High school roundup: Nine locals advance in first round of state playoffs

FARMVILLE — Trey Williford’s six strong innings on the mound and a big second inning by Farmville Central’s bats helped the Jaguars’ baseball team overcome a rough stretch getting the game home.

Williford allowed just two hits and kept battling in the Jaguars’ 5-3 victory over South Columbus on Tuesday in a first-round NCHSAA Class 2A matchup.

The 6-foot-3 junior left-hander struck out 11, walked three and kept the Stallions off the scoreboard.

“He’s certainly one of the best pitchers in the East, for sure,” Farmville Central coach Eddie Loesner said. “We feel pretty confident when he’s on the mound because he’s always going to give us a good effort.”

“Felt pretty dominant,” Williford said. “Didn’t have to use the slider much, but other than that, I felt dominant on all my pitches. Felt like I had good command, and had them at any count to get them to chase or throw a strike when I needed to.”

Farmville Central, the No. 13 seed in the East, is scheduled to face No. 4 Midway, a 5-0 winner over Jordan-Matthews, on Friday in Spivey’s Corner.

Armed with a 5-0 lead of its own going into the seventh inning, Williford had reached his pitch limit, forcing Loesner to seek alternatives. South Columbus, in spite of the deficit, did not go away quietly.

With one out and runners on first and second, the Stallions’ Daquan Cox singled and a fielding error allowed both baserunners to score and trim the lead to 5-2. Walker Sullivan walked to put runners on first and second and brought the tying run to the plate in cleanup hitter Jaheim Dixon.

Loesner pulled Reed Kennedy — who was in for Williford — for May, a left-hander, to face Dixon.

Dixon sent a 2-0 pitch into left field to drive in another run to close the gap to two and bring the winning run to the plate. But May struck out Cole Edge and, after walking Rowen Sampson, Ethan Cullipher to preserve the victory.

“That’s playoff baseball,” Loesner said. “There’s no more easy wins. You’ve got to earn all of them. You’ve got to earn all 21 outs. The other teams are playing for their postseason lives, so those last outs are going to be hard to collect.

“But Joe May came in and did a great job.”

May also got a four-run second inning in motion for the Jaguars. He led off the frame by mashing a double into right field. Emerson Howell followed with a shot off Sampson’s right leg on the mound into right field that allowed May to score. Tucker McClung was hit by a pitch, and Brett Cook legged out a bunt single to load the bases with no one out.

Avery Johnson lined a bases-emptying double into left field to stake Farmville Central (14-7) to a 4-0 lead.

“Avery put a great swing on a fastball in the outer third. He didn’t try to do too much with it, and hit a line drive in the gap,” Loesner said. “I was happy for him because he had the right approach in that at-bat.”

Williford drew a one-out walk in the third inning. Walker Johnston, pinch-running for Williford, advanced to third on a single by May that bounced over the head of South Columbus first baseball Tyler Thompson, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Howell to make the score 5-0.

May was 2-for-2 with a run scored, and Howell was also 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and two RBIs. Cook was 2-for-3.

Asked what he told his team following the seventh inning, Loesner quickly answered, “Practice tomorrow,” with a smile, glad to advance and already focusing on the Raiders on Friday.

South Columbus, the No. 20 seed, finished its season with a 12-9 record.

Greene Central 18, Goldsboro 0 (5 inn.)

The No. 1 Rams stayed unbeaten after unloading on Goldsboro with an eight-run first inning, a seven-run fourth and 11 hits to the Cougars’ two.

Starter Austin Hardy struck out eight and walked one in three innings. Braden Burress was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored and Will Radford was 2-for-2 with four RBIs.

GC (22-0) moves on to face No. 16 South Lenoir, a 7-2 winner over Clinton in the first round.

Ayden-Grifton 9, Roanoke Rapids 2

The No. 14 Chargers opened the playoffs with an easy win after overturning a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth as part of a 10-hit attack.

