Prep baseball - Randolph Record

11 May

Two UCA teams plus Randleman in baseball, Cougars in softball move on in states

Randolph RecordSportsclass 1-A, Class 2-A, Class 3-A, nchsaa, Prep baseball, Prep softball, Randleman Tigers, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, state playoffs, Uwharrie Charter Academy athletics

Southwestern Randolph’s Alyssa Harris slides into the plate as Walkertown catcher Sadie Smith tries to make a play in a first-round game of the Class 2-A state playoffs for softball. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record) Two baseball teams and two softball teams from Randolph County made it through the first week of the state playoffs. Now it likely becomes more challenging for Randleman and Uwharrie Charter Academy in baseball and Southwestern Randolph and UCA in softball. In baseball, there was one team from the county guaranteed to advance to the third round when Randleman and visiting Wheatmore met in Friday night’s second-round…

08 May

Hoogkamp leaves baseball post following Asheboro’s playoff loss (updated)

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Brett Hoogkamp, Class 3-A, Mid-Piedmont Conference, Prep baseball

Asheboro baseball coach Brett Hoogkamp makes a mound visit during a game this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Asheboro baseball coach Brett Hoogkamp has stepped down, but he’s bound to be involved in area athletics again. Hoogkamp announced his intentions to resign shortly after the Blue Comets lost in the first round of the Class 3-A state playoffs Tuesday night. He finished his eighth season in the position. “It has been a good eight years,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it. Once I got into coaching, it was kind of a dream of mine (to be a head coach) and I got…

06 May

UCA teams seeded high for state playoffs in baseball, softball; Most area teams to start on road

Bob SuttonSportsclass 1-A, Class 2-A, Class 3-A, Prep baseball, Prep softball, state playoffs

Uwharrie Charter Academy softball and baseball teams have high seeds in the West Region for the state playoffs. The seeds, which were announced Monday by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, have both teams in line to play in regional finals in a couple of weeks. But there’s plenty of work to be done by then. The playoffs begin Tuesday, with potential second-round games Thursday or Friday. *** BASEBALL *** In Class 1-A, defending state champion UCA (20-5) is seeded No. 2, with a home game vs. No. 31 Bradford Prep (3-13). Eastern Randolph (9-16), which was a regional…

02 May

UCA Eagles dethrone Randleman in PAC Tournament for baseball

Bob SuttonSportsAlex Carver, Brett Smith, Carter Brown, PAC Tournament, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Randleman Tigers, Trey Kennedy, Uwharrie Charter Academy athletics

RANDLEMAN – Uwharrie Charter Academy’s baseball team went where it had never gone before Thursday night. Claiming the championship in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. Brett Smith pitched a seven-hitter with nine strikeouts and the Eagles came up with clutch hits, with Carter Brown providing three run-producing singles and Alex Carver homering in visiting UCA’s 6-1 victory in the PAC Tournament championship game. “We hadn’t beaten them since we joined the conference,” Brown said. “We had that mindset that we’re going to play good and we should come out and win. We came with the confidence that we could beat them.”…

26 Apr

Prep Roundup: UCA dethrones Cougars in softball; Plus, baseball, soccer, tennis results

Randolph RecordSportsEllie Garrison, Mid-Piedmont Conference, Mollie Bulla, piedmont athletic conference, prep athletics, Prep baseball, prep soccer, Prep softball, Prep tennis

ASHEBORO – Uwharrie Charter Academy scored two seven-inning runs to edge host Southwestern Randolph 4-3 in a game to determine the Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season softball champion Thursday night. At 11-1 in PAC play, the Eagles finished a game ahead of defending champion Southwestern Randolph. It’s the school’s first PAC softball title. Aubrie Kauffman’s two-run bloop single provided the tying and go-ahead runs. UCA pitcher Mollie Bulla struck out 10 batters. Kenzie Hill and Jayla Hurley both scored two runs. Macie Crutchfield struck out eight for Southwestern Randolph. Earlier in the week, Bulla and Katelyn West blanked visiting Wheatmore 7-0.…

