Sports Headlines

Laney Softball Team Shuts Out East Chapel Hill In Round 1 Of Playoffs

The Laney girls softball team advanced to the second round of the NCHSAA playoffs via their 6-0 win over East Chapel Hill on Wednesday.

The Bucs have dropped just two games all year and are winners of their last nine games. On Wednesday, Laney burst through for 5 runs in the fourth inning to break open what had been a close game.

Laney has outscored their last four opponents 34-1 and have five shutouts in their last seven games. The Bucs will look to stay hot on Friday when they host Greenville Rose in round 2 at 7:00. Laney opened the season with back-to-back wins over Rose, 3-0 on the road and 7-5 at home.

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT

Local student named female athlete of the year

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Hoggard Girls Eliminated From 4A Soccer Playoffs

Pictured - Hoggard's Annie Hayward. (Photo: Calvin McGowan)

The Hoggard girls' soccer team was defeated in round three of the 4A playoffs on Tuesday. After posting shut out wins of their own in the first two rounds, the Vikings were blanked by Apex, the fifth ranked team in the state, 2-0.

The Lady Vikes end the season with a 18-3-3 mark. While playing a tough schedule, Hoggard's opponents had a combined record of 183-84-19 this season, they scored 81 goals while allowing just 13. Hoggard had thirteen shutout wins and will return most of the team next year.

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT

Hoggard Hammers New Bern, Vikings Advance In NCHSAA Playoffs

"A New Bern paper said we were a 'mediocre team, with a lot of confidence.' We wanted to prove them wrong. We had it posted in the locker room," Hoggard's Scotty Braswell told the Cape Fear Sports Report. In response to the bulletin board material, the Corbin Field Crushers put out another offensive display Tuesday in round two of the NCHSAA playoffs and blasted New Bern 13-7.

Hoggard's Scott Coleman must have thought he was hitting driver off the 19th tee in the bottom of the first; shortly after getting off the bus from Pinehurst at the state golf championships Coleman, launched a colossal two run bomb, giving Hoggard an early 2-0 lead.

New Bern scratched for a run in the top of the second, but Hoggard opened up a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the inning, capped by a Nick Maulter dinger.

After New Bern worked a lead off walk in the top of the third, left fielder Scotty Braswell made a lovely diving catch - so good that at least five minutes and several batters later, when a young girl's father said, "C'mon let's go" her retort was, "Daddy, that was a good catch!" - it was totally out of the blue. But the Bears were not to be denied and made what would be their final stand.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Hoggard starting pitcher Derek Thackston was one pitch away from getting out of the inning. However, with a full count, he missed the strike zone and walked in a run. While looking strong on the hill, the Bears didn't make great contact against Thackston, but after two singles back through the middle, New Bern had tied the score at five.

But that would be the last run Thackston would allow saying, "I felt good. I got tired in the sixth, but I kept working off my fastball and my outpitch was my curve."

While Thackston cruised through the middle innings, the Hoggard bats got it going again in the bottom of the fourth. With the sacks full, Cuppy Robinson singled, and after a wild throw, three runners had scored, Robinson stood on third, and Hoggard led 8-5.

The wild throw thing...that became a disturbing trend and certainly became Bad News for the Bears.
After committing eight errors in the first five innings, Scott Coleman's double plated two more runs to cap a three run fifth.

Between the errant New Bern throws and the hot Hoggard bats, a 5-5 tie became a 12-5 lead for the Vikings.
As if his day wasn't long enough already, Coleman came in to finish the game on the bump for Hoggard. In one day, he went to Pinehurst and helped the Viking golf team finish seventh in the state, came back to Wilmington for the NCHSAA playoff baseball game where he starred at the plate and struck out the game's final batter. A fitting end.

Scott Johnson's no-doubter in the sixth was Hoggard's third homerun of the game and while the Vikings showed they can play long ball, Coach St. Ledger complimented his gang for buying into what they had been practicing at the plate - drilling line drives and hitting it where it was pitched. He added, "We wanted to do three things - sticks loud at the plate, gloves, and pitching - and we did all three."

Viking senior Mark Crecco said, "We've been hitting well. In the past two games we have 30 hits." Hoggard will try to continue their hot hitting against Apex in round three, either on Thursday or Friday.

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT

UNCW Outdone Yet Again By ECU

WILMINGTON, N.C. - Junior Brandon Henderson's two-run double in the bottom of the eight inning lifted No. 30 East Carolina to a 3-2 win over No. 26 UNC Wilmington in non-conference baseball action Tuesday at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates halted a three game losing streak and finished a season sweep of the Seahawks to improve to 37-16. The Seahawks, meanwhile, had their six game winning streak snapped and fell to 39-12-1 on the season following their final non-conference game of the season.

