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Brent Haynes

UCA baseball after winning regional at ER

UCA Eagles sweep Eastern Randolph in regional finals

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UCA team members gather after winning the Class 1-A West Region title.

Clutch late-inning work boosts UCA’s baseball team

RAMSEUR – It was pretty much a matter of Uwharrie Charter Academy’s baseball team making the best of tough situations Thursday night.

By doing so, the Eagles are heading to where they want to go.

UCA completed a Class 1-A West Regional finals sweep of Eastern Randolph by winning 8-1 in Game 2, scoring all their runs in the last two innings.

“It still hasn’t sunk in,” UCA senior Ben Medinger said of the chance to play for a state title.

The Eagles (20-10) will play in the state championship series against North Moore or Voyager Academy on June 2-3 in either Burlington or Holly Springs. Game 2 of the East Region finals is set for Friday night, with a possible Game 3 on Saturday.

After a tense series with Eastern Randolph, the Eagles will have a few days to relax. UCA and Eastern Randolph are the Piedmont Athletic Conference’s only Class 1-A teams, and they made it through the bracket for this showdown.

“We just kind of ran out of steam,” Eastern Randolph coach Brent Haynes said.

UCA is now 4-0 vs. the Wildcats (8-19) this season, but it was far from easy.

Eastern Randolph pitcher Stratton Barwick blanked the second-seeded Eagles across the first five innings. UCA coach Rob Shore said the Eagles had trouble solving Barwick, a left-hander, during a 4-3, 10-inning victory more than a month earlier during the regular season.

Meanwhile, UCA had freshman pitcher Jake Hunter up to the task on the mound, though it was taxing for several reasons.

“I haven’t gone seven too often,” he said of the complete game.

There were concerns about him making it that far after he absorbed a line drive off Barwick’s bat for what became the last out of the fifth inning. The liner pelted Hunter in the stomach – and he had a sizable reminder imprinted on his midsection afterward.

Hunter keeled over, while second baseman Troy Carver retrieved the ball and recorded the out with a throw to first.

“It hurt in the beginning,” Hunter said.

“I think it scared him more than anything,” Shore said.

At the time, the Eagles trailed 1-0. They went ahead in the top of the sixth.

Grat Dalton’s one-out single brought in the tying run. Walker Wilkins’ sacrifice fly put UCA ahead.

In the bottom of the inning, No. 21 seed Eastern Randolph put a couple of runners on base without a hit with one out. Hunter responded with two strikeouts to thwart the threat.

In UCA’s six-run seventh, all the scoring came with two outs.

“We showed (relentlessness) with every one of those coming with two outs,” Carver said.

Carver’s two-out single began the scoring outburst. Medinger drove in the next two runs with his first triple of the season. The Eagles piled on more runs courtesy of some fielding blunders and Caleb Stickle’s two-run single.

“We put them up when we needed it,” UCA right fielder Carter Brown said of the runs.

That marked the end of Barwick’s pitching.

Hunter ended up with a three-hitter.

“Jake absolutely shoved,” Carver said.

Throughout the game, the good thing for Hunter was that he had third baseman Landen Zephir making a variety of defensive plays on his behalf. Those were among the reasons that potential Eastern Randolph threats were doused.

“We just could not get that hit,” Haynes said.

The Eagles achieved what they sought in their first road game of the playoffs. It was capped by a typical on-field celebration.

For Brown, a junior, the setting had significance.

“It meant 10 times more to me because this is my home (district),” he said of playing on Eastern Randolph’s field.

Eastern Randolph senior Pierce Leonard was on the flip side. He’s a transfer from UCA. Leonard scored the Wildcats’ only run.

Eastern Randolph doubled its win total during the state playoffs in Haynes’ first season.

“Guys knew they were better than a 4-17 record,” he said. “We just started finishing games. That kind of came back and got us (in this series).”

The Eagles scored nine of their 12 runs in the series in the sixth or seventh innings.

“We were a couple of outs away from being in a state championship,” Haynes said.

