Caudle excelled as a guard on the Piedmont Athletic Conference’s regular-season champion boys’ basketball team. That helped lead to a decision to play collegiately at Division III Brevard College.
He averaged 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.3 steals for the Patriots. Caudle was the PAC Player of the Year.
Caudle placed fifth in the PAC Tournament for golf. That landed him an all-conference spot in that sport as well.
LIBERTY — There’s more traffic and business in and around Liberty, and that should mean more dollars spent in the small Randolph County town.
This development isn’t unexpected with activity associated with the Greensboro-Randolph megasite.
“I’m actually really thankful,” said Susan Aydelette, owner of Hurricane Jane’s restaurant on South Greensboro Street. “I really think it’s going to be a blessing for everyone. I know it may not look like it right now, but you have to have patience. Some people are complaining. Eventually, everything will be settled down.”
Toyota is building its first U.S. battery plant for electric vehicles, with close to 2,000 workers expected to be in place within a few years. Construction has been taking place on the $1.2 billion plant, with concrete poured last month to mark another spot on the megasite’s timeline.
So nearby Liberty is bound to become busier.
“I feel like we’ve grown a little bit with our business,” said Nicole Perkins, a waitress at Y’all Come Back Café on South Fayetteville Street. “But it’s nothing we can’t handle yet. You’ve got the workers coming in. It’s always nice to have the business.”
The Greensboro-Randolph megasite consists of about 1,800 acres, so new infrastructure will be required to support the volume of traffic and people in the coming years.
Recently, commuters in the area have reported higher counts of orange construction signs informing drivers of some new traffic patterns. Much of those have been on U.S. 421 and surrounding areas.
Atef Youness, who has owned Maria’s Famous Subs and Pizza on South Greensboro Street since 2002, said it’s a relatively moderate increase, more noticeable on some days.
“It is getting some business every once in a while, and we’re expecting it’s going to be more,” Youness said. “I believe when people come to start (to actually work at the plant), it’s going to be more.”
Still, Youness said he intends to send his restaurant’s menus to the work site, which is about 4 miles away, to lure new customers.
Kidd’s Drive-In on South Greensboro Street has been a family-run business for 55 years.
“It’s hard for me to say,” Jerry Kidd said about the impact. “I hear more about it than I actually see. There’s an influx of some new people, but I’m not sure how many are actually from the megasite.”
Still, Kidd said he knows there are workers hauling rock and other construction-related activities that are bound to become factors. It’s just a matter of how soon widespread changes are evident.
“We’ve been fortunate. Business has been pretty good even through the pandemic,” Kidd said.
Aydelette said she noticed an uptick in megasite-related business a couple of months ago for Hurricane Jane’s, which is about a 10-minute drive away. She said she thinks it’s good for Liberty and also figures some of the extra money spent on area businesses is gravitating toward Julian as well.
“We are seeing some of the people,” Aydelette said. “Sometimes they come for lunch, and sometimes they come for a drink or for dinner.”
Maria’s Famous Subs and Pizza is open from 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. daily except for being closed Tuesdays. Youness said he’ll consider opening Tuesdays as well if business increases if he can hire enough staff.
According to DriveNC.gov (a site run by the North Carolina Department of Transportation), Browns Meadow Road near U.S. 421 north of Liberty will be closed in both directions through the end of the year. DriveNC.gov also reports that congestion due to construction traffic associated with the megasite is expected to last through the end of August.
There is roadwork and wetlands mitigation, along with the development of right-of-ways in some locations.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced that blasting at the construction site began in March. This is part of the first phase for the megasite, with the North Carolina General Assembly appropriating $135 million for NCDOT to work on-site grading, building roads and highway interchanges, and other improvements.
With all this going on, there are various points of view. Perkins said she realizes traffic volume is changing.
“Some are upset. Some are happy,” she said. “I’m sure in a year, or so, it’s going to get crazy.”
