MVP Marshal Faw, with parents.

 

From staff reports

KANNAPOLIS — South Rowan won 8-1 over A.L. Brown in  Monday night’s F&M Bank championship game at Atrium Health Ballpark.

Aaron Jones shut out the Wonders for five innings, and Colton Helms pitched the sixth and seventh.

South (7-7) took advantage of wild pitches, passed balls and a balk to score several runs.

The Raiders scored twice in the third inning to break a scoreless tie.

Marshal Faw had a triple. Drew Blackwell had a two-run single. Macon Fuller had a run-scoring double.

Faw was named tournament MVP. Fuller made the all-tournament team.

• South shut out Concord 4-0 in Friday’s first round behind the pitching of Logan Ballard and Helms. Ballard, James Ritchie, Brett Morris and Corbin Cross had RBIs.

• Faw was the key figure in Saturday’s 9-2 semifinal win against West Cabarrus. On the mound, Faw held West Cabarrus to four hits in five innings before Helms finished up.

At the plate, Faw went 3-for-4, including a two-run homer that gave the Raiders a 4-0 lead.

Morris and Fuller had three RBIs each against the Wolverines. Morris and Ballard had two hits each.

The tournament games were important for South, beyond the trophy. South was No. 32 in the 3A RPI rankings prior to the championship game, so the Raiders currently are on the bubble to make the 3A West state playoffs, which will have a 32-team bracket.

•••

KANNAPOLIS — Salisbury’s baseball won one of the wildest games ever early Monday, outscoring Northwest Cabarrus 20-19 in the seventh-place game of the F&M Bank Cannon Ballers Easter Tournament.

The game was played at A.L. Brown.

“The biggest highlight was we walked them less than they walked us,” Salisbury coach Carson Herndon said.

It ended with a double play, with Salisbury center fielder Mike Geter catching a flyball and throwing a runner out at the plate when he tried to tag up and score from third.

Evan Koontz, Ben Young and Hank Webb had two hits each for the Hornets (4-7). Koontz was the winning pitcher. Cole Price was credited with a save.

The Hornets had not fared well on the first two days of the tournament, losing 11-0 to A.L. Brown and 10-0 to Central Cabarrus.

Koontz was named to the all-tournament team.

•••

A.L. Brown (5-8) beat Salisbury and Robinson before losing to South Rowan in the championship game.

Mason Teal pitched well early in the championship game.

Jesse Morton respresented the Wonders on the all-tournament team.

•••

GRANITE QUARRY — In the Spring Break Tournament held at Staton Field, West Rowan pounded South Iredell 16-3 on Monday and went 3-0 in the event.

Cole Blevins had three hits and three RBIs and scored four runs to lead the Falcons.

Brody Pope had two hits. Brice Knox and Luke Ponczka had two RBIs each. Drew Burton scored three runs.

Om the mound, Brant Graham pitched four innings for the win, and Alex Hagler dominated for the final three innings.

The teams played seven innings, as West didn’t get a 10-run lead until it scored five in the top of the seventh.

West (10-3) has won nine games in a row and has moved up to seventh in the 3A West RPI rankings.

West has a deep pitching staff and the offensive numbers have been picking up lately.

• Blevins had three hits and was the winning pitcher, while Pope and Ponczka homered in Friday’s 11-4 win against Mooresville.

• In an 8-2 win against Northwest Guilford, Eli Graham had three RBIs for the Falcons. Eli Graham and Knox had three hits each.

Maddox Moore pitched five shutout innings with seven strikeouts.

•••

In the Spring Break Tournament at Staton Field, Carson scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to beat Mooresville 10-2 on Monday night.

Kendal Sifford keyed the win, pitching six innings, striking out six and allowing only one hit.

Corbin Hales, Daxon Savage and Caden Lewis had two hits each. Hales had two RBIs.

• The Cougars (7-6) lost 6-5 in eight innings to Northwest Guilford on Friday despite three hits each by Lewis and Savage.

Hales, Nick Ayash and Cameron Williamson had two hits each, and Hales had two RBIs.

Gage Trexler pitched six strong innings. Hales took the loss in relief.

• Carson lost 3-0 to South Iredell, as the Cougars were shut down by SI pitcher Luke Snell. Jayven Parks had two hits for the Cougars.

Maverick Walters pitched six innings for the Cougars.

•••

Ranked No. 1 in 3A West RPI, East Rowan won its three games in the Spring Break Tournament at Staton Field.

The Mustangs won an exciting one on Monday, edging Northwest Guilford 8-7 by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

McCall Henderson had a walk-off, two-run double. He drove in seven runs with a homer and two double.

Nate Hayworth had the other RBI.

Mason Phelps, Cobb Hightower, and Harrison Ailshie pitched, Ailshie (5-0) earned the win.

• East (13-1) pounded South Iredell 11-2 on Friday.

Nate Hayworth homered for the Mustangs. Braden Shive had three hits, while Hightower and Sam Blackwelder had two each. Ailshie drove in two runs.

Joe Burleyson pitched four innings with six strikeouts for the win.

• East won 12-5 against Mooresville on Saturday. Ailshie had two doubles and two RBIs. Blackwelder drove in three. Hightower, Hayworth and Shive had two hits.

East has produced overwhelming offense so far this season and was batting .376 as a team after Saturday’s game.

Hightower and Ailshie have hit three homers each. Logan Dyer (4-0) has been strong on the mound.