UCA also eliminated the Wildcats last year, though that came in a third-round clash.

In Tuesday night’s Game 1 at UCA, the Eagles broke a tie in the sixth inning for a 4-3 victory with Brett Smith and Logun Wilkins providing the pitching. Brown scored two runs and Carver rapped a triple.

Eastern Randolph held a 3-1 lead after posting three runs in the second inning with Alex Kivett’s run-producing double one of the big blows. Samuel Asbill pitched a complete game for the Wildcats.

ER baseball players after game at SA

Homecoming goes sour for Eastern Randolph baseball coach

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Eastern Randolph team members gather after Wednesday night’s loss at Southern Alamance.

MT. HERMON – Brent Haynes took his Eastern Randolph baseball team to face his alma mater Wednesday night, but he was watching from a distance for the final few innings.

So the outcome didn’t go as preferred for the Wildcats, who had late-game struggles in a 17-11 road loss to Southern Alamance.

A controversial play in the bottom of the fourth inning stirred emotions after what already was shaping up as a high-scoring game. Haynes, a first-year coach, was dismissed by the umpires as part of the fallout.

Then Southern Alamance’s nine-run sixth inning turned out to be the big blow.

“It’s kind of embarrassing,” Haynes said of the situation in general, calling out the two-man umpiring crew. “It’s tough to come back here and get run.”

Eastern Randolph appeared to escape the bottom of the fourth inning when Southern Alamance’s Nathan Teague was called out on an attempted steal of third base. The umpires conferred and changed the call, so the Wildcats had to go back onto the field following a prolonged argument.

Tensions grew when Southern Alamance’s Braxton Cain extended the inning with a two-run single to trim Eastern Randolph’s lead to 9-8.

“There’s no way a home plate umpire can overturn a stolen base,” Haynes said.

Before the top of the fifth, Eastern Randolph assistant coach Logan Beasley was ejected. Per high school rules, that led to the disqualification of Haynes as well.

“I hate that it went down like that,” said Southern Alamance coach Jason Smith, who was Haynes’ high school coach.

The game already had various twists and turns.

Starting pitcher Lucas Smith of Eastern Randolph hit a two-run home run in the second inning.

The Wildcats trailed 6-2 before rallying with two outs in the third. Alex Kivett provided a two-run single on a full-count pitch before a pair of wild pitches allowed Eastern Randolph to tie the score.

Pierce Leonard’s three-run double with two outs in the fourth put the Wildcats on top 9-6.

Later, Leonard was hit by a pitch to force in a run in the sixth for a 10-8 lead before Southern Alamance’s big uprising.

Haynes, who was a member of Southern Alamance’s 2005 state championship team, had been an assistant coach with the Patriots. Last summer, he left to take the Eastern Randolph job.

“I’m glad to be in Randolph County with different umpires,” Haynes said.

Eastern Randolph (1-8) has lost five games by three runs or less.

“We’re the best 1-8 team in the state,” Haynes said. “We should be sitting in a lot different situation than we are. … We’re right there. It hasn’t completely gotten there yet.”

Southern Alamance’s four pitchers issued a combined 13 walks. The Patriots improved to 5-4.

PG girls soccer v West Davidson March2023

Prep Roundup: Wheatmore girls start in good soccer groove; Mixed results in baseball, softball

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Providence Grove’s Rori Luther makes a move with West Davidson’s Marly Gouker approaching during last week’s game. West Davidson won 1-0. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Wheatmore opened the season with a 6-0 victory with Ellie Garrison scoring four goals against visiting Ledford last week in girls’ soccer.

Natalie Bowman and Summer Bowman had the other goals.

It was a nice start for the Warriors, who were undefeated Class 2-A state champions with a  25-0 record last year.

Here are some other items of note from the opening week of the spring season:

Baseball

** Randleman suffered an 11-0, six-inning loss March 1 at Northwest Guilford. That marked the first setback for the Tigers to in-state opponent since June 26, 2021, vs. Rutherfordton-Spindale Central in Game 2 of the Class 2-A state championship series. The Tigers responded later that day to win Game 3 and claim the title.

