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Local Roundup: East Rutherford baseball (11-4, 7-2) took care of rivals R-S Central and Chase this past week. Pitching and defense continues to bode well for the Cavaliers. They continue to have a two game lead in the 2A portion of the SMAC, while Crest leads the conference overall.
Chase (7-6, 3-6)took a split this week, mildly upsetting R-S Central and nearly down East Rutherford. Chase will host Draughn on Friday (4/17)
Thomas Jefferson baseball (4-5, 1-4) took two of three games last week. Austin McInnis and Brandon Riggs batted three runs in during the week and Zac Parks earned a victory from the hill.
R-S Central (7-5, 5-4) baseball fell twice last week and scored just two runs all week. They now get a three game homestand as they face Crest (4/17) Shelby (4/22) and Bessemer City (4/23). The Hilltoppers still sit second among the 2A teams in the SMAC, while Chase is tied for third.
Softball: R-S Central (8-2, 7-4) and East Rutherford (8-4, 7-1) posed a heck of a battle this past week that took 11 innings to complete. East Rutherford emerged victorious 4-3, well over three hours later. It was East Rutherford pitching and defense that came out on top over R-S Central’s poised bats. The two will square off again in Rutherfordton on May 5th. East Rutherford takes a half game lead over R-S Central for first place in the 2A portion of the conference, while Kings Mountain leads overall. East Rutherford won’t be at home again until April 24. R-S Central will host Crest April 17.
Chase (6-6, 3-5) was shutout twice by East Rutherford and R-S Central, but they hold third place from the 2A portion of the SMAC. Chase will host Draughn on Friday April 17.
Thomas Jefferson softball picked up it’s second win on the season with a 7-4 win over Community School of Davidson.
Girls Soccer: East Rutherford (5-5, 4-5) took R-S Central to overtime, but ultimately, the Lady Hilltoppers prevailed 2-1. East Rutherford’s Emily Elgin scored two goals, Paris Baker (one) and Angie Mendoza (one) this past week. East Rutherford will not play at home again until April 24 against Shelby.
While R-S Central (5-4, 5-3) got past East Rutherford, they also took care of Chase in a conference sweep last week. They will not play again until hosting Shelby on April 21. Shelby owns the 2A portion of the SMAC with R-S Central second and third. The top three teams from the 2A side of the conference will likely make the postseason.
Thomas Jefferson (4-1-1, 1-1) hasn’t played a game since March 25 and they won’t be at home again until April 27 against Community School of Davidson.
NBA Playoffs: Real quickly, I think we all know that Cleveland and Atlanta are destined to meet in the East finals. Chicago could in fact make a run if they can get and stay healthy. On the west side, Seven of the first eight teams could legitimately win that side of the bracket. When in doubt, pick the Spurs. I got them facing Golden State and Golden State facing Cleveland for the Championship. I will take Golden State in five.
The Masters: Jordan Speith won golf’s biggest tourney last weekend in Augusta. Finishing runner-up a year ago could give a young man some motivation and he prove it in a big way. Speith was nearly unconsciously sinking a record-tying 18 under par. That’s unheard of considering the greens are fast and pin locations are ridiculously tough at Augusta National. While it did tie Tiger Woods mark in 1997, the story could never trump Tiger’s. However, nobody has ever led wire-to-wire at Augusta since 1976. I venture to say that it will probably be another 20-30 years before we see it again. The course, the players, the weather and the stress of trying to win that tourney is like no other. All are factors and it was amazing that a 21-year old could stay that calm and composed on that big of a stage.