25 Apr

Baseball tourneys coming to Asheboro; Southwestern Randolph has coaching change

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro, McCrary Park, Mid-Piedmont Conference, NCISAA, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Prep softball, Southwestern Randolph Cougars

ASHEBORO – High school postseason baseball – and some softball – will be happening in Asheboro even if there’s not an in-county team involved. Next week, Asheboro will be the host school for next week’s semifinal and final rounds in the Mid-Piedmont Conference Tournament for both baseball and softball. Those matchups will come after quarterfinal games, which will definitely involve Asheboro, are contested at the site of the higher seeds. The baseball semifinals and final will be at McCrary Park. In baseball and softball, the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament begins Monday with games at the highest seed. For baseball, Randleman…

22 Apr

Prep Roundup: PAC softball race tightens after upset

Randolph RecordSportsAddie Flinchum, Asheboro Blue Comets, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Ellie Garrison, Macie Crutchfield, Natalie Bowman, Parker Kines, Prep baseball, prep soccer, Prep softball, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, Taryn Waugh, UCA Eagles, Wheatmore Warriors

Anaeli Puente Garza cuts between Randleman’s Jocelyn Segovia, left, and Lacy Nelson during last week’s game. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) Fourth-place Eastern Randolph muddled the Piedmont Athletic Conference softball race by defeating first-place Southwestern Randolph 4-1 last week with Addie Flinchum striking out seven in the road victory. Uwharrie Charter Academy closed within a half-game of Southwestern Randolph by week’s end. The teams will meet April 25 at Southwestern Randolph to end the regular season. UCA nipped host Eastern Randolph 5-4 behind Mollie Bulla’s pitching. Jayla Hurley and Aubrie Kauffman both doubled and scored a run. Earlier in the week UCA,…

18 Apr

Randleman Tigers conjure more magic for PAC baseball supremacy

Bob SuttonSportsBraxton Walker, Jake Smith, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Randleman Tigers, Seth Way, Trinity Bulldogs

Randleman’s Braxton Walker had a big impact at the plate and on the mound earlier this week. (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) RANDLEMAN – Randleman had just enjoyed another one of those defining moments that seem to come so often for the school’s baseball team. There were various assessments of what that meant after Tuesday night’s 6-5, eight-inning victory against visiting Trinity. “We got to get better,” shortstop Jake Riddle said. “We got to.” While it wasn’t the smoothest outing for the Tigers, they again found a way. The result secured another outright Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season championship and kept…

15 Apr

Wheatmore Warriors make most of 14-inning experience

Bob SuttonSportsAyden Byrd, Payton Mooney, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, Trey Byrd, Wheatmore Warriors

Wheatmore coach Trey Byrd watches a game earlier this month. (PJ Ward Brown/Randolph Record) Games on consecutive nights test endurance TRINITY – Wheatmore catcher Payton Mooney didn’t let the drain of spending 14 innings behind the plate in a baseball game last week get to him. “During the game, with adrenaline going, I felt fine,” Mooney said. “Fourteen innings is a long time.” The Warriors won that game at Southwestern Randolph, then the next night had a rematch at home. Fortunately for Wheatmore, the second game lasted just six innings, but that still meant 20 innings in catching gear across…

13 Apr

Prep Baseball: Randleman racks up another PAC title; UCA takes down Eastern Randolph twice

Randolph RecordSportsJake Riddle, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Randleman baseball, Seth Way

RANDLEMAN – Randleman wrapped up another Piedmont Athletic Conference baseball championship by defeating visiting Providence Grove 8-1 on Friday night. The Tigers improved to 10-0 in league play. Randleman will be the top seed for the PAC Tournament in a couple of weeks, a spot clinched because the Tigers beat Wheatmore twice. Only Wheatmore can pull even with the Tigers, but that would require the Warriors winning their four remaining league games and Randleman losing twice to a sub-.500 Trinity team. Randleman has lost just two conference games in a four-season span. Jake Riddle struck out…