Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - It's a busy time with American Legion Baseball Area IV playoffs, the conclusion of American Legion softball, along with boys Diamond Youth Baseball and girls Dixie Youth Softball state tournaments. The Cherryville Post 100 Juniors captured the NC Area IV Championship on Sunday, July 12, and the Dixie Youth softball teams in all three divisions have been having a great showing at the NC State Tournament over the weekend. A reminder that all start times and locations are subject to change due to the unpredictable nature of summertime weather. Information and statistics were current at the time of writing and might have since been updated or changed.
The first round of the Area IV playoffs was held July 5th-8th. The top 8 teams competed in 4 best-of-3-of-5 game series. In the Cherryville vs Hickory series, Cherryville took game 1 by a score of 10-0; Hickory won game 2 by one run, 3-2; Cherryville won game 3 by a score of 15-5; and Cherryville completed the series by winning game 4, 15-3. The Shelby vs Gastonia series saw Shelby win 3 games to complete a sweep. Post 82 won by scores of 2-0, 11-4, and 7-6. The Caldwell County vs Gaston Braves series consisted of two blowouts and two close games. The Braves were up two games to none after 5-4 and 14-9 victories before Caldwell took game 3 with a 5-4 score. Gaston completed the series in game 4, winning 19-5. The Asheville vs Rutherford County series also featured two close games and two by large margins of victory. Game 1 was won by Asheville 7-2. Rutherford County tied the series in the next game by winning 2-1. Asheville won the final two games 20-0 and 10-3.
There were no surprises with the final four teams. These teams have been in the top four or close for most of the season. Two series, consisting of four teams, remain before the Area IV Championship finals. The semifinal round will also be a best-of-3 series, with Cherryville vs Gaston Braves and Shelby vs Asheville. There is a possibility of three Area IV teams making the NC State Tournament if Cherryville defeats the Gaston Braves, since Gaston is hosting the tournament, they are automatically qualified. The twist this year is that if the host team is not the Area IV Champion or runner-up, they will play the Area IV runner-up in a play-in game the day before the tournament officially begins. Basically, the loser of that first game would enter the tournament in the loser's bracket with one loss. If the Braves win the series against Cherryville, only two Area IV teams will advance, and there will be no need for the pre-tournament game. There is plenty of action left between now and then, so we will break it down in more detail if that scenario occurs.
The two series of the semifinal round have begun. They will continue July 11th-15th, weather permitting. Finishing the series on time will determine how many games will be played in the championship series. As of now, that series is scheduled as a best 3 of 5; however, with both teams advancing to the state, it might be reduced to a best 2 of 3 or even a one-game winner-take-all scenario. We'll let you know the details once the current round is complete.
The two opening games of the second round could not have been more opposite. Game 1 of the Shelby Post 82 vs Asheville 70 Cardinals series was a pitcher's duel. Wyatt McSwain came out on the winning end as Selby defeated Asheville 3-1 to take an early 1-0 series lead. McSwain was in a zone as he recorded 21 outs. He threw a complete 7-inning game, allowing 1 unearned run, 2 hits, striking out 7, and walking 2 batters. The Cardinals, Landyn Wright, pitched a great game, but it was not enough to overcome the outing by Shelby's McSwain. Wright pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 runs, 4 hits, struck out 3, and walked 1 batter.
The rest between round one and round two energized the bats of Cherryville. Leading hitter Tucker Sigmon and the hot-hitting Nate Rollins and Cason McGinnis lit up the scoreboard for Post 100 in their opener against the dangerous Gaston Braves. Although capable of putting up bunches of runs in a short span, the Braves' bats were mostly silent thanks to the performance on the mound by Tyler Gates. In Cherryville's 12-2 run-rule victory, Gates pitched 5 innings, allowing 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts. He retired the last 8 batters he faced in a row. At the plate, Cherryville collected 12 hits, with most of the damage coming from 6 doubles and 3 home runs. Tucker Sigmon hit his 9th four-bagger of the season as he went yard with a 2-run home run that was just shy of the 380' mark. He was 2-3, scoring 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Cason McGinnis was 2-2 on the night with a 2-run home run and a double, scoring 1 run and 2 RBIs; he was also hit by a pitch. Nate Rollins, who went 2-3 with a walk, scoring 1 run and 1 RBI, hit a walk-off solo home run as the leadoff batter in the fifth inning to preserve the 12-2 victory. Cherryville leads the series 1-0.
Sunday, July 12, was game two for both series. In the Shelby v/s Asheville series, it appeared as if Asheville would cruise to victory before a fierce comeback attempt by Shelby that fell one run short in the top of the seventh to allow the Cardinals to squeak out the win, 7-6, and tie the series at 1-1. Jackson Pavone earned the win for Post 70. He allowed 5 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, and struck out 2 in six innings pitched. Leading the rally for Shelby was Wyatt McSwain, who went 3-4 and 2 RBIs. Max Davis also had 3 hits on the night. The series will move back to Shelby on Monday at 7 pm.
