Daily Roundup: May 6, 2025

May 7, 2025, 1:15 am | by Tim Hower

COASTAL PREPS THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT

***The rankings by each team are their seed for the playoffs***

BASEBALL

No. 29 North Brunswick 1, No. 4 Swansboro 0 (11 innings)

First round NCHSAA 3A playoffs

Three pitchers – Dylan Stacks, Josh Hauser and Fisher Goodwin – combined to strike out 15 batters in a thrilling win.

Stacks got the start and went seven innings, scattering five hits and striking out eight. Hauser pitched the next three innings and fanned five before turning things over to Goodwin, who recorded the save by retiring the side in order.

Swansboro had the winning run on third base with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but back-to-back strikeouts from Stacks sent the game to extra innings.

North Brunswick (8-16) finally broke through in the top of the 11th inning. Stacks led off with a base hit to left field and advanced to second base on a ground out from Zach Ashmore. Following a fly out, Hauser delivered the game-winning hit on a 1-1 pitch.

Goodwin went 2-for-3 with a walk, while Jonah Campbell had a double.

The Scorpions will play at the winner of No. 13 West Johnston/No. 20 Western Alamance on Friday.

No. 18 Topsail 13, No. 15 Riverside 2 (5 innings)

First round NCHSAA 3A playoffs

The Pirates exploded for six runs in the second inning before adding four more in the third to cruise on the road.

RJ Browning had a big night by going 2-for-2 with a double, sacrifice fly, three RBI and two runs scored.

Braeden Ritchie, Bodie Taylor, Fisher Taylor and Ryder Willcox also crossed the plate twice.

Rhett Britt struck out seven batters in three innings to secure the victory. Ritchie took over and threw a pair of shutout innings.

Britt finished with two hits and two RBI. Gavin Shoenwiesner drove in a team-best four runs.

Topsail (14-11) plays at No. 2 Wakefield on Friday.

No. 11 Ashley 4, No. 22 Broughton 3 (8 innings)

First round NCHSAA 3A playoffs

Some things never change for the Screaming Eagles, who secured another thrilling walk-off playoff victory.

During its run to the 4A State Championship Series a season ago, Ashley (21-4) won in its final at-bat a remarkable four times.

Cole Barnes was the hero this time. He drilled a single to left field, which allowed Cane Mehling to race all the way home from second base.

Mehling pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts.

After falling behind 2-0, the Screaming Eagles scored three runs in the third inning. Coleman Cross and Quinn Bentley both had doubles before crossing the plate. Nate Carmack, who worked a walk, scored the other run.

A game at No. 6 Apex Friendship on Friday is next up for Ashley.

No. 23 West Brunswick 7, No. 10 Carrboro 2

First round NCHSAA 3A playoffs

A five-run top of the seventh inning lifted the Trojans to an impressive comeback victory.

West Brunswick (10-13) trailed 2-0 after five innings before tying the score in the sixth when Kaleb Faulders and Ethan Click worked walks with two outs and the bases loaded.

Garrett Powell led off the sixth with a double to left field. Austin Inman followed with what turned out to be the game-winning single. Ty Walker and Noah Faulders also had RBI hits.

Inman finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Walker went 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and one run scored.

Noah Faulders went the distance on the mound, scattering five hits and recording six strikeouts.

The Trojans travel to No. 7 Cape Fear on Friday.

No. 24 South Brunswick 10, No. 9 Lee County 0 (5 innings)

First round NCHSAA 3A playoffs

Freshman righty Liam Edmonds was flawless in his first postseason game, striking out four batters without issuing a walk in a four-hit shutout.

Edmonds finished with 55 pitches, including 42 that went for strikes.

South Brunswick (9-15) collected 11 hits from seven players. The top three batters in the lineup – Sidney Dale, Grady Sotriffer and Harrison Mears – combined to go 6-for-9 with three walks, five RBI and four runs scored.

Jackson Wall was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Gavin Templeman hit a two-run double to finish off a four-run top of the first inning.

Mears, Sotriffer and Wall all stole two bases.

The Cougars play at No. 8 Southern Nash on Friday.

No. 16 New Hanover 7, No. 17 Chapel Hill 2

First round NCHSAA 4A playoffs

Recent UNCW commit Camden Croom had a huge performance at the plate and on the mound.

The junior went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and three runs scored. He also pitched the four stellar innings in relief, striking out five of the 12 batters he faced.

Tate Nelson got the win by allowing one earned run on three hits in three innings.

New Hanover (15-9) got at least one hit from seven of its nine starters. Adler Stumpf was 2-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases, two RBI and one run scored. Colton Creech also had a pair of hits.

Next up is a game at at No. 1 D.H. Conley on Friday.

No. 3 Laney 7, No. 30 South View 2

First round NCHSAA 3A playoffs

TJ Ziermann turned in another dominant performance on the mound to increase the Buccaneers’ winning streak to 16.

Ziermann pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run on two hits with 10 strikeouts. He is now 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings.

Laney (20-4) scored twice in the bottom of the second inning to grab a 3-1 lead. Two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings all but sealed the victory.

Carston Wedemeyer was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one RBI and two runs scored from the top spot in the lineup.

Trent Fowler had two hits, while Jack Holliman and Jason Sproull both finished with two RBI.

The Buccaneers will be back at home Friday against No. 14 Millbrook.

No. 6 East Bladen 4, No. 27 Hobgood Charter 2

First round NCHSAA 1A playoffs

The Eagles started the playoffs with a victory for a sixth straight season by breaking open a tie game with one run in the fifth and sixth innings.

