Sanderson leads Swett to win over Lumberton PEMBROKE — Before every batter, Sean Sanderson goes through a multi-step ritual on the mound.
He’ll touch his toes behind the rubber and straighten the legs of his pants before taking off his hat and wiping sweat with his sleeve.
Sanderson’s routine need not be tweaked because there’s a reason the senior lefty has earned the title of Purnell Swett's ace.
The player of few words tossed another 6 2/3 innings of effective baseball in Thursday’...
Wednesday's Roundup: Fairmont sweeps St. Pauls FAIRMONT — Alex Britt and the Golden Tornadoes closed out the regular season on senior night Wednesday with a 6-0 victory over St. Pauls.
Britt was his usual self on the mound for Three Rivers Conference champion Fairmont, tossing a complete game one-hitter with 12 strikeouts. He’s now fanned 71 batters in 39 2/3 career innings against the Bulldogs.
Jhamel Leonard was nearly as effective as St. Pauls’ starter, giving up just three hits in th...
Prep Elite Poll: Fairmont’s a strong and deserving No. 1 This one may have been the greatest accomplishment yet if you ask Fairmont coach Sandy Thorndyke. The Golden Tornadoes wrapped up their fifth consecutive conference championship this week, a few months after their veteran skipper admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect from a team that returned just two players from last season. Early-season struggles at the plate would eventually end, but the program’s elite pitching remained its strength. I...
Local Roundup: Locklear's no-hitter gets Rams past Hoke PEMBROKE — Austin Lee Locklear got his team a step closer to the playoffs Tuesday.
The Purnell Swett pitcher threw a no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Hoke County in five innings that guaranteed his team a top-four finish in the SEC standings. Ironeyes Locklear led the Rams with a 3-for-4 day, and Christian Locklear and Tyler Maynor each went 2 for 3.
The Lady Rams softball team found its offensive rhythm at the right time in Tuesday’s 11-6 win o...
Pirates implode defensively in much-needed game LUMBERTON — Nestled in his usual spot in shallow right field, Paul Hodges met with six emotionally-spent seniors after sounding off on the rest of his team following Tuesday’s 12-4 loss to Scotland.
It wasn’t how Lumberton’s veteran baseball coach expected to send out his core of veterans in their final home game.
“My heart bleeds for those guys because I know how hard they’ve worked,” Hodges said. “But, we as a team, haven’t handled pressur...
Monday's Roundup: Johnson finishes 2nd with 74 LUMBERTON — With the warm sun and a lack of clouds Monday, the Southeastern Conference golf teams couldn’t ask for much more from the weather at Pinecrest Country Club Monday.
Except for the wind, that is.
“There was one-club winds, two club winds. If it was behind you, you were scared to hit a shorter club and come up short, but if it was in your face, it was weird hitting a 6-iron for 150 yards,” Lumberton junior Colby Johnson said. “You h...
Lumberton, Swett baseball playing for postseason berth LUMBERTON — Two wins and they’re in. Lumberton’s postseason chances took a serious hit after a loss two weeks ago to Pinecrest, but thanks to Purnell Swett’s unexpected three-game slide down the stretch, the Pirates have new life with two games remaining in the regular season. A win over Scotland tonight at home sets up a winner-take-all contest between the Pirates and Rams on Thursday in Pembroke. Lumberton (8-12, 3-5) owns the head-to-head...
FRINGE: Black's Tire tourney a success So much for superstitions.
The 13th annual Black’s Tire and Auto Service Charity Golf Tournament was the best in its history as Black’s Tire and Auto Service owners Ricky and Dianne Benton, helped their family, co-workers, friends and business associates raise $75,092 to benefit the children of Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina.
“Dianne and I love our children and it is hard for us to understand how meeting the needs of children cannot ...
UNCP Roundup: Black dominates in spring game PEMBROKE – Luke Charles threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns on 25-of-34 passing and sophomore Tamari White ran for 75 yards on 17 carries as the Black won 41-0 win over their Gold counterparts in the seventh annual UNCP Black & Gold Spring Game on Saturday at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
“It went the way we hoped it would,” said UNCP coach Pete Shinnick. “We got a lot of plays in and everybody got an opportunity to see where they are and wha...
Errors cost Braves in series opener PEMBROKE — As Paul O’Neil sat in his dugout following his team’s 7-5 loss to Armstrong Atlantic, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke baseball coach was left largely thinking about the errors.
“At the end of the day we made too many mistakes to win the baseball game,” O’Neil said. “We gave them a few runs that were unearned and that was the difference in the game.”
The Braves had three errors in the game, which allowed two unearned r...
