Prep Baseball: Hough, Providence win CMS conference baseball crowns Thursday
Two Mecklenburg County baseball powers locked up regular-season conference championships Thursday.
Hough beat Vance to win a share of the I-MECK 4A title. Providence beat South Meck for the second time to win the SoMeck championships.
Hough beat Vance 15-0 and improved to 15-9 for the season. The Huskies tied Mooresville (15-8, 12-2) for the league championship.
▪ Providence High’s baseball team left no doubts.
The Panthers entered this week tied with South Mecklenburg for first place in the SoMeck 7 4A Conference. The week – and the regular season – ended with Providence on top.
The Panthers handed South Mecklenburg its second lopsided setback in two days, dumping the Sabres 14-4 Thursday night.
That enabled Providence to finish the conference with a 12-0 records. The Panthers were 21-3 overall and will be the top seed in next week’s conference tournament.
South Mecklenburg, which lost 10-1 Tuesday to Providence, took second place with a 10-2 record (19-4 overall). Ardrey Kell finished third, at 8-4 (17-7 overall).
Ardrey Kell finished its conference season on a high note, blanking Olympic 10-0.
Luke Carpenter pitched a no-hitter and issued only one walk, and Josh Rutty hit a home run for the Knights.
In the other SoMeck 7 4A game Thursday, Berry Academy routed Harding 20-2.
▪ Click here for CMS conference tournament pairings.
Thursday’s top performers
Drew Alejandro (Rock Hill Westminster Catawba): Alejandro, a senior, fired a two-hitter and struck out 12, as his team trounced Statesville Christian 17-1. Alejandro also had a huge day at the plate, with a double and two home runs and five RBI. He scored four runs.
Jacob Beard (Queens Grant Charter): Beard hit a double and two triples and scored three times as the Stallions trounced York Prep 12-2.
Cooper King (Carmel Christian): King pitched a three-hitter and struck out 13, as Carmel Christian blanked Gaston Christian 10-0.
Thursday’s other results
I-MECK 4A
Mooresville 9, Mallard Creek 0: Nick Merriman pitched a complete-game shutout for the Blue Devils.
SOUTHWESTERN 4A
East Mecklenburg 12, Butler 9: The Eagles got nine runs in the bottom of the first, but Butler came back with seven in the third inning. East Meck held on from there. Butler’s Hayden Davis had two hits and four RBI.
Myers Park 4, Independence 2: Myers Park’s Matt Holmrast pitched a four-hitter, with relief help from Crawford Wade, and Preston Hall had two hits and two RBI.
CISAA
Providence Day 4, Concord Cannon School 1: John Miralia pitched the Chargers to victory, with Colin Ravin hitting a home run.
BIG SOUTH 3A
Boiling Springs Crest 16, Kings Mountain 2: The Chargers finished off a perfect regular season – 21-0 overall, 14-0 conference.
North Gaston 13, Lawndale Burns 1
SOUTHERN CAROLINA 3A
Monroe Parkwood 3, Waxhaw Cuthbertson 1: Winning pitcher Carson Starnes worked 5.2 innings and held the Cavaliers to one hit. Parkwood’s M.J. Lucas homered.
METROLINA 8
Hickory Grove Christian 3, Indian Trail Metrolina Christian 1: Down 1-0, Hickory Grove rallied with three runs in the top of the sixth and held on.
Southlake Christian 9, Concord First Assembly 3
CENTRAL CAROLINA 2A
Midway Oak Grove 4, East Davidson 0
Salisbury 4, South Rowan 0: Starting pitcher Jack Fisher worked 5.2 innings, reliever Vance Honeycutt finished, and the two held South Rowan to two hits.
West Davidson 6, Central Davidson 1
MOUNTAIN VALLEY A1-2A
Ashe County 2, Elkin 1: Ashe County finished the season by winning eight of its last 10 games. After a slow start, the Huskies took third place in the conference with a 9-5 record. West Wilkes (14-0) and Wilkes Central (11-3) were first and second.
