Local middle school spring sport playoffs began on Monday, with several Richmond County teams advancing to the second round.
Baseball
Of the two Richmond County baseball teams to make the playoffs this season, only No. 6 Rockingham was in action in the first round.
The No. 6 Rockets traveled to No. 3 Carver Middle School and fell 10-6 to end their season.
Rockingham took a 6-0 lead through the first two innings before allowing 10 unanswered runs. Caden Nolan pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts.
Leading the Rockets at the plate were Nolan and Jason Gainey (both 2-for-3), Carter Visingard and Tyler McKenzie each drove in one RBI and had two hits, and Cameron Quick added a hit and two RBIs.
Andrae Streeter and Preston Fann each connected for one hit. The Rockets finished the season with a 6-5 record.
“I was happy with how sharp and focused we were early on, we just couldn’t finish,” head coach Jamie McDonald said. “Hats off to Carver for battling back.”
No. 1 Hamlet Middle School (9-1) got a first-round bye and will play No. 4 East Hoke Middle School (9-2) on Wednesday in the second round. No. 3 Carver (9-2) advanced to play No. 2 Anson Blue (8-2).
Softball
No. 4 Ellerbe Middle School welcomed in-county opponent No. 5 Hamlet on Monday for the first round of the playoffs and secured an 8-1 win.
Carley McCormick dominated from the circle for the Lady Wildcats, pitching a complete game and striking out 20 batters. She retired the side in order three times and gave up just two hits and two walks.
Ellerbe took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, seeing Kaylee Connor (double), Addison Raines (walk) and Abby Robinson (double) score.
Hamlet added its only run of the game in the top of the fourth. The Lady Wildcats extended their lead to 6-1 in the bottom half. Crossing the plate were Lilly Hill (single), McCormick (single) and Connor (double).
A solo run in the fifth and another in the sixth capped the victory for Ellerbe. Scoring were Robinson (walk) and Connor (single).
As the last remaining Richmond County softball team in the playoffs, Ellerbe (6-4) will play No. 1 Carver (8-1) in the semis. Carver’s lone loss this season was to the Lady Wildcats.
The other semifinal game will be between No. 2 Spring Hill (8-1) and No. 3 Anson (8-2). Hamlet finished the season with a 5-5 record.
Boys’ Soccer
Two of the three Richmond County middle school boys’ soccer teams in this year’s bracket met in the first round on Monday, resulting in a win for No. 4 Rockingham.
The Rockets hosted No. 5 Ellerbe and went on to win 2-0 to punch their ticket to the semifinals. Scoring for Rockingham were Jason Medina and Cayden Gillenwater.
Ellerbe ended its season with a 6-4 record, and Rockingham (7-3) will travel to No. 1 West Hoke on Wednesday.
No. 2 Hamlet had a first-round bye and will host No. 3 East Hoke (8-2) on Wednesday, too.
Girls’ Soccer
Three Richmond County middle school girls’ soccer teams made the playoffs this year, and two of them — No. 1 Rockingham (9-0) and No. 2 Ellerbe (8-1) — had a first round bye.
Also advancing to the semifinals was No. 3 Hamlet, which defeated No. 6 Anson 5-2 on Monday. The Lady Red Rams used a hat trick from Makayla Brown to move on.
Adding to Hamlet’s win were solo goals by Mavery Hooks and Kellie Gomez. No. 3 Hamlet (8-2) will head to Ellerbe on Wednesday to play for a spot in the championship.
The top-seeded Lady Rockets will welcome in No. 4 Sandy Grove (7-3) on Wednesday for the other semifinal match.
Note: Coaches Amanda Gainey, Grover McDonald, Jamie McDonald and contributor Deon Cranford submitted scores and details for this article. No other stats or information were reported by the time of publication.
Coaches can submit details to be published by emailing kpillar@richmondobserver.com.
