NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE 3-A BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES–GAME ONE
EAST ROWAN DOWNS WILSON HUNT BEHIND SAPP’S THREE HITS
ZEBULON — Will Sapp banged out three hits and drove in four runs to lead East Rowan to a 9-3 triumph over Wilson Hunt in the first game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3-A baseball championship series Friday night at Five County Stadium.
Sapp’s three-run homer in the five-run sixth helped the Mustangs take control and improve their record to 29-2. He also had a triple to score a run in the fifth.
Andy Austin and Preston Troutman also had run-scoring singles in the five-run rally.
Luke Thomas had three hits for the Mustangs and Noah Holmes had opened the scoring for East with a two-run homer in the opening frame.
Zack Lee and Kyle Pittman each had two hits for Hunt, which is now 26-6 overall.
Parker Gobbel, who pitched into the sixth for East, was the winning pitcher and is unbeaten in 10 decisions. Zach Houchins got the loss.
The 94th annual baseball championships will continue on Saturday afternoon with game two in the best-of-three 3-A series set for two o’clock.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium and Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau are serving as host city sponsors for this championship series. Wendy’s is the presenting sponsor of the NCHSAA sports program.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE 3-A BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES – GAME ONE
Five County Stadium, Zebulon
Wilson Hunt 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 –3 6 0
East Rowan 2 0 0 0 2 5 x — 9 12 1
WP–Parker Goebbel (10-0). LP–Zach Houchins. HR: East Rowan–Noah Holmes, 1st with one on; Will Sapp, 6th with two on.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE 1-A BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES- GAME ONE
DIXON OUTLASTS WEST WILKES 8-3 AS DAVIS THROWS NO-HITTER BUT WALKS 13
ZEBULON — Junior righthander Rookie Davis of Dixon pitched a no-hitter in a bizarre opening game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 1-A baseball championship series at Five County Stadium on Friday.
Davis (11-3) kept West Wilkes at bay with his no-hit efforts, striking out eight, but he walked 13 and his team made a couple of errors to keep it close until Dixon exploded for four runs in the seventh to win a three-hour marathon, 8-3.
West Wilkes pitcher Scott Gambill (11-2) got the loss, but he probably deserved a little better fate as he fanned 12 and limited Dixon to four hits, but he walked nine and West committed three errors.
Dixon took a 3-0 lead in the fourth, with a wild pitch scoring one, an infield out plating another, and a run-scoring double by Rodman Young.
West knotted the score in its half of the fifth, all after two outs, aided by a dropped third strike, a balk and a couple of errors.
But the victorious Bulldogs stretched a 4-3 lead with four runs in the seventh, with the key blow a two-run two-bagger by Matt Rouse. Young, Rouse, Patrick Batchelor and Caleb Lanier had the hits for the winners, in the finals for the first time since 1977. Dixon is now 25-5 overall.
The Blackhawks fell to 21-12.
Game two in the best-of-three 1-A series is set for Saturday morning at eleven o’clock.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium and Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau are serving as host city sponsors for this championship series. Wendy’s is the presenting sponsor of the NCHSAA sports program.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE 1-A BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES — GAME ONE
Five County Stadium, Zebulon
Dixon 0 0 0 3 0 1 4– 8 4 2
West Wilkes 0 0 0 0 3 0 0– 3 0 3
WP–Rookie Davis (11-3). LP–Scott Gambill (11-2).