A-G (16-9) got a monster outing from Camden Wilson, who finished 3-for-4 with a double and six RBIs. Ashton Watkins was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs and Jack Ewell added two hits in the win.

The Chargers advanced to take on No. 3 North Lenoir, a 7-1 winner over East Duplin.

3A

J.H. Rose 10, Fike 0 (5 inn.)

The top-seeded Rampants started the playoffs the way they spent most of the season, winning convincingly on Tuesday.

Rose (22-2) opened the scoring with four runs in the second inning and never looked back, pounding out nine hits to the Demons’ one.

Andrew Wallen tossed four innings, struck out five, walked three and allowed the lone hit. No Rose player had more than one hit, but Owen Simmons and Jay Tyndall each doubled and drove in two in the win.

The Rampants advanced to face No. 17 North Brunswick, a 6-1 winner over First Flight on Tuesday.

South Central 4, Person 0

The No. 14 Falcons scored all four runs in the bottom of the first inning and shut the door, out-hitting the visitors 6-3.

South Central (19-4) won its seventh straight game.

The Falcons advanced to take on No. 3 Cape Fear, a 12-4 winner over Western Alamance.

4A

D.H. Conley 3, Cary 1

The No. 3 Vikings managed just two hits in their opener on Tuesday, but they plated two runs in the third and an insurance tally in the fourth to secure the win.

DHC (20-3) won its 11th game in the last 12.

Conley advanced to take on No. 14 Heritage, a 2-1 winner over Apex on Tuesday.

SOFTBALL

4A

D.H. Conley 8, Enloe 0

The No. 3 Vikings opened the playoffs with a bang, getting a no-hitter and a shutout win over Enloe.

Conley (18-4) pounded out 10 hits in the victory.

The Vikings advanced to take on No. 14 Corinth Holders, a 14-4 winner over Leesville Road in Tuesday’s opening round.

3A

South Central 4, North Brunswick 1

The No. 6 seed Falcons shattered a scoreless tie with the No. 27 Scorpions in the fourth inning on Tuesday, scoring all four of their runs in that frame and riding the arm of Ava Coward, who went the distance, struck out 10, walked three and allowed four hits.

At the plate, Haven Roebuck’s bat continued to be South Central’s most dangerous weapon as she hit another home run, doubled and drove in a run, while Lacey Spivey doubled and drove in two. Kamdyn Haislip also doubled and Hailey Mickey drove in the other run for the Falcons (15-5).

SC, winners of eight of its last nine, advanced to take on the winner between Vance County and Western Harnett.

Southern Nash 6, J.H. Rose 5

The No. 31 Rampants flirted with a big upset on Tuesday night but fell a run shy and saw their season end.

Rose (8-14) nonetheless gave the 21-0 Firebirds arguably their biggest scare of the season to date.

2A

Ayden-Grifton 10, Holmes 7

The Chargers opened the playoffs with a road win on Tuesday night in Edenton, breaking a 7-7 tie with three runs in the top of the eighth inning of a chaotic game.

No. 17 A-G (11-9) amassed 12 hits to six from Holmes, which committed three errors.

Kaylin Pilgreen drove in two runs for the Chargers, Cheyenne Forbes was 3-for-5 with an RBI, KG Olejar doubled and Aaliyah Williams and Cassidy Butler had two hits apiece.

Ashlynn Overby, Jo Nowell and Raelyn Jones also drove in runs.

Ayden-Grifton advanced to take on top seed Camden County, a 9-0 winner over James Kenan.

Nash Central 15, Farmville Central 5 (5 inn.)

The No. 19 seed Jaguars were primed for an upset early in the game on Tuesday, taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but the No. 14 Bulldogs were just that the rest of the way.

The hosts cut the deficit to 3-2 in the second then scored 11 in the third as part of a 17-hit onslaught to end the season for the Jags (13-6).

Farmville had six hits, two of them home runs by Aidyn McLawhorn (2 RBIs) and Claire Neely (2-3, 2 runs). Hannah Sugg added an RBI double and senior Savannah Bland drove in a run in her final game for the Jags.