Isaiah Lee walked with one out in the fifth and eventually scored what turned out to be the winning run on an error.

East Bladen (12-10) tacked on an insurance run an inning later when Davion Lewis led off wit a triple before crossing the plate on a base hit from fellow junior Zach Sholar.

Sholar went 3-for-4, while Jayce Hatcher finished 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Lewis allowed two runs and recorded nine strikeouts in six innings. Hatcher recorded the save by retiring the side in order in the top of the seventh.

The Eagles welcome the winner of No. 11 Oxford Prep/No. 22 Wake Prep Academy on Friday.

No. 13 East Columbus 12, No. 20 North Duplin 0 (5 innings)

First round NCHSAA 1A playoffs

Twelve batters came to the plate in an eight-run bottom of the first inning that gave the Gators a commanding lead.

Mack Freeman led a balanced offensive attack by going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Brooks Mclean was 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBI, while Braylon Waddell finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.

Adrion Jenerette struck out five batters in 3 1/3 innings. Khari Bowen and Gauge Simmons finished off the shutout.

East Columbus (14-8) visits No. 4 East Wake Academy on Friday.

Other scores

2A: No. 3 Whiteville 6, No. 30 Washington 5

2A: No. 19 Farmville Central 2, No. 14 South Columbus 0

SOFTBALL

No. 19 Topsail 6, No. 14 New Bern 2

First round NCHSAA 4A playoffs

In addition to going 3-for-3 at the plate, Madyson Turlington also pitched a complete game to keep the Pirates’ hot streak going.

Topsail (13-8) has now won nine of its past 11 games with the only two losses coming by 2-0 scores against Mideastern Conference co-champions Laney and South Brunswick.

Turlington allowed only one earned run and recorded four strikeouts.

The Pirates scored four runs in the fifth inning. Emma Rose and Lauren Clinch were both hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Turlington followed with an RBI single, while Brooklyn Beatty drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly.

Beatty doubled home Rose and Turlington in the seventh inning.

Next up is a game at No. 3 Cleveland on Friday.

No. 2 Laney 7, No. 31 Leesville Road 3

First round NCHSAA 4A playoffs

A five-run bottom of the third inning that was highlighted by a home run from Carly Krueger sent the Buccaneers into the second round for the third year in a row.

Krueger went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored.

The big inning began with consecutive singles from Ally Brehmer, Layla Carr and Brileigh Mathews. A walk to Bailey Bettencourt gave Laney (16-2) a 2-1 lead.

Carr scored on a fielder’s choice. Isabella Stevens followed with an RBI single before Krueger belted a two-run home run.

Makenly Horrell earned the victory by recording five strikeouts in three innings. Mathews pitched the final four innings and also struck out five batters.

Laney (16-2) hosts No. 15 Garner on Friday.

No. 3 South Brunswick 10, No. 30 Western Harnett 0 (5 innings)

First round NCHSAA 3A playoffs

The defending state champions finished with 10 hits and ended the game early by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Shortstop Savana Burgess was 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run scored. Her two-run triple completed the scoring.

Addison Woodruff finished 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Shea Brown also went 2-for-3 with a triple and three runs scored.

Leadoff batter Tabby Martin crossed the plate three times.

South Brunswick (17-2) ace Kina Davis threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and no walks.

The Cougars host No. 14 Union Pines on Friday.

No. 10 Trask 10, No. 23 Jordan-Matthews 4

First round NCHSAA 2A playoffs

In her first playoff game, freshman Madison Peterson put the Titans on top for good with a double in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Trinitee Odom led off with a walk and stole second base before crossing the plate on Peterson’s double to give Trask (16-8) a 4-3 lead.

Peterson later scored what turned out to be the winning run on a two-out single from Taylor Sparkman.

The Titans tacked on five insurance runs in the sixth. Jalyn Reece-Murray, Cheyenne Saunders and Lauren Hall each had an RBI hit.

Reece-Murray and Makayla Smith both scored twice. Dava Bullard pitched a complete game with three strikeouts.

Next up is a game at No. 7 Camden County on Friday.

No. 18 Western Alamance 13, No. 15 North Brunswick 3

First round NCHSAA 3A playoffs

***Click here to view a gallery of 25 photos from the action***

The Scorpions were unable to earn their first playoff victory since 2015, but the future is still bright as five of the nine starters were underclassmen.

Emilee Camacho drilled a two-run single to right field in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 8-2. North Brunswick (12-11) had the bases loaded with one out, but all three runners were stranded.

Shanley Hunt scored the final run on a base hit from Avia Dlouhy in the seventh.

Despite the loss, the Scorpions finished above .500 for the first time since 2017.

No. 13 South View 4, No. 20 Hoggard 0

First round NCHSAA 4A playoffs

Macey Ciamillo scattered two hits and recorded 10 strikeouts in her final high school game.

All four runs the ECU signee allowed were unearned. She also went 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk and two stolen bases.

Hoggard’s (9-10) other two hits came from Sami Hoemann and Alyssa Norris.

No. 9 Seaforth 2, No. 24 Whiteville 1

First round NCHSAA 2A playoffs

The Wolfpack saw their season come to a close in heartbreaking fashion on a walk-off double with two outs.

Both teams scored in the first inning. Whiteville’s (10-14) Angel Smith and Madalyn Edge had back-to-back singles. Smith later raced home on an error.

Margaret Cartrette was the hard-luck loser. She struck out four batters and allowed only one earned run in a complete game.