The Cherryville vs. Gaston Braves series saw Post 100 jump out to a big early lead. Gaston finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, then Cherryville scored 5 runs on zero hits in the top of the seventh. The Braves added 4 more in the bottom of the seventh, but it was not enough as they fell 12-5 to Cherryville. The series is now led by Cherryville 2-0. Several Cherryville batters continued their hot hitting. Cason McGinnis went 3-4, scored 3 runs, and had 1 RBI. Adam Rodgers added an RBI as he went 2-4 and scored 2 runs. Each team stole 6 bases. Tucker Sigmon and Nate Rollins each stole 2 for Cherryville. Colin Chapel was the winning pitcher, allowing 1 run, 1 hit, 7 walks, and striking out 11 over 6 innings of play. The teams will travel back to Cherryville on Monday night. The Gaston Braves are in a must-win situation.
The remaining round two schedule is:
Monday, July 13, Gaston Braves at Cherryville and Asheville at Shelby
Tuesday, July 14, Cherryville at Gaston Braves, and Shelby at Asheville (if necessary)
Wednesday, July 15, Gaston Braves at Cherryville and Asheville at Shelby (if necessary)
All games begin at 7 pm unless delayed or rescheduled due to weather.
The semifinal round of the playoffs, held July 5th -8th, ended with both representatives of the Area IV South Division sweeping the representatives of the Area IV North Division. Cherryville defeated South Caldwell 13-10 and 6-1 to take the best-of-three series in two games. Leading the way at the plate for Cherryville was Bradyn Bass, going 3-7, scoring 1 run and 3 RBIs. Canon Whitesides went 3-6, scored 1 run, and had 1 RBI. Ayden Petty went 2-6, scored 2 runs, and had 2 RBIs. Karter Willis went 3-5, including a 3-run home run, scored 3 runs, and had 4 RBIs. Chandler Wooten went 3-7, including a 2-run home run, scored 1 run, and had 3 RBIs. Shelby eliminated North Wilkes in two games, 6-1 and 12-2. Post 82 got great offensive production from Isaac Ridings, who went 3-for-6, scored 2 runs, and drove in 5 runs. Lincoln McDaniel went 5-6, scored 2 runs, and had 2 RBIs. Waylan Powell went 4-6, scored 2 runs, and had 6 RBIs. Coaches from Cherryville and Shelby agreed to a one-game winner-take-all championship rather than a best-of-three series. Each team had already qualified for the NC State playoffs, leaving the championship series to determine the Area IV championship and seeding order for the upcoming state tournament. The change from three games to one allows players and coaches to receive some much-needed rest.
Shelby Post 82 hosted a winner-take-all Area IV Juniors Championship game on July 12, 2026. For most of the game, it appeared that fans at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium would see the home team crowned champion, but it was not to be. Post 82 led 1-0 after a solo home run by Tanner Heagen in the bottom of the first inning. They held that lead until the top of the sixth. Brayden Bass sent a double down the left field line to score Bryson Lamacchia, followed by a single down the left field line from Gracen Walker that drove in Bass to give Cherryville its first lead of the game at 2-1. Post 100 was looking for some insurance runs at the top of the seventh when Chandler Wooten sacrificed to score Chase Driscoll, and Coleman Shafer also hit a sacrifice fly to score Karter Willis, giving Cherryville a 4-1 lead, which turned out to be the final score.
Runs were difficult to come by thanks to the stellar pitching of both starters and relievers. Coleman Shafer started for Cherryville and went 3 innings, allowing 1 run, 5 hits, struck out 3, and walked none. Canon Whitesides earned the win with 4 innings pitched as he allowed 0 runs, 1 hit, struck out 3, and walked none. Mari Jolly took the mound first for Shelby Post 82. He allowed 0 runs, 1 hit, struck out 3, and walked none in 3 innings pitched. Hunter Davidson took the loss for Post 82; he allowed 4 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, and struck out none in 2 innings pitched. Bryson Ciaschini and Tanner Heagan each had two hits for Shelby. Cherryville had multiple players with one hit each: Brayden Bass, Isaac Shires, Coleman Shafer, and Chase Driscoll.
The NC State Junior Tournament will begin Saturday, July 18, at Fraley Field at Memorial Stadium in Cherryville, NC. Matchups and times have yet to be determined. The Area 1 Champion is Wilson Post 13, and the runner-up is Beaufort County Post 15. No information is available yet for Area II. In Area III, Mocksville-Davie Post 54 and High Point Post 87 were playing for the Area Championship. Cherryville Post 100 will represent Area IV as Champion and Shelby Post 82 as the runner-up. Pairings and times will not be announced until near the end of the week.
After a five-game losing streak in the middle of June, the Post 100 girls bounced back to win four straight games. During the stretch, they picked up road wins at Rutherford County Post 423 on June 22 and at Hickory Post 48 by scores of 7-2 and 10-6 on June 29. The month of July was not as kind, as Cherryville dropped its final three games. At home on July 2, the undefeated Rowan Post 146 Blue took both games 7-0 and 7-1. Post 100 traveled to Hickory to play Post 48 Red to conclude the season on July 6. Hickory won 10-7; the second game was canceled due to weather.
