From staff reports

Salisbury boys tennis has been very good every year since  2008,  but the Hornets haven’t been able to make it to a dual team state championship match since 1992 when Eric Saunders, a three-time state singles champion, led the Hornets to the 3A team title.

Salisbury reached the Western final (state semifinal) as recently as 2010 but lost that match to Newton-Conover.

In the years since 2010, the Hornets have bowed out annually in either the second or third round, but now they’re back in the West final and playing at home at 4 p.m. this afternoon against Brevard.

Both teams are undefeated.

Brevard has been the biggest stumbling block for a parade of recent Salisbury teams.

Brevard knocked out the Hornets in the second round in 2014 and 2016 and  eliminated the Hornets in the third round in 2015.

Last season, Salisbury lost to Shelby in the third round.

Brevard dismissed Shelby from this year’s playoffs on Tuesday, while Salisbury was beating Lexington.

Prep soccer

Salisbury’s top-seeded and undefeated girls (23-0) take on C.D. Owen from Black Mountain tonight at 6 p.m. in the third round of the 2A state playoffs.

The Warhorses are 16-3-1.

Salisbury’s girls never have won  a third-round playoff game. They are in the third round for the first time since 2015. They also made recent third-round appearances in  2014, 2011 and 2007.

Intimidators

ASHEVILLE —  Shael Mendoza hit a walk-off two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning, as the Asheville Tourists beat the Kannapolis Intimidators 14-12 on Tuesday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Tourists and a three-game winning streak for the Intimidators.

The Tourists scored six runs in the eighth before Kannapolis answered with three in the next half-inning to tie the game 12-12.

Reliever Ben Bowden (3-0) allowed 0 runs with a strikeout to get the win. Jose Nin (2-1) allowed three runs and got two outs in the South Atlantic League game.

Bret Boswell homered, doubled and singled, scoring three runs while also driving in three in the win. Ramon Marcelino homered, doubled and singled, driving home three runs.

In the losing effort, Kannapolis got contributions throughout its order, as five players recorded at least two hits. Justin Yurchak doubled twice and singled, driving in four runs. The Intimidators also scored a season-high 12 runs.

Despite the loss, Kannapolis is 5-2 against Asheville this season.

College golf

STOCKTON, Calif. –

The 12th-seeded UNC Greensboro men’s golf team moved up two spots in the NCAA Stockton Regional and into a tie for eighth place with No. 1 seed LSU.

UNC Greensboro shot even-par 576  in the second round after turning in a team score of 5-under 283 on Tuesday at the par-72, 7,239-yard The Reserve at Spanos Park.

  No. 2 Alabama (282-280) and No. 10 Iowa State (278-284) lead the way at 14-under 562, and No. 8 Kansas (281-282) is one stroke behind.

UNCG’s Bryce Hendrix tied for the fifth best score of the day with a 4-under 68 and is tied for 21st place at 1-under 143.

Freshman  Nick Lyerly (East Rowan) shot 2-under 70.   Lyerly was 1-under 35 on the back nine and had an eagle on No. 6. He’s tied for 34th place at 1-over 145.