ASHEBORO — The City of Asheboro Council met Thursday, where they approved a budget amendment for unexpected costs related to the Zoo City Sportsplex, as well as held multiple public hearings for rezoning requests.
The council approved a $2,674,019 budgetary amendment to account for a change order with Terry’s Plumbing and Utilities, Inc. regarding the Zoo City Sportsplex Project.
“This work includes $940,953 of additional rock removal from the site,” said City Engineer Michael Leonard, PE. “The estimated excavation was for 10,000 cubic yards, and we ended up encountering approximately 24,500 cubic yards, most of which was in phase two.”
In addition, the change order also includes the construction of the restroom and concession stand for phase two, as well as all paving, concrete, and other pertinent items to complete phase one of the Sportsplex.
“I can tell you what,” said Mayor David Smith. “Part of what has made this an expensive and difficult project is exactly what’s going to make it one of the prettiest projects. The topography and the step down for terracing. It’s just going to be so beautiful, but we’re paying for it.”
The city council held three public hearings regarding five different rezoning requests.
The first hearing was for an application to amend RA6 CZ zoning on property 3140 Zoo Parkway, including lots within the Parkway South Townhomes subdivision and the city’s sewer lift station.
“The purpose of this hearing is to request that the zoning approval be given to allow what are currently privately maintained streets within this planned unit development to be converted to publicly maintained streets,” said Community Development Director Trevor Nuttall.
There are 38 parcels involved in the request totaling just over 7.5 acres of land, all within the city limits. Still, due to the conditions of the roads, solid waste services would have to be done via dumpsters as the streets are not large enough for garbage truck collection.
The next public hearing was for an application to rezone property on the west side of Zoo Parkway, which is a planned residential unit development located approximately 225 feet south of Ridge Avenue from R10 to R7.5 CZ.
“This request is for townhomes,” Nuttall said. “The proposal is for 14 lots or homes that would be accessed via a private street or driveway. These would be single-story homes between 825 and 855 square feet each. Under the city’s ordinance, such a project is viewed as a residential planned unit development. The property is within the city limits, and utilities are available, so no annexation would be required in this case.”
The council’s final public hearing was for an application to rezone three separate properties.
The request was to rezone 1352 East Salisbury Street from OA6 to OA6 CZ for business, professional and personal services and an overflow parking area, to rezone 342 Patton Avenue from R10 to OA6 CZ for business, professional and personal services, and to amend the I2 CZ property at 1420 East Salisbury Street due to proposed changes to the motor vehicle repair and rental/sales of domestic motor vehicles uses.
“There are three addresses included within this request,” Nuttall said. “Three different zoning requests here. An amendment to an industrial zoning district, a request to take property from R10 general district residential to a conditioned office and apartment district, and then a request to take property from a general office and apartment to an amended conditional zoning OA6 district.”
The city council approved all three requests following the hearings.
The council then approved a subdivision sketch design review for the proposed Thomas Estates development.
“This is the first step in the City’s Three Step Process for subdivision review and approval,” Nuttall said. “This, in essence, is the concept or master plan that is being proposed for this project. It’s a part of one Randolph County pin, just over 13 acres in size with 38 lots total meaning an average lot size of three-tenths of an acre.”
The council also rejected all bids associated with the Industrial Park Avenue Sidewalk Improvements Projects following a staff recommendation.
“We believe there are other options available to the city to complete this project,” Nuttall said. “The proposals we received for both the inspection services and the construction were over the budget, so we think there are potentially better options.”
The council then approved the creation of an ordinance to prohibit on-street parking on both sides of West Kivett Street between South Church Street and South Park Street and both sides of East Kivett Street between Cox Street and Main Street.
The City of Asheboro Council will next meet August 4.
Trey Cooper has excelled with his college summer team and has selected a new college. (Bob Sutton/Randolph Record)
Transfer has been stellar for summer team in Burlington
BURLINGTON – Trey Cooper found a good summer gig and a new college home.
The left-handed pitcher from Randleman is transferring to Liberty after two seasons in the North Carolina State program.
“At the end of the day, I said I wanted to go somewhere I could play a lot,” Cooper said. “They wanted me to be a starter (at Liberty). Everything felt right.”
Cooper has been a standout in the Appalachian League with the Burlington Sock Puppets, who are in their second season as a college summer league team geared toward prospects and overseen by Major League Baseball with input from USA Baseball.
After only two appearances covering two-thirds of an inning for N.C. State this year, Cooper entered the transfer portal.
“That was a question I think everyone on the team was trying to figure out,” he said of the limited chances with the Wolfpack.
Still, he said he considered staying with N.C. State until deciding in early July to accept Liberty’s offer.
Much of this stemmed from his success with the Sock Puppets.
“To be able to come in and do my thing,” he said. “I took a couple of steps to kind of figure out I wanted to be a starter. That helped me out a lot. I wanted to come out here and get to work.”
Cooper, whose fastball clocks up to 95 mph, was the Appalachian League’s Pitcher of the Month for June without allowing a run in 20 innings.
He tossed five no-hit innings June 23 vs. Johnson City. A week later, he threw the first five innings of Burlington’s combined no-hitter against Pulaski. He’s the only pitcher in the league with multiple double-figure strikeout outings.
“I love catching him,” said Sock Puppets catcher Ryan McCrystal, who plays for East Carolina. “His stuff is so good.”
Cooper holds a 2-1 record with a 3.96 earned run average. In 25 innings, he has allowed 12 hits, 23 walks and racked up a league-leading 45 strikeouts.
“When someone beats him, it’s so rare,” McCrystal said. “And then he beats (that batter) the next time.”
Cooper has drawn praise regarding his pitch command and demeanor.
“One of the things I like about Trey is when an umpire makes a bad call, he’s able to handle it,” second-year Sock Puppets pitching coach Anthony Essien said. “He doesn’t have bad body language.”
In the Appalachian League, the catcher calls pitches for at least the first six innings. Essien said that requires good coordination between the pitcher and catcher. Giving instruction to Cooper has been a smooth process.
“Probably the biggest thing is he’s moving more efficiently,” Essien said of the left-hander’s mechanics. “He showed up a little out of sync.”
After a stint as a reliever, it was time to use him as a starter.
“He wanted to be a starter and he has run with it,” Essien said.
Cooper’s senior high school season with Randleman was shut down because of the pandemic. Later that summer, he suffered a ligament injury that called for Tommy John surgery. He sat out as a redshirt in 2021 at N.C. State and then played briefly last summer for the High Point-Thomasville HiToms in the Coastal Plain League. He attended the 2021 state finals when Randleman won the Class 2-A crown at Burlington Athletic Stadium, which is his home field this summer. He missed this year’s title run by the Tigers because the Sock Puppets were on a road trip.
There’s almost two weeks left in East Division-leading Burlington’s season. Cooper, 20, reports to Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., in mid-August.
Update: Cooper has been selected for the Appalachian League All-Star Game, which will be played at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, in Burlington.
Trevor Marsh turned in a solid season last summer for Asheboro’s team in the CPL. He could be returning. (Randolph Record file photo)
ASHEBORO – Trevor Marsh might be back with Asheboro’s Coastal Plain League baseball team after all.
The former Asheboro High School standout hasn’t played this summer following surgery on his left hand’s index finger that caused his season to be cut short at UNC Wilmington.
Marsh, an outfielder, said last week that he might join the Asheboro ZooKeepers for the final few games of the season if he’s given medical clearance. Last year, he played for the CPL’s Asheboro Copperheads (who since changed names to ZooKeepers).
ZooKeepers head coach Jeremy Knight said adding Marsh could be a boost to the struggling team if the timing work outs despite the limited remaining games.
“He’s itching to get out there,” Knight said.
Marsh has played three seasons for UNCW, with 58 starts. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining because of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. This year, he started in 18 of the 23 games in which he played, batting .294 with one home run (a grand slam vs. Ohio State), one triple and seven doubles before the injury interfered.
If the ZooKeepers aren’t in postseason contention, Knight said it would be easier to give Marsh regular at-bats as he’ll need to work his way back to form.
“We’re falling farther and farther out of the playoff hunt,” Knight said Sunday night after a non-league loss to the Catawba Valley Stars. The ZooKeepers ended last week with five straight CPL defeats.
The ZooKeepers have had another rash of player moves, with injuries and other commitments impacting those. Outfielder Kennedy Jones of UNC Greensboro had his season cut short because of a hamstring injury.
“If it can happen, it has,” Knight said of roster shakeups.
The season ends for the ZooKeepers on July 30 with a home game against the Martinsville Mustangs. Before that, the home slate includes games Saturday night against the High Point-Thomasville HiToms, Monday night against the Savannah Bananas, Tuesday night against the Carolina Disco Turkeys and next Thursday night against the Wilmington Sharks.
Brooks Brannon had an award-winning high school career with Randleman. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
RANDLEMAN – Catcher Brooks Brannon of Randleman was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the ninth round of baseball’s amateur draft Monday.
“It felt like a dream come true,” Brannon said Monday night. “Excited isn’t even the word. It was ecstasy.”
Brannon, 18, is enrolled at North Carolina, where he’ll play for the Tar Heels if he decides to pass on this pro opportunity.
Brannon was selected with the 279th pick overall during the second day of the three-day draft that concludes Tuesday. In that spot, the projected signing bonus is about $158,000, but he could be in line to sign for over slot because draft projections had him going in earlier rounds.
Brannon said he expects a decision about his next steps to be revealed this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday.
Pro scouts were regulars at Randleman games this season to watch Brannon. The Tigers posted a 33-1 record, winning the Class 2-A state championship for the second year in a row.
Brannon was the 20th catcher picked in the draft, and the first taken by the Red Sox. Only one other high school catcher was selected ahead of Brannon, with Lamar King Jr. out of Calvert Hall College High School in Maryland going in the fourth round to the San Diego Padres. King, a Georgia Tech signee, is a native of Canada.
Red Sox scout Spencer Brown had a good attendance rate at Randleman games.
“He was at so many games,” Brannon said. “Some of the scouts joked that he was there so much that he was going to get a locker (in the field house).”
Brannon watched the draft unfold on television from his Randleman home.
“There were definitely some anxious moments, for sure,” Brannon said. “God rewards people’s patience.”
Brannon’s draft status had been a curiosity for many of his now-former Randleman teammates.
“I feel like he’s going to get out there and do his thing and he’s going to work his butt to the majors,” said center fielder Braylen Hayes, a classmate. “That’s what I want to see.”
Randleman coach Jake Smith said Brannon did so much through his high school days that he’s in position to pick between two good choices.
“He has the hard part out of the way because he has a great opportunity at Carolina to go in and make an impact right away,” Smith said. “He’s in a win-win situation the way I look at it.”
Since Randleman won the state title in early June, Brannon stayed away from playing.
“Summer school at Carolina and then whatever happens after that,” he said following the championship series. “I’m just excited to get to Carolina.”
Brannon said his five weeks in Chapel Hill were worthwhile. He was limited to individual workouts, but he said he got better through those.
Brannon had gained scouts’ attention well before the record-setting 2022 season. His 20 home runs were the most in the nation among high school players this year, tying the single-season North Carolina record set by his father, Paul Brannon. He also set state records for a season with 91 runs batted in and 70 hits.
ARCHDALE – An at-large spot on the city council will be the only contested race in Archdale’s elections in November.
Incumbent Lorie McCroskey will have a challenge from Kelly Grooms for that position. McCroskey was appointed to the council last summer when there was reshuffling upon the retirement of long-time mayor Bert Stone.
For the other three spots on the ballot, only incumbents entered by the time filing ended Friday.
Mayor Lewis Dorsett, Ward 1 councilman Larry Warlick and Ward 4 councilman John Glass are unopposed.
ASHEBORO – Two retail stores in Asheboro have been fined by the Department of Agriculture after audits showed they overcharged customers at an unacceptable rate.
Dollar General store at 435 N.C. 49 South and CVS Pharmacy at 440 East Dixie Dr. were cited.
The Department of Agriculture’s Consumer Services’ Standards Division conducts audits of stores around the state to monitor retailers. This process identifies when posted prices in the stores differ from what customers are charged when purchases are scanned at check-out.
There were 42 stores in the state fined across the first three months of 2022 based on the random selection of products when the state conducts audits at stores. If a certain percentage of items rings up as overcharged, stores can be fined.
The Dollar General store was fined $5,595 with an initial error rate of 6%. CVS Pharmacy was fined $795, also with an initial error rate of 6%.
Brooks Brannon had a record-setting high school season with some incredible power-hitting numbers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Randleman catcher awaits draft after season filled with thrills
RANDLEMAN — For all the noise Brooks Brannon can bring to a ballpark, it might be a level of calmness that helped him – and his teammates – most.
Yet there could be more commotion connected to his baseball career this weekend
when baseball’s amateur draft begins, and the Randleman catcher is bound to be among those selected.
Whether he goes from high school to the pros – or chooses a route playing college baseball for North Carolina – his high school career might be unmatched.
Reaching this next opportunity unfolded, in part, because of an approach that extended beyond allowing raw talent and energy to define him.
“The biggest thing I’ve done (last) offseason is trying to quiet my mind and just calm everything down a little bit, and it has been working this year, and I hope to keep doing it,” Brannon said. “It was hard because I’m 100 percent go all the time. It’s pretty hard to rein the horse back, if you know what I mean.
“So doing that was difficult, but I feel I’m getting a better grasp of it, and so that’s important. It’s not something anybody else can do for me; you have to do it yourself and learn it yourself.”
Those lessons translated into team and personal success. As Randleman was on its way to a second consecutive Class 2-A state championship, Brannon set single-season state records for hits (70) and runs batted in (91) and tied the mark for home runs (20) in 34 games.
Batting in the No. 3 spot in a lineup jammed with college prospects, Brannon became the focal point. In the field, he was behind the plate for a pitching staff that routinely dealt shutouts.
That was an ideal composition for coach Jake Smith.
“He’s a great leader. He’s an even-keeled guy,” Smith said. “He’s a mentally tough kid. He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He understands the game well as far as knowing that failure is going to come. He understands that you can’t do anything about it. Just move on to the next at-bat.”
Brannon said he found the right mix.
“I guess I know when to ramp it up and when to draw it back a little bit,” he said. “Learning that was important. I try to be a leader for the guys and a leader for the team and hope I’m doing a good job. I think I’m doing a good job.”
In what became his final prep game, he went to the plate in Randleman’s 12-5 victory against Whiteville in the top of the seventh inning last month. He drove a ball to deep right-center field for a flyout at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
Then he trotted back to the dugout following his last high school at-bat, though he said he didn’t comprehend what was happening with the ensuing ovation, which seemed to be an acknowledgment of his record-setting season and stellar career.
A night earlier in Game 1 of the state finals, Brannon ripped a second-inning single to set the single-season state record for hits. Smith retrieved the ball.
“He deserves it,” the coach said. “It’s something special.”
With each accomplishment, his teammates seemed to take increasing joy.
“He’s the most humble guy I know,” second baseman Kaden Ethier said.
For pitcher Drake Purvis, who just finished his sophomore season and is committed to North Carolina State, Brannon provided a reassuring presence and ideal example.
“Brooks has always been like that,” Purvis said. “He wants to be the best. He’ll calm everything down.”
Brannon enrolled for summer classes last month at North Carolina as he awaits the draft. His prospects range somewhere within the first five rounds. So Smith’s message was to cherish those final months of the high school season.
“He needs to relax and enjoy it because probably after this, it’s a little different,” Smith said. “It turns into his job. I think he’ll get drafted high enough where he’s going to have to make a decision.”
They’re watching
By last October, in a showcase event in Jupiter, Fla., it was clear that Brannon had caught the attention of just about every major-league organization.
That resulted in a steady stream of scouts showing up at Randleman games this season.
“It’s a lot of pressure every time you go out there; there’s all of that,” said Paul Brannon, his father.
The younger Brannon knew the scouts had eyes fixed on him. He deflected that on game nights.
“It hasn’t affected me playing,” he said. “It hasn’t affected me mentally – and it shouldn’t. I’m just here to have fun. Here to have fun and play with my brothers one last time.”
Pro prospect Brooks Brannon was a mainstay behind the plate as Randleman’s catcher. (PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD)
His teammates appreciated how he’s unfazed.
“He doesn’t feel the pressure,” senior pitcher Ryan White said. “He’s calm, cool, collected. He does his job. He’s just out there to do what he can do to help the team win.”
Scouts usually gathered behind the backstop, often ending up down the first-base line for a vantage point on the right-handed batter. They’ve gone through this drill before, perhaps a few decades ago at Kings Mountain.
“A lot of scouts who scouted me in high school are scouting him,” Paul Brannon said.
Brooks Brannon kept doing his thing, no matter who was watching.
“To me, that’s the most impressive thing — you’ve got numerous scouts out here every night just watching him. He’s a 17-year-old kid out there,” Smith said earlier this spring. “That’s a lot of pressure. He doesn’t let it get to him. He enjoys it. I think he understands; he’s not playing for them. They’re here to watch him.”
At a certain point, amid the lineup of big-bashing Tigers, this all seemed normal to Brannon.
“Just trying to see it and hit it right now. Nothing too crazy,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay unconscious and keep hitting. I’m not really thinking about anything. I’m just seeing the ball and hitting the ball.”
There already was a Brannon in the state record books — Paul Brannon. He held the North Carolina single-season record for home runs with 20 in 1989 for Kings Mountain.
The specifics of the record pursuit weren’t discussed much.
“I call it chasing the ghost,” Paul Brannon said, “and I was the ghost.”
When the record-tying homer sailed over the fence in the opening game of the Class 2-A regional finals against visiting Community School of Davidson, it came with quite a response.
“(People) were talking about when it happened, he jumped out of his seat with both hands, and he ran down the steps,” the catcher said of his father. “I haven’t ever seen him run. Seeing him happy, it just made my night.”
While the home run standard is certainly a topic that’s connected to family, the RBI mark has a special place.
“The RBI record is a team record,” Brannon said. “So I think my guys who scored should have their name up there just as (much) as mine. Driving in runs is the name of the game. More runs equals more wins, so I think that record means more than the home run record.”
Power production
Brannon has a 220-pound frame, seemingly made for a catcher.
Regardless of hitting home runs at a rapid rate, Brannon refuses to make it complicated.
“I’m hitting it where they’re pitching it, I guess. I don’t know how else to describe it,” he said. “I’ve always had power. I was always really, really strong for my age. Just the refined approach, I don’t have to muscle up to hit the ball. If I just stay smooth and I stick to my approach, I’ll hit it. I figured that when I stay loose, I’ll hit it a lot farther than when I try to hit it far.”
So, where does this power stem from?
“My butt, my legs,” he said. “I feel like I’m a pretty big kid, and most of my weight is down there, and that’s where I generate most of my power. Hip rotation.”
Third baseman Hunter Atkins batted a spot in front of Brannon in Randleman’s order. He often was on base with the slugger at the plate.
“You’ve just got to be ready for it,” Atkins said. “You’ve got to keep your feet going because he hits the ball so hard. You’ve got to read the ball as hard as he hits it. Line shots, that’s what he does best. The way the ball jumps off the bat.”
Atkins also benefited from taking a slower pace around the bases after Brannon deposited balls over fences. He marvels at the source of the power.
“His legs, for sure. His legs and his hips,” Atkins said. “A big factor in baseball is your legs. If I’d have them legs, I’d love it. Definitely his legs, and his hands.”
When reference was made to an outdated roster listing him at 190 pounds, Brannon smiled.
“Maybe like freshman year,” he said. “Not now; I’m a little bit heavier now.”
Probably wiser, too.
It was no secret that Brannon had developed talents to put him on major-college scouting radars and eventually on pro scouts’ must-see lists. Then other parts fell into place.
“He has always had the skill set as far as physical ability, but he has learned a lot,” said Trey Cooper, a former Randleman teammate and now a Division I pitcher. “You can tell; now he has the IQ behind the plate.”
It was clear through the 2022 season that Brannon’s preferred topic was the Tigers and not individual accolades coming from all directions.
“It’s just a great way to cap off senior year,” he said. “I’m just happy that we won a state championship. I’m OK with the fact that I did what I needed to do to help my team win. Records or not, I did what I needed to do to help us win.”
That might be an understatement.
“He’s just special. He’s a special kid,” Smith said. “He deserves everything he gets because he works so hard, and he does the right things. I’m happy for him, excited for his future.”
Blake Marsh has been a factor for Randolph County Post 45 in the American Legion baseball playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Randolph County Post 45 and Eastern Randolph Post 81 took different paths to reach the Area 3 playoff semifinals for American Legion baseball.
Both ways worked out.
Post 45 rolled to 14-0 and 9-0 victories against Mooresville Post 66 in the best-of-3 quarterfinals.
Post 81 lost its series opener against Stanley County, then recovered to win twice Thursday night to keep its season alive.
Due to field availability issues in Asheboro, Game 1 was played at Mooresville, with Post 45 using Trey Way’s 3-for-4 effort at the plate along with four runs batted in from both Drew Harmon and Tanner Marsh. Robert Garner threw four innings and Braylen Hayes worked the fifth to complete the mercy-shortened five-inning romp.
In Game 2 at McCrary Park, Randolph County rode the pitching of Way, Blake Marsh and Connor Adams to secure another shutout and clinch the series.
Blake Marsh supplied a three-run triple in the second inning after Post 45 scored twice in the first inning on Tanner Marsh’s run-scoring double and Way’s RBI single. Adam Cole and Tatum Marsh had two-out singles in the third to stretch the gap to 8-0. Carson Whitehead’s single drove in a fifth-inning run.
Next for Randolph County (24-8) is the best-of-5 series against Kannapolis, with Games 1 and 2 at home Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (8 p.m.)
Eastern Randolph had to wait a day to qualify for the next round after Wednesday night’s Game 2 was postponed because of weather. As it turned out, all three games were played at Craven Stadium in Ramseur because Stanly County’s field was deemed unplayable after Wednesday’s storms.
Post 81 needed to win twice Thursday, doing so by 13-3 and 13-4 scores. In Game 2, Luke Thomas struck out 10 in five innings. Samuel Asbill was the winning pitcher in Game 3.
Chance Terry, who drove in six runs, and Carson Rickman each had five hits in the two games combined. Thomas was 4-for-8 at the plate.
In Tuesday night’s Game 1, Post 81 rallied from a 6-0 deficit to tie the game only to fall 7-6 when visiting Stanly County scored a run in the top of the seventh. Parker Evans drove in two runs and Thomas notched two hits.
Post 81 (16-11) takes on Rowan County in the semifinal round, set to begin Saturday at Catawba College in Salisbury.
Coming in the next Randolph Record edition:
** Find out how Randolph County Post 45 turned around its season after a slow start.
** It has been a breakthrough season for Eastern Randolph Post 81.