Last week’s opener went better for the Tigers, who defeated visiting Asheboro 13-2. The game ended in the sixth inning on Hunter Atkins’ three-run home run that clicked in the mercy rule.

** Eastern Randolph opened the season with an 8-3 home victory against Seaforth in coach Brent Haynes’ debut. In the Wildcats’ next game, Stratton Barwick struck out 10 batters in a 5-4 home loss to Eastern Guilford.

** Uwharrie Charter Academy lost its first game under new coach Rob Shore. That setback came by 6-5 at Ledford, where Shore coached a few years ago.

** Eli Gravely of Southwestern Randolph had a four-RBI outing in a 14-4 victory at Montgomery Central.

** Providence Grove opened the season with two non-conference victories for the first time since 2018, defeating visiting Southern Guilford 7-6 in eight innings and host Seaforth 4-2. Lemuel Coltrane had the game-winning hit against Southern Guilford.

** Parker Kines had 12 strikeouts in Wheatmore’s 10-0, five-inning victory against visiting Walkertown.

Softball

Providence Grove has had a couple of challenging games to begin the season.

The Patriots opened with a 4-2 home victory against Southern Guilford. Emma Mazzarone struck out 17 in the two-hitter. Gracie Smith drove in two runs.

Then came a 7-0 home loss to Oak Grove.

Last year, Providence Grove built a 24-0 record before a loss in the Class 2-A state playoffs.

** Southwestern Randolph went nine innings for a 2-1 victory against West Stanly, winning on Madison Varner’s game-ending single. Macie Crutchfield registered 17 strikeouts. The game was scoreless until the ninth inning.

Eastern Randolph baseball coach Brent Haynes

New Eastern Randolph baseball coach holds ties in region

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RAMSEUR – Brent Haynes figured that he would land a job as a head coach for a baseball team when the right opportunity came around.

Eastern Randolph athletics director Foster Cates had the same thing in mind for Haynes.

So this week, Haynes begins his first season as coach of the Wildcats.

“I’m pumped up. I’ve always wanted to have my own program,” Haynes said. “To have the opportunity present itself is pretty exciting for me.”

Eastern Randolph was in need of a coach last summer after Mitchell Frazier stepped away.

“I had been telling (Haynes) that when we had an opening that I would be calling him,” Cates said. “And I did.”

Haynes, 35, is a Southern Alamance alum and a former pitching coach with the Patriots. He also has coached with Impact Baseball and, most recently, Dirtbags, a pair of prominent travel ball programs.

As a player in high school, Haynes was a pitcher and third baseman for Southern Alamance. In his junior season in 2005, the Patriots won the Class 3-A state championship and he was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the title series.

“It’s not a surprise to me (that he has a head-coaching role),” said Southern Alamance coach Jason Smith, who coached Haynes in high school. “In high school, he was always a leader and a thinker.”

Haynes played collegiately for Young Harris in Georgia and for Mount Olive. From there, his coaching roles have included multiple stints with Southern Alamance, a couple of years as Guilford Tech’s pitching coach and a season at Chapel Hill High School.

He coached a Dirtbags age-group team for several years as it rose through the ranks, including last summer. Infielders Hunter Atkins of Randleman and Tyler Parks of Southwestern Randolph played for Haines’ team with the Dirtbags.

Those relationships remain in place.

“He came up with our group, just a great guy, great coach,” Atkins said. “I love talking to him. I helped him with the field over there (at Eastern Randolph) and he helped me with some pitching.”

Haynes had been teaching at Southern Alamance Middle School before taking a spot this school year as a physical education teacher at Eastern Randolph.

The Wildcats were 9-17 overall and 4-8 in the Piedmont Athletic Conference last year. Eastern Randolph hasn’t had a winning season since going 15-9 in 2017.

“I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good,” Haynes said. “We’ve got a good mixture of some seniors and some underclassmen who are going to be in the lineup every day.”