Prep roundup: Johnstone’s hit sends Cuthbertson to first regional final
Friday night at home, Cuthbertson High School’s baseball team made history with a walk-off, 7-6, 8-inning win over visiting West Forsyth in the Western N.C. 4A semifinals.
Cuthbertson advanced to the N.C. 4A Western Regional championship series for the first time.
“I’m still in shock,” third-year Cuthbertson coach Sam Skinner said. “We do have a great team. And they’ve been a great group since the fall. They play together, they work together, they compete and they work their butts off.
“So they’re coming together at the right time and we have the right mixture of players.”
On Friday, that group trailed 2-0 after two innings and 6-5 after the top of the eighth inning.
“I believe we can always come back every game,” said junior catcher Robert Johnstone, who drove in the game-winning run on a one-out sacrifice fly to center field. “You have to play one inning at a time and pass along on to your brother and it’ll all go well.”
The win gives top-seeded Cuthbertson the first-ever regional finals appearance for a program that has made the state playoffs 14 times in its 15-year history, with playoff victories in 13 years and three other previous fourth-round, or regional semifinal, playoff advances (in 2012, 2015 and 2017).
The Cavaliers (25-4) advance to a best-of-three Western N.C. 4A championship series against two-time defending N.C. 4A state champion T.C Roberson (23-5) that will be played next week. Cuthbertson would host the first game, Roberson the second and Cuthbertson the third (if necessary).
No. 5 seed West Forsyth (23-5) proved itself a worthy obstacle for Cuthbertson’s historic win as the Titans used a suicide squeeze and Jaxon Holloman’s RBI double to take a 2-0 lead, knotted the score 5-all by taking advantage of a pair of Cavaliers throwing errors in a two-run sixth and took a 6-5 advantage on Parker Trexler’s leadoff home run in the top of the eighth inning.
NOTES
▪ Cuthbertson got two hits apiece from Logan James, Ryan Virgilio and Brayden Richards to lead its nine-hit offense.
▪ The game was filled with future collegians — Cuthbertson senior commits Grant Aldredge (Western Carolina), Michael Clemente (Wofford) and Brayden Richards (Mars Hill) and junior commit Logan James (USC Upstate) and West Forsyth senior commits Luis Acevedo (North Carolina A&T) and Parker Trexler (UNC Pembroke) and junior commit William Holden IV (Wake Forest).
▪ Cuthbertson’s Caden Matthews relieved Clemente in the sixth and went three innings with one run allowed and two strikeouts for the pitching win. Clemente yielded four hits, five runs (three earned), two walks and two hit batters and struck out four.
THEY SAID IT
“I was just thinking, ‘Hit a ball hard. With the infield in, you can hit it hard and get it through or get a sac fly.’ So I just trusted myself and did my job.” — Robert Johnstone, describing his mindset before his first-pitch sacrifice fly that gave Cuthbertson a victory.
GAME SUMMARY
West Forsyth 020 012 01 - 6 6 2
Cuthbertson 003 020 02 - 7 9 2
W - Caden Matthews. L - Garrett Secrest. Leading hitters: WF- Parker Trexler (1-2, home run); Cuthbertson- Logan James (2-3), Ryan Virgilio (2-4), Brayden Richards (2-4, double, 3 RBIs).
TC Roberson 5, Marvin Ridge 3: Marvin Ridge lost its bid to advance to the regional finals, falling 5-3 to Skyland’s TC Roberson, which is chasing a third straight 4A state title.
Marvin Ridge (21-8) loaded the bases in the second inning but didn’t score. The Mavericks broke through in the top of the fourth, though, with a Nico Soul home run. After Roberson tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, Marvin Ridge went ahead 2-1 in the fifth on an Alex Hampton homer.
But the Rams had the decisive hit in the bottom of the fifth — a grand slam by Caden Davidson for a 5-2 lead. Marvin Ridge closed to within 5-3 and had the tying run at the plate in the seventh but couldn’t even the score.
East Rutherford 6, Lincoln Charter 5: Lincoln Charter, the only Observer-area team remaining in the 2A bracket, fell in Friday’s regional semifinal — but not without a huge night from sophomore Evan Myers.
Myers slammed three home runs and drove in four runs. Ahead 2-0 after the first and up 4-2 after the third, Lincoln Charter gave up four runs in the fourth. Lincoln Charter’s Nate Rollins also had a home run in the game.
North Lincoln 9, East Rowan 5: North Lincoln upset the No. 1 overall seed in the West, on the road, in a thrilling 14-inning game Friday, seven more innings than regulation.
North Lincoln scored four times in the top of the 14th to win.
The game was tied at 5 after the seventh and final regulation inning.
Eastern Randolph 6, Christ The King 4: Huntersville’s Christ The King fell in the 1A regional semifinals in a game where both teams had seven hits. Jaxon Ehret had three for Christ The King, which got six strikeouts in four innings from pitcher Owen Shipman.
Uwharrie Charter 6, Cherryville 4: Uwharrie Charter upset top-seeded Cherryville to advance to the regional finals in the 1A West. Cherryville, which had a three-game win streak snapped, finished at 20-8.
NCISAA baseball: Wesleyan takes Game 1
High Point Wesleyan, last year’s state runner-up, beat reigning 4A state champ Metrolina Christian 9-4 to take Game 1 of their state championship series.
Game 2 will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Metrolina Christian. Metrolina will need to win to force a deciding Game 3, which would come shortly after Game 2 ends.