Wilkes Central 13, North Wilkes 2
PAC 1A
Community School of Davidson 7, Mount Holly Mountain Island Charter 2
Monroe Union Academy 16, Mooresville Bradford Prep 5: Union Academy’s Drew Noblet homered, and Dylan Brooks slammed two doubles.
S.C. 5A PLAYOFFS
Fort Mill 10, Anderson Hanna 2: Connor Manco had two hits and three RBI, in support of the pitching of Isaac Beirne and Brayden Franse. Fort Mill advances to the District 3 finals and will be home Monday against the losers’ bracket survivor, to be decided Saturday.
Greenville Mann 9, Fort Mill Nation Ford 0: Steve Johnson got both of Nation Ford’s hits, as his team lost in the Division 1 winners’ bracket finals. Nation Ford will host Hillcrest in an elimination game Saturday.
S.C. 4A PLAYOFFS
Greenville 7, York 1: York will host Palmetto at 11 a.m. Saturday in an elimination game. The winner faces Greenville on Monday for the District 2 title.
Greer 5, Rock Hill South Pointe 0: The Stallions were blanked in the District 1 winners’ bracket finals and will host Belton-Honea Path on Saturday in an elimination game. The winner travels to Greer on Monday for the district title.
Wren 6, Lancaster 4: The loss knocked the Bruins out of the District 4 tournament.
S.C. 3A PLAYOFFS
Union County 12, Indian Land 3: The top-seeded Warriors fell in the District 4 winners’ bracket finals and will host Chesnee on Saturday in an elimination game. The winner travels to Union County on Monday for the title.
S.C. 2A PLAYOFFS
Kershaw Andrew Jackson 6, Greenville Southside Christian 4: The Volunteers broke a 4-4 tie with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and advanced to Monday’s District 2 finals, which they will host.
Landrum 6, Pageland Central 0: The Eagles were held to three hits and committed six errors, falling in the District 3 winners’ bracket finals. Pageland Central will host North Augusta Fox Creek on Saturday, with the winner traveling Monday to Landrum for the district crown.
S.C. 1A PLAYOFFS
McBee 10, Williston-Elko 0: McBee allowed only two base runners and came within a victory of the District 2 title. The Panthers will host Williston-Elko on Monday, with the championship at stake.
NONCONFERENCE
Carmel Christian 10, Gaston Christian 0: Carmel Christian’s Cooper King pitched six innings, allowing only three hits and striking out 13, as his team knocked off the second-ranked 3A private school team in the state. Chris Manriquez slammed a three-run homer in the first, and Lucas Martino had a three-run shot in the fourth inning.
Marvin Ridge 5, Charlotte Country Day 3: Country Day’s Henry Merchant doubled and drove in two runs.
Queens Grant Charter 12, York Prep 2 (5 innings): The Stallions, who wrapped up the PAC 1A title the previous day, rolled to a nonconference victory. Jacob Beard scored three runs and drove in a pair, and Nick Kuebler homered and knocked in four runs.
Rock Hill Westminster Catawba 17, Statesville Christian 1 (6 innings): Drew Alejandro pitched a two-hitter, striking out 12, and also slammed a double and two home runs. Sabin Teague added three hits for the victors.
GASTON COUNTY EASTER TOURNAMENT
Gastonia Forestview 2, Gastonia Ashbrook 1 (championship): Forestview’s Dalton Thomason worked six innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight, and Deon Walker pitched no-hit ball in the seventh inning. Forestview only had one hit, with Walker and Allan Beroa scoring the runs.
East Gaston 2, Gastonia Highland Tech 1 (third place)
Belmont South Point 10, Bessemer City 0 (fifth place): South Point’s Jake Beaty and Peyton Chaney combined to toss a two-hitter.
Cramerton Stuart Cramer 9, Gastonia Huss 0 (seventh place): The Storm held Hunter Huss to three hits.
GREENSBORO GRASHHOPPER CLASSIC
Greensboro Grimsley 12, Boone Watauga 3: Watauga led 3-1 after the first inning, but Grimsley bounced back with four runs in the second inning and four more in the third.
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