Junior reliever Josh Ruhlman (4-3) picked up the win throwing one inning in relief for ECU. Freshman Seth Simmons earned his second save of the season pitching out of trouble in the ninth.

Freshman Cameron Roth was saddled with the loss for the Seahawks and fell to 5-2.

Senior Corey Kemp led the ECU lineup with two hits; he was the only player in the pitching dominated game with at least two hits.

One game after scoring a season-high 23 runs, UNCW was held to a season-low three hits against eight Pirates hurlers.

The Seahawks plated the first run of the game in the top of third to jump in front. Sophomore Bobby Leeper opened the UNCW third with a walk and moved to second on a ground out. With two out, freshman Alex Hill lined a single to center that scored Leeper. The ball got past the center fielder and Hill moved all the way to third.

UNCW senior starter Larry Salefsky, who finished with a career-high five strikeouts in six innings, held the Pirates in check until the sixth when freshman Dustin Harrington, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, led off with a homer to left that tied the game. ECU would load the bases on Kemp's single to right later in the inning, but Salefsky retired the next two batters on a foul pop to the catcher and fielder's choice to close it out.

The Seahawks mounted a rally in the eight when senior Jes Snyder drew a 1-out walk and sophomore Mike Rooney followed with a bunt hit to third. Ruhlman entered the game and halted the rally with a ground out and a line out.

The Pirates carried the momentum into the bottom of the inning, scoring twice and breaking the deadlock. Roth began the inning walking the first two Pirate hitters. Senior Allen Flood fared no better as he walked Kemp to load the bases. Henderson broke the deadlock with a 2-run double to left on a 1-2 count by Flood.

UNCW attempted to rally in the ninth with senior Jason Appel leading off with a walk and senior Mark Carver getting hit by a pitch with none out. Senior Nate Hall moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. ECU brought in Simmons to face sophomore pinch hitter Rhett Miller, who fanned for the second out of the inning. An error brought in UNCW's first run of the inning. Simmons then closed out the game by getting Holt to ground out to second base.

The Seahawks close out their regular season with three games against Colonial Athletic Association rival Old Dominion. The Monarchs and the Seahawks open the series on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Notes: The Seahawks dropped to 9-2 in 1-run decisions ... Larry Salefsky pitched into the seventh for the second time in as many starts ... Allen Flood has allowed 16-of-33 inherited runners to score ... UNCW moved to 15-7-1 on the road.

-Courtesy UNCW Sports Information

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT

Port City Chargers Open 2008 Season With Win Over Charleston Snipers

Opening their second season, the Port City Chargers semi-pro football team got off on the right foot as they downed the Charleston Snipers 12-6 on Saturday.

The turning point of the game was a four down defensive stand from the 5 yard line and the Chargers’ subsequent 97 yard drive which they capped with a 25 yard halfback pass.

The Chargers’ have developmental football camps for children and are offering a new “Sideline Experience” this year. Kids can join the Chargers three hours before game time, go through pre-game warm-ups with the team, and then watch the game from the sidelines with the rest of the Chargers.

After a road game this coming Saturday, the Chargers will return home on May 24. For more information, log onto portcitychargers.com.

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT

Wilmington Hammerheads Fall To 0-3; Shutout By Baltimore Crystal Palace 2-0 On Saturday

With sixteen new members on this year's Wilmington Hammerheads USL Division 2 soccer team, it was hard to know what to expect coming out of the gates. Unfortunately, the Hammerheads have stumbled and fallen off the pace; with Saturday's 2-0 loss at Crystal Palace Baltimore, the Hammerheads are now 0-3 to start the 2008 season.

Gary Brooks got CPB on the board in the tenth minute making good on an assist from Bryan Harkin, and Matthew Mbuta's goal in the 23rd minute put the home team up 2-0. CPB is now 3-0 on the season and have yet to be scored upon. They have clearly taken advantage of the schedule which has not taken them away from their home turf at UMBC in the season's early stages.

The Hammers have lost both road games now by 2-0 scores. Their only home game was the team's best showing, as they fought back against the league's top ranked team, the Charlotte Eagles, before falling 3-2. On Saturday, the Hammerheads return home, looking for their first win of the season against the Harrisburg City Islanders (0-1-3), which are also looking for win #1. The Islanders are coming off a 1-0 loss to Charlotte, now 4-0, on Saturday.

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT