LUMBERTON — Five Robeson County teams on Monday learned who they will face in the postseason as pairings for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association playoffs were revealed.
Fairmont and Red Springs will play in the baseball tournament, while Lumberton and Purnell Swett earned spots in the softball bracket. Purnell Swett was also the only school in the county to qualify for the girls soccer tournament.
The 17th-seeded Fairmont baseball team (17-6) will travel to Holly Ridge take on No. 16 Dixon (13-10) in the first round. Fairmont went 7-3 in its last 10 games and finished third in the Three Rivers Conference.
Seniors Seth Thorndyke and Randy Floyd are the team’s driving forces offensively. Thorndyke finished the regular season hitting .556 at the plate with 23 RBIs and nine doubles. Floyd is hitting .455 with 12 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
Floyd, a University of North Carolina at Pembroke signee, is also the ace of the Tornadoes’ pitching staff. He has a 1.12 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings.
Dixon placed second in the Coastal 8 Conference. Senior Carson Capps has a team-high batting average of .438 to go along with 20 RBIs and 25 runs scored.
Bryce Brinson has a 0.89 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings for the Bulldogs. Austin Thompson leads the team with 35 innings on the mound, posting an ERA of 1.80 with 35 strikeouts.
No. 23 Red Springs (15-9) will face No. 10 West Craven (18-5) in Vanceboro. The Red Devils ended the season by snapping a two-game skid with a win over St. Pauls on Thursday.
Four juniors — Gabriel Locklear, Jaylen Mack, Jayshawn Carthen and Darren Bowen — are all batting above .300 for the Red Devils. Locklear has the highest mark at .438 with a pair of home runs and 16 RBIs.
Bowen reached the 100-strikeout milestone on the mound in the season finale. He holds a 1.22 ERA in 47 1/3 innings, and opponents are hitting .159 against him.
West Craven ended the season on a four-game win streak. Seniors Caleb Morris, Will Wetherington and Grant Dizon are among the leaders offensively for the Eagles.
In the softball bracket, No. 14 Purnell Swett (15-7) will host No. 19 Ardrey Kell (16-7). The Robeson County Slugfest champions finished third in the Sandhills Athletic Conference after falling to Jack Britt in the league tournament.
Seniors Madison Strickland and Kaitlyn Hunt have accounted for five of the team’s nine home runs this season. Strickland has a batting average of .429 with 22 RBIs and six doubles, while Hunt is batting .422 with 23 RBIs, seven doubles and a triple.
Junior JaiLeana Deese is a contributor in all aspects of the game for the Lady Rams. She bats .410 and also holds a 2.71 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings.
Ardrey Kell notched a third-place finish in the South Meck Conference. The Knights won eight of their last 10 games.
No. 15 Lumberton (15-9) is set to host No. 18 Rolesville (11-8). The Lady Pirates are 10-3 at home this season.
Raford commit Madison Canady is the team’s leading batter with an average of .500 at the plate. She also has 38 RBIs and eight home runs.
The Lady Pirates have a few pitching options with UNCW commit Morgan Britt not available to throw for the rest of the year. Mallori Allen, Nakayia Hunt and Ariel Allbrooks have all seen time in the circle for Lumberton.
Rolesville finished third in the Northern Conference, defeating Knightdale in the first round of its league tournament before falling to Heritage and Corinth Holders.
Senior Mary Elaine Murdock leads the Rams with a .458 batting average and 26 runs scored. She also has 20 RBIs.
Summer Howerton has a team-high 65 1/3 innings in the circle, tallying 58 strikeouts and 13 walks.
The 24th-seeded Purnell Swett soccer team (12-8) will play on the road against Page (11-4-1). Sophomore Abi Lowry leads the Lady Rams with 28 goals. Layla Locklear has a team-high 13 assists.
The Lady Rams finished in fourth place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference, defeating fifth-place Lumberton twice to help secure their position.
Tatum Neff leads Page with 18 goals. Page finished second in the Metro Conference.
