Liberty softball crushes 7 HRs, wins twice to remain unbeaten

The Liberty Middle School softball team used the long ball last week to defeat Foothills Athletic Conference foes Heritage and East McDowell in home contests that were shortened to four innings due to the run rule.

The Lady Knights (3-0) hit four home runs in a 15-0 win over the Lady Eagles (1-1) on Monday, and they also clobbered three homers in a 19-2 victory over the Lady Trojans on Wednesday. In the process, Liberty earned its 15th consecutive win over FAC opponents since the beginning of last season.

During Monday’s game, the Lady Knights’ Finley Duvall had a homer, two singles, three RBIs, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Janiyah Benjamin (homer, two singles, two RBIs, run) and Whitley Strange (two doubles, single, RBI, three runs) also enjoyed three-hit days for the hosts, while Malorie Messer (homer, double, three RBIs, two runs) and Emma Fish (homer, double, three RBIs, two runs) had two hits apiece to go with one hit each from Lyrikah Bristol (single, run) and Presley McCoy (single), a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored from Ava Hensley, and a walk and a run scored from Serenity Waycaster.

In addition, Strange (2 IP, 5 K) started and picked up the win in the pitcher’s circle, Messer (HBP, 3 K) and Fish (2 BB, 3 K) each tossed an inning in relief, and the trio held Heritage to just one hit on a double from Brianna Maynor.

The Lady Knights then recorded nine hits against East McDowell, highlighted by two homers, five RBIs, and two runs scored from Messer. Strange added a double, a single, three RBIs, and three runs scored, Fish had two singles, an RBI, and a run scored, and Duvall homered, knocked in three runs, and scored four times.

Hensley (double, two RBIs, two runs) and Benjamin (double, RBI, run) had the remaining hits for Liberty, which also got three walks, an RBI, and two runs scored from Waycaster, two walks and two runs scored from Bristol, and a walk and a run scored from both McCoy and Paige Hennessee.

Strange was again the winning pitcher thanks to two innings of one-hit ball during which she allowed an unearned run with six strikeouts and one walk, while Messer (BB, K) and Fish (R, H, 3 BB, 3 K) threw one inning apiece in relief for the second straight game.

Also this week, Table Rock (2-1) earned a 12-1 home win over East Burke (1-3) on Wednesday following the Lady Raiders’ 17-4 loss to West McDowell on Tuesday in Icard. Walter Johnson (0-3) lost to West McDowell as well, falling by a 16-0 final on Monday in Marion.

No further details were available from the latter two contests, while Wednesday’s game saw the Lady Falcons pound out 10 hits and steal eight bases. Lily Thompson doubled three times for Table Rock, Megan Robinson and Harper Best also had multiple hits, and Kelly Scales blasted a solo homer to complete the scoring in the bottom of the fourth.

Robinson (5 IP, 3 BB, 9 K) was also the winning pitcher after allowing one hit and an unearned run in a complete-game performance, with Addison Lowman notching EB’s lone hit.

BASEBALL

Falcons move to 2-0; Liberty splits a pair

Easton Tollison homered, doubled, knocked in two runs, and scored three times for Table Rock (2-0) during its 9-1 win over East Burke (1-3) on Wednesday in Morganton, while James Miller had two singles, two RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base.

Other offensive standouts for the Falcons were Aiken Shade (single, RBI, two runs), Spencer Wall (single, run, SB), Luke Webb (single, run), Ames Miller (single, run), Cade Pritchard (single), and Werner Sahling (RBI), with Wall also surrendering just two hits and an unearned run with 11 strikeouts, one walk, and a hit batsman in a complete-game effort.

On the other side, the Raiders’ hits came on singles from Miles Seagle and Sawyer Houston.

Liberty (2-1) hosted two games this week, defeating Heritage (1-1) by a 10-1 score on Monday before losing by a 3-2 final at the hands of East McDowell on Wednesday.

In the win over the Eagles, the Knights received two singles apiece from AJ Duckworth (two RBIs), Hank Ledford (two RBIs), and Judson Wilson (RBI, three runs), while Sawyer Cato had a single, three RBIs, and two runs scored and Cason Scott had a single, an RBI, and a run scored. Cato and Easton Mull each added two stolen bases to go with one apiece from Jackson Puckett (run), Duckworth, Wilson, and Edward Stoudenmire, the latter of whom recorded a team-high two walks.

Wilson (4 BB, 6 K) and Brody Lozano (3 BB, 6 K) each pitched three innings for Liberty, with singles from Luke Lowman and Anderson Clark representing Heritage’s only hits.