On Friday, High Point Wesleyan (17-11) scored two runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 4-0 lead. Metrolina rallied with four runs in the fifth and sixth to tie the game, but Wesleyan exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away.
Wesleyan got a home run from senior Josh Hammond, who was 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Senior Nick Papciak, sophomore Cole Bowman and sophomore Jayden Pipes each had two RBIs.
Metrolina got three hits from senior Alex Lerch and two RBIs from sophomore Jacob Seamon.
▪ In the 3A finals, Grace Christian beat Gaston Christian 8-2 to take a 1-0 lead. Game 2 is Saturday with Game 3, if necessary, to follow.
Grace Christian seniors Matt Murchison and Luke Roupe combined for five RBIs. Xander Sutton had two hits for Gaston Christian and Carter Rowe scored twice.
NCHSAA softball: Weddington moves to regionals
Weddington’s softball team lost in the 2024 state championship series, and the Warriors seem awful determined to get back.
On Friday, Weddington beat Winston-Salem Reagan 3-0 to advance to next week’s best-of-3 NCHSAA 4A Western Regional championship series with No. 10 seed South Caldwell.
Greenville’s DH Conley and Cleveland will meet in the eastern regionals.
Weddington has not allowed a run in the postseason, beating East Meck 10-0, Lake Norman 2-0, McDowell 8-0 and Reagan Friday.
Weddington (23-3) improved to 13-1 at home.
Union Academy 9, Murphy 0: Union Academy, the Charlotte area’s only other team still alive in the NCHSAA softball playoffs, advanced to the 1A West Regional finals with a lopsided victory. Avery Wilson pitched a one-hitter, struck out 10, and helped her own cause by hitting a home run. Carlie Granger had three hits, and Avery Chaney had two hits and two RBI.
Union Academy (25-1), the West’s top seed, will face second-seeded East Wilkes in the best-of-3 regional finals next week.
NCISAA softball: Charlotte Christian takes Game 1
Charlotte Christian (15-6) got a big game from junior pitcher Morgan Banks to beat Charlotte Latin, 3-2, in Game 1 of the NCISAA Division I softball championship.
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Christian can win the title by taking Game 2 at home Saturday at 10 a.m. Latin can force a deciding Game 3 with a win.
On Friday, Banks threw a complete game and struck out seven. She also singled. Teammate Anna Hinde scored twice and had an RBI.
Boys’ lacrosse: Ardrey Kell among bevy of local teams moving on
Ardrey Kell advanced to the third round with a 20-4 win over Davie County.
The Knights won their seventh game in a row and will face Lake Norman next week.
▪ Elsewhere, Lake Norman beat Cuthbertson 22-6 to win its fourth straight game and improve to 17-4. Charlotte Catholic (21-0 over Reagan), Hough (18-5 over Marvin Ridge) also advanced.
▪ In the boys’ 1A/2A/3A second round, Charlotte-area teams all advanced.
Huntersville’s Christ The King beat Eastern Randolph 23-3. Lake Norman Charter beat Parkwood 21-3. North Lincoln beat North Davidson 24-1. And Community School of Davidson beat Lincoln Charter 20-5.
Lake Norman Charter raced to a 13-0 first-quarter lead and pulled away. Tyler Price had four goals, eight assists and collected four ground balls. Andrew Oliver added three goals and three assists, and Colin Bradley won 15 of 16 draws.
In girls’ lacrosse, Charlotte Catholic, Weddington, Myers Park, Lake Norman and Marvin Ridge won second-round 4A games. Weddington was led by Grace Webb (six goals, one assists) and Abbey Testa (five goals, three assists).
Community School of Davidson advanced in the 1A/2A/3A girls’ bracket.
Girls’ lacrosse: Marvin Ridge, Myers Park advance to third round
Marvin Ridge, the No. 1 overall seed in the west, will play No. 9 Myers Park in next week’s third round.
Marvin Ridge beat Winston-Salem’s R.J. Reynolds 13-0 and Myers Park edged Cuthbertson 12-11. Lake Norman, Weddington and Charlotte Catholic also advanced.
Catholic beat Ardrey Kell 21-4. Weddington beat Hough 21-5 and Lake Norman beat Reagan 15-5.
▪ In the 1A/2A/3A playoffs, Community School of Davidson won a first-round game, beating Patton 20-2. Lincoln Charter lost, 20-7, to Winston-Salem’s Atkins High. Elsewhere, North Lincoln beat East Stokes 8-4 and Pine Lake Prep beat Parkwood 15-6.
Highland Tech star wins NCHSAA award
Highland Tech star Erwing Soza was one of two statewide winners of the 2024-25 Pat Gainey student-athlete award from the NCHSAA.
Antonio Lee of Greensboro’s Dudley High also won the award, which was established in 2006 and is given annually to two student-athletes who demonstrate athletic achievement, strength of character and financial need.
The award comes with a $5,000 scholarship and honors Gainey, who coached baseball and girls’ basketball teams at Pamlico and Taylorsville high schools. His girls’ basketball team once won five Western North Carolina High School Activities Association titles and, at one point, recorded 54 consecutive wins and 140 straight conference victories. His overall girls’ basketball record was 358-57.
Soza is a first-generation college student who plays baseball and basketball. He carries a weighted GPA of 4.48 and ranks 36th in a class of 125. This season he’s been named a team MVP, defensive player of the year, all-conference and most coachable. Away from sports, he’s heavily involved in the Future Business Leaders of America, the National Technical Honor Society and he created the Highland & Woodhill Partnership to tutor and translate for Spanish-speaking elementary school students.
