North’s Scorpions rout North Pitt in state playoffs

Staff Report

The North Brunswick High School baseball team beat North Pitt 14-3 in five innings Friday in a third-round game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 2A state baseball playoffs.
The Scorpions scored six runs in the second inning in taking a 7-2 lead. With the bases loaded, Kevon Perkins hit a sacrifice fly that tied the score 2-2. Steven Linkous drove in run. With two outs and the bases loaded after an intentional walk, Tyler Barnes singled home two runs. Jacob Shumate drove in the final two runs by hitting a double, and that gave the Scorpions a 7-2 lead.
Kevon Perkins hit a home run in the third inning. In the fourth, the Scorpions scored four runs, two of them on a home run by Chris Graham, his first of the season. He finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs. He is batting .385.
North (20-4) finished with 18 hits in five innings. Tyler Barnes (batting .354) and Linkous (batting .466) each had three hits.
Winning pitcher David Zacek (6-1, 2.01 ERA) gave up two hits, one of them a two-run home run in the first inning. He walked two and struck out nine.
North advanced to the second round by beating Topsail 4-1 May 15. Topsail lost for just the fifth time in 25 games this season.
North’s Matt Lowry gave up two hits and one unearned run in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.
He also was 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and three RBIs. He has hit five home runs this season. Jared Strange was 2-for-4. Kevon Perkins hit a double.
The victory Friday advanced North to a sectional game May 22 at Whiteville. The winner advances to a three-game regional series Thursday through Saturday. The regional winner will play in the state championship series June 1-2 at a site to be determined.
North softball
Beddingfield scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning—three on a home run—and one in the seventh to beat North Brunswick 7-6 in a second-round game of the state softball playoffs.
North led 6-2 entering the bottom of the sixth before Beddingfield, which was held to six hits for the game, rallied for the victory. Beddingfield is 22-3.
North (10-12) finished with 11 hits. Macey Bordeaux was 2-for-3 with one double and two RBIs. Kasey Klutz was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Stacy Fodrie was 2-for-4 with one RBI. Meagan Spivey was 2-for-4. Meghan Barrett was 2-for-4 with one RBI.