference after a 1-0 road loss to R-S Central on Tuesday.

The Lady Wildcats (18-5, 12-2 WPC) allowed only a run in the bottom of the fourth as with runners on first and second bases with two outs, first baseman Aubrey Childers dove for a ball into the gap between second base but couldn’t glove it.

Instead, the ball dribbled out toward second base, where Bailey Winkler had been pulled backing up the ball off the bat in case Childers couldn’t corral it. By the time Winkler got over the few steps to it, R-S runner Saydie Prewitt was well on her way home for the game’s lone run.

Draughn senior Avie Helton pitched the whole way, scattering three hits, walking three, and striking out a pair.

Draughn totaled five hits as a team but never got a runner to third base in the final three innings after R-S scored. Both teams committed two errors, with Draughn drawing one walk to R-S’s three.

Lindsey Hensley stole a base and led the Lady Wildcats with two hits, while Helton, Ava Aldridge, and Braylen Clontz each singled once.

Despite the loss, Draughn had a chance to finish in part of a three-way share for the WPC title if it could win Thursday coupled with an East Rutherford win over R-S, but R-S wrapped up the sole crown with a 3-0 win over its rival East.

Draughn did win on Thursday, spoiling rival East Burke’s final home game in 13-0 fashion. DHS’ Maria Medrano (two walks, two runs, SB) and Piper Ellis homered and had three RBIs apiece, and Clontz (two doubles, two runs, two RBIs) led the way with three hits, while Ava Aldridge (double, triple, run, RBI) and Cydnee Deal (double, run, two RBIs) added a pair of hits each.

Helton yielded four hits and three walks with six strikeouts in the six-inning gem.

East Burke (4-15, 2-12 WPC) got hits from Sarah Angel (double), Makenzii Nguyen, Ally Boyette, and Alyssa Shoemaker, with Braleigh Carswell pitching five innings and allowing only three earned runs.

Previously, the Lady Wildcats started their last 10 days of play with a 12-1 league road win over Chase on April 23 as Deal (2 for 4, two RBIs), Hensley (two walks, three RBIs, two runs), and Helton (2 for 4, double, two runs) each homered. Helton (5 IP, 0 ER, 6 K) was also lights out from the circle.

Clontz (double, three RBIs, run) and Makenzie Powell (double, two runs) added two hits each.

Winkler doubled and scored a run, Childers singled, walked, scored run, and had one RBI, and Medrano drew two walks, stealing a base and scoring two runs.

Prior to losing to Draughn, EB fell 15-2 in five innings at East Rutherford on April 24 but rebounded for an 18-9 road win over Patton (5-16, 2-12 WPC) on Wednesday.

EB offensive leaders in Forest City included Nguyen (two hits, RBI), Amanda McLean (triple, run), and Boyette (single, run, RBI). Hermione Garro and Ava Bivens added hits, and Linda Crawford drew two walks, while Carswell (4 1/3 IP, 4 ER, K) proved EB’s most effective option from the circle.

On Wednesday in Morganton, Patton battled back from 7-0 down for a 9-8 lead, but one of McLean’s two homers — her third and fourth in the last nine days — tied the game at 9-all in the sixth and sparked the guests to re-ignite late as they scored each of the final 10 runs en route to the road victory.

McLean (3 for 3, two walks, four runs, four RBIs) led a litany of EB hitters who enjoyed monster nights. The others included: Crawford (four hits, four RBIs), Shoemaker (three hits, three runs), Boyette (three hits, two RBIs), Nguyen (two hits, three runs), Carswell (two hits, two runs), Prayleigh Peacock (two hits, two runs), and Bivens (three walks, two runs).

Carswell (5 2/3 IP, 5 ER) again was the Lady Cavs’ best pitcher statistically in the contest, while no PHS stats were available.

Patton ended the regular season by nabbing a 2-1 walk-off home win over Chase on Thursday, but also recently fell 15-1 at Hibriten in five innings on April 24 and lost 14-0 at home against Maiden on Monday.

Callie Harris (RBI), Jolann Buff (run), Kayden Maines (double), Lila Hudson, and Ida Miller each recorded hits for the Panthers on Thursday, while Heaven Waycaster and Annaliese Cochran combined to scatter eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts from the circle.

Hayden Carlson (two hits, RBI) led the PHS attack late last week in Lenoir, and other standouts were Harris (walk, run), Hudson (single, walk), Lydia Patton (single), and Alex Maines (single).

Kayden Maines, Alex Maines, and Buff reached on walks against Maiden, but the hosts did not record a hit in the nonconference defeat. Cochran (4 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 K) was effective in the circle despite the loss.