The Knights then lost to East McDowell despite outhitting the Trojans 4-3, with Wilson and Ledford each recording a single and an RBI to go with a single and a run scored from Lozano, a single from Scott, and a run scored from Duckworth, who also allowed no hits and two unearned runs with nine strikeouts, five walks, and a hit batsman in four innings on the mound. Meanwhile, Puckett tossed three innings of one-run, three-hit relief with three strikeouts and no walks.

Finally, Walter Johnson (0-3) and EB were both defeated by West McDowell this week, with the Yellow Jackets falling by a 19-0 score on Monday in Marion and the Raiders losing by a 20-2 final on Tuesday in Icard.

Walter Johnson didn’t report any individual statistics from its only game of the week, while EB got a single apiece from Seagle (RBI), Houston, and Jace Wilson. Furthermore, Fisher Huffman and Jaxon Blumke each scored a run for the Raiders.

TRACK & FIELD

TR defeats East McDowell

Table Rock’s track and field team opened the season with a victory over East McDowell on Tuesday at McDowell High School, outscoring the Trojans 98-37 on the boys side and 74-49 on the girls side.

Xander Summers won three individual events for the Table Rock boys as he finished first in the eighth-grade 100 meters (12.13), the 200 meters (23.98), and the long jump (19 feet, 9 inches), while Kason Powell was a double winner (12.65 in seventh-grade 100 meters; 5 feet, 2 inches in high jump). Other winners for the Falcons in boys events included Chasee Tucker in the 110-meter hurdles (15.54), Myron Rutherford in the sixth-grade 100 meters (14.09), Miles Moellman in the 1600 meters (5:39.27), Jayden Douglas in the 400 meters (59.76), CJ Largent in the triple jump (36 feet, 5.5 inches), and the 4x200- (1:45.43) and 4x400-meter relay squads (4:33.32).

Female winners for Table Rock consisted of Ivy Moellman in the sixth-grade 100 meters (15.28) and the 400 meters (1:11.66), Alyasia Mosley in the eighth-grade 100 meters (13.64) and the long jump (14 feet, 3 inches), Ava Beam in the seventh-grade 100 meters (14.01), Leelah Edwards in the 1600 meters (7:04.29), Chloe Holt in the sixth/seventh-grade 800 meters (3:13.15), Brooklyn Leemkuil in the eighth-grade 800 meters (3:20.91), Alayla Beam in the eighth-grade 800 meters (31.00), and the 4x400-meter relay squad (5:36.90).

Other meets on Tuesday saw Walter Johnson travel to East Burke, and Liberty and West McDowell visit Heritage, although no team scores were reported and individual results were unavailable for EB and Heritage.

Walter Johnson’s individual event winners included Dakota Dolinger in the girls 110-meter hurdles (18.00) and 200 meters (29.96); Gabriela Velasquez-Mejia in the girls 1600 meters (7:47) and sixth/seventh-grade 800 meters (3:25); Chyna Kelly in the girls sixth-grade 100 meters (14.18); Mari Mendoza-Sajche in the girls eighth-grade 100 meters (14.94); Kaylee Bristol in the girls high jump (4 feet, 4 inches); Fisher Collinson in the boys 1600 meters (5:37); Emilio Risso-Hemstreet in the boys sixth/seventh-grade 800 meters (2:47); Alexander Ortiz Mendoza in the boys eighth-grade 800 meters (2:40); Christopher Hickman in the boys high jump (4 feet, 6 inches); the girls 4x200-meter relay squad of Bristol, Toot Maxwell, Kelly, and Dixie Waldrop (2:09.85); the girls 4x400-meter relay squad of Dolinger, Bristol, Maxwell, and Kelly (5:11.71); and the boys 4x200-meter relay squad of Ja’Zion Davidson-Burgess, Zai’dyn Howell, Nasir Corpening, and Noush Yang (1:52.99).

As for Liberty, its individual event winners were as follows: Jacoby Bonkowske in the boys eighth-grade 100 meters (12.10), 200 meters (25.59), and high jump (5 feet, 6 inches); Emilie Cosovan in the girls eighth-grade 100 meters (14.04) and 200 meters (28.49); Presley Powell in the girls eighth-grade 800 meters (2:47) and 1600 meters (6:15); Norah Lor in the girls seventh-grade 100 meters (13.64); Abby Paterno in the girls high jump (4 feet, 4 inches); Evelyn Hutchins in the girls 100-meter hurdles (17.54); Juliet Mann in the girls sixth/seventh-grade 800 meters (3:00); Carter Smith in the boys 400 meters (1:02); Mason Taylor in the boys shot put (35 feet, 11.5 inches); Jack Jandrew in the boys 110-meter hurdles (16.85); the girls 4x200-meter relay squad of Lor, Kaiden Mull, Marley Lackey, and Emilie Cosovan (2:07); and the boys 4x400-meter relay squad of Lucas Cosovan, Braydon Hawkins, Jandrew, and Mason Black (4:48).