Staff report

Tuesday’s roundup …

North Piedmont Conference baseball continues to be special.

Carson and East Rowan pulled out exciting games at home on Tuesday and finished the night in a tie for first place in the league.

In China Grove, Carson got down early when South Iredell scored twice in the first inning against sophomore pitcher Hayden Simmerson.

But Simmerson didn’t allow another run. He became the winning pitcher when Aaron Bradshaw singled home CP Pyle from second base with two outs in the bottom of the eighth for a 3-2 victory.

Simmerson struck out eight, walked three and allowed five hits.

Carson (5-2, 4-1) didn’t score until the sixth when Caden Hudson started the inning with a single and stole second. Two-out hits by Hunter Burris and TJ Jones plated runs for a 2-all tie.

Gage Tomlin pitched seven strong innings for the Vikings.

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East (6-1, 4-1) had its hands full with North Iredell pitcher Cole Johnson before winning 4-3.

East used Jake Hunter, Chance Mako and Cameron Padgett on the mound.

East took a 2-0  lead in the third on a two-out hit by Griffin Warden.

North Iredell tied it in the fourth and moved in front 3-2 in the top of the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, consecutive singles by Aiden Schenk, Warden, Tate Green and Hunter tied the game, and Austin Fulk’s sac fly gave the Mustangs the lead.

North Iredell had a leadoff double in the seventh, but Padgett struck out the next three batters to end it.

Ty Staz had three of North Iredell’s 10 hits. Warden was 2-for-3 for the Mustangs.

East’s hurlers combined for 14 strikeouts. Winning pitcher Padgett fanned five with no walks in his two innings.

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West Rowan (4-3, 3-2) stayed in the race by whipping Statesville 14-0 on Monday.

Only one NPC team is certain to make the state playoffs.

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South Rowan stayed in the thick of the Central Carolina Conference race by beating East Davidson 7-1.

Chandler Oddie pitched six strong innings for the Raiders, and Jack Weaver finished up.

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It was a rough night for Salisbury in a 15-0, three-inning loss to Oak Grove.

Will Webb had the only hit for the Hornets.

Oak Grove scored 12 runs in the first inning.

Ellen Yang made some history by pitching for the Hornets in relief with two outs in the bottom of the first. She pitched a scoreless second inning and was on the mound when Oak Grove ended the game in the bottom of the third.

Trenton Doss and Dawson Shelton drove in three runs each for the Grizzlies.

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Davie got five RBIs from Daniel Lawson and beat Glenn 17-5.

Reed Cunningham and Wesley Mason had three hits each for the War Eagles.

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Robinson scored in the seventh to beat Concord 3-2 in a South Piedmont Conference game.

Blake Anderson had two hits and was the winning pitcher.