And Freedom (8-17, 2-8 Northwestern 6A/7A Conf.) ended the regular season with a 10-7 loss at McDowell that relegated the Lady Patriots to the No. 5 seed for the NWC tournament, where they lost Monday in round one at No. 4 Watauga by an 11-0 margin in five innings.

Freedom trailed 10-1 in Marion until rallying for a half-dozen runs in the top of the seventh, but ultimately still fell short. Abigayle Gibson (double, two runs, three RBIs) and Rhiley Buchanan (RBI) each went 2 for 3 at the plate, while Addison Webb (run), Rumi Campbell, and Madelyn LeMaster each singled and drove in a run. Caylyn Taylor (single) and Hallie Ollis (walk) scored a run apiece, and LeMaster (6 IP, 5 ER, 7 K) pitched the duration.

Campbell (SB), Gibson (SB), and LeMaster each singled on Monday, with Ollis and Taylor drawing a walk each. LeMaster and Bella Creegan both pitched.

BASEBALL

Patton and EB win twice each, tie for 4th place

Patton (14-10, 8-6 WPC) and East Burke (12-10, 8-6 WPC) both won two of their final three regular-seasons contests over the past nine days to share fourth place in the league’s final standings and move closer to what should be home games to start the NCHSAA state playoffs on Tuesday.

The Panthers edged Hibriten on the road, 4-3, on April 24, then lost 2-0 at Chase on Tuesday before avenging that with an 8-7 walk-off win Thursday on Senior Night.

Patton ended a season-worst three-game losing streak with its win in Lenoir, which was fueled by Trevor Throneburg (2 for 4, HR), Wyatt Hullette (3 for 4, run, RBI), Landry Duvall (2 for 3, double), and the arm of Cohen Christian (7 IP, 7 H, BB, 2 ER, 5 K).

Laine Barrier (run) and River McCrary (RBI, SB) both added singles, as did Christian and Gavin Johnson, while pinch runner Colsyn Queen scored a run.

Christian singled and Barrier walked, but Patton did little else at the plate Tuesday, striking out 11 times as a team, though Duvall (6 IP, 5 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K) was a bright spot from the mound.

Offensive leaders on Thursday included Barrier (3 for 4, two runs, two RBIs, SB), Christian (2 for 4, walk, double, two RBIs), Davis (2 for 4, triple, two runs), Throneburg (2 for 4, walk, run, RBI), and Johnson (single, walk, three RBIs).

Christian (5 IP, 5 ER, 6 K) started on the mound before Davis (2 IP, H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 3 K) collected the win, also pitching his 100th career strikeout.

EB fell 9-5 at conference champion East Rutherford on April 24 but rebounded to top rival Draughn (4-17, 2-12 WPC) twice by 2-0 scores, first in Valdese on Tuesday and then again in Icard on Thursday. No EB stats were available from the loss in Forest City.

Maddox Mosteller stayed hot from the mound for the Cavaliers, delivering a five-hit shutout on Tuesday. No other EB stats were available from that contest or from Thursday’s win.

Nolan Ballard (7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 2 K) kept Draughn in the game on Tuesday, also doubling for the hosts’ only extra-base hit.The Wildcats’ Ian Meadows singled and stole a base, and Draughn committed three errors compared to EB’s one.

Chase Yambor (6 IP, 2 ER, 7 K) then limited the EB bats in a hard-luck loss Thursday, and DHS offensive leaders were Tyler Lange (two walks), Meadows (single), and Nolan Russ (single).

Draughn also previously fell 10-0 in five innings at Chase on April 23 as it was no-hit. Liam Dalmas drew a walk, and Bryson Seagle reached via error and stole a base.

And Freedom (8-15, 0-10 NWC) ended the regular season with a 9-4 loss at McDowell on April 24 before earning the No. 6 seed in this week’s conference tourney and falling by a 6-2 score at No. 3 South Caldwell in round one on Monday.

Freedom was led at the plate in Marion by Jake Moretz (2 for 4, walk, double, two RBIs), Puckett Hudson (HR, walk, two runs), Kaden Michaels (single, two walks, run), and Brooks Snipes (double, run), while John Maybry and Luke Miller also had hits, and Carson Wells drove in a run. Miller (5 IP, 6 ER, 5 K) and Wells (IP, 3 ER, 3 K) both pitched.

Then in Sawmills, Wells (walk, two RBIs, SB), Hudson, and Trenton Walker each singled, while Moretz and Zaydrin Hausley both reached on walks before stealing a base and scoring a run each. Michaels (4 IP, 4 ER, 6 K) and Alex Wall (2 IP, 2 ER, 3 K) shared mound duties.