Prep baseball: Randleman, UCA produce strong starts to season

Baseball teams from Randleman and Uwharrie Charter Academy entered this week with undefeated records.

Jake Riddle had three hits and pitched five solid innings as Randleman won 8-3 at North Davidson. Ashton Poe scored two runs.

Earlier in the week, the Tigers won 3-2 vs. visiting Northwest Guilford as John Kirkpatrick and Tate Andrews combined to strike out 10 batters. Kyle Dillow knocked in two Randleman runs.

** For UCA, Ty McAuley had three hits and drove in three runs as the Eagles smacked host South Stanly 18-0. Jake Hunter and Grat Dalton combined on a five-inning one-hitter, with Hunter notching eight of the combined 11 strikeouts.

In a 6-3 home decision vs. South Stanly, UCA’s Keaton Hill struck out 11 batters in five innings and Jake Hunter scored three runs.

Hunter was the winning pitcher in a 13-2 road trouncing of West Davidson. He also drove in five runs.

Other results

** Logan Weidman and winning pitcher Elijah Sykes both drove in two runs as Southwestern Randolph defeated visiting Asheboro 8-5 on Friday. Sykes struck out seven batters in five innings.

Southwestern Randolph’s Brady Armfield hit a two-run home run and Weidman had three hits earlier in the week in an 8-6 home loss to South Stanly.

** Asheboro fell 5-3 to visiting Bishop McGuinness despite Sam Gore scoring two runs.

Nolan Shaw and Grayson Norman combined for the five-inning shutout as Asheboro defeated visiting Wheatmore 11-0. Justin Guerrero had four hits for the Blue Comets.

** Trinity pitcher Lincoln Coble worked into the seventh inning and recorded 11 strikeouts in a 3-2 escape at Eastern Randolph. Reliever Grayson Fauber notched the final out. Eastern Randolph’s Cade McCallum worked six innings but took the loss.

To begin last week, Trinity’s Peyton Williams fired a complete game in an 11-1 romp past visiting Northwood.

** Eastern Randolph’s 6-0 home victory against Clover Garden came with six innings of pitching from Bryson Marley. Landon Albright scored two runs as the Wildcats won Friday for the first time in four games this season.

** Wheatmore claimed a 10-4 triumph at Jordan-Matthews as Gavin McPherson knocked in two runs and Shannon McCauley worked four innings on the mound.

Patriots count on pitching

Providence Grove received solid pitching in a pair of games last week, so the Patriots are waiting for the bats to heat up.

“We didn’t get the hits in the situations that we needed them,” coach Shane Worth said after Friday night’s 3-0 loss at Southern Alamance.

Worth said enough offense should surface, while he’s encouraged by the pitching.

“Going into the season, that was kind of our question mark,” Worth said of the overall pitching picture.

Andrew Thomas drew the start on the mound in the Southern Alamance game, working three innings and yielding a pair of runs. Southern Alamance scored on a bases-loaded walk and a fielder’s choice groundout. Bryson Arrington worked two innings and Bishop Moore threw one inning in relief.

Providence Grove received doubles from Colin Duvall and Grant Underwood weren’t enough along with drawing three walks and producing four hits total.

Kaden Parker’s five innings on the mound gave Southern Alamance a boost.

“We’ve seen top-notch pitchers,” Worth said. “If our arms are there, the bats will come around.”

Providence Grove fell to visiting Surry Central by 6-3 in the season opener. Colin Duvall and Trevor Kirkman did most of the Providence Grove pitching along with an inning from Arrington.

Haynes to take team to Eastern Randolph

Former Eastern Randolph coach Brent Haynes will be back in Ramseur on Friday night when his Northwood team visits the Wildcats for a Four Rivers Conference game.

Haynes coached Eastern Randolph for the 2023 season, when the Wildcats reached the Class 1A West Region finals. He left to take the job at Burlington Williams, where he also spent just one season. He’s in his second season at Northwood.