Heading into the final game against Hickory, Cherryville's Kendall Bachman had a 5-game hitting streak in which she had gone 7-12. She did not play in the final game. She finished the season with the highest batting average of .471 as she went 8-17 with an on-base percentage of .571, scoring 11 runs and 6 RBIs. Other notable plate appearances include Lydia Williams going 10-29 for an average of .345, with an on-base percentage of .500, scoring 12 runs, and 8 RBIs. Grace Capps went 9-34 for a .321 batting average, on base percentage of .441, scoring 2 runs and 9 RBIs. Jenny Brown went 13-41 to record a batting average of .317 and an on-base percentage of .462, as she scored 15 runs and 7 RBIs. Riley Honbaier went 10-34 for a batting average of .294 and an on-base percentage of .342 while scoring 7 runs and 13 RBIs. Daylee Dalton went 11-for-49 with a .275 batting average and an on-base percentage of .408. She scored 13 runs and had 2 RBIs. Madeline Collins went 13-48 for a batting average of .271, and an on-base percentage of .375 as she scored 15 runs and 10RBIs.
Grace Capps turned in top fielding performances with 44 putouts with 53 total chances for a .925 fielding percentage. McKinley Ward made 42 putouts with 47 total chances for a .957 fielding percentage. Harper Lovelace had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 41 outs from 41 total chances.
Four players made up most of the pitching from the circle. Jenny Brown pitched the most innings with 39.2 as she faced a total of 200 batters. She posted a record of 4-4, allowing 45 hits, 49 runs, 27 walks, and 27 strikeouts. Grace Capps faced 134 batters over 23.2 innings pitched. She allowed 27 hits, 32 runs, walked 22, and struck out 9 on her way to a 2-4 record. Madeline Collins was 1-2 as she faced a total of 68 batters over 11.1 innings pitched. She allowed 19 hits, 19 runs, 10 walks, and struck out 7. Kendall Thornburg had a 1-1 record, pitching 8.1 innings and facing 43 total batters. She allowed 11 hits, 12 runs, walked 6, and struck out 2.
Cherryville was well represented in the Diamond Youth Baseball state tournaments, with two all-star teams advancing. This was Cherryville's first season competing in Diamond Youth Baseball after many years in Little League Baseball.
The 8U Coach Pitch Cherryville All-Stars competed in South Brunswick, NC, June 27th-July 1st. The team started with a bang, defeating Dunn 21-9. Unfortunately, the rest of the tournament did not go as well. Later that afternoon, they fell to Town Creek 17-11. The following day, they were defeated by West Lincoln 15-7 and Rose Hill 12-6. Their tournament record was 1-3.
Some of the top offensive performance highlights were Braylon Z., who went 7-9, 5 runs scored, 6 RBI, and hit a triple. Michael T. went 7-9, scored 4 runs, and had 4 RBIs. Baylor G. went 6-9, 6 runs scored, 3 RBIs, and hit both a double and a home run. Hudson A. went 4-8, 3 runs scored, 6 RBIs, and hit a double and a home run. Bexley C. went 5-8, 4 runs scored, 2 RBIs, hit a double and a triple. James B. went 5-9, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, and hit a double and a home run. Jackson E. went 5-7, 4 runs scored, 2RBIs, hit a home run, and stole a base. David C. went 5-7, scored 1 run, 2 RBIs, and stole a base. Fisher C. went 4-7, 2 runs scored, 4 RBIs, and hit a double. Jackson C. went 4-8, 3 runs scored, and 5 RBIs. Wyatt P. went 3-7, 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs, and hit a home run. Anthony G. went 2-6 and scored 2 runs.
The state tournament was held July 4 – July 8 in Tabor City, NC. The Cherryville All-Stars made a good run, going 2-2 in the tournament. The weekend got off to a rough start as the team fell 20-4 in the opening game. They bounced back the following day with a 13-3 victory. That was followed by another 12-1 victory, before dropping the final game 11-0.
Honorable mentions for offensive performances. Finn S. went 4-6, scored 4 runs, and had 1 RBI. Maddox B. went 3-3, hit 1 triple, scored 5 runs, 3 RBIs, and stole 2 bases. Brayden D. went 3-8, hit 1 triple, scored 5 runs, 4 RBIS, and stole 2 bases. Max S. went 2-5, scored 1 run, and had 4 RBIs. Weston E. went 2-4, scored 4 runs, and had 1 RBI. Micah B. went 1-5, scored 3 runs, 2 RBIs, and stole 1 base. Micah W. scored 5 runs, Asher C. went 1-5 and scored 3 runs, Max P. went 1-5, Deacon F. went 1-4, Brixton W. scored a run, and Lucas C. recorded 1 RBI.
Cherryville has three all-star teams playing in the state tournament: Sweetees (6U), Darlings (8U), and Angels (10U). The tournament is being held at Northwest District Park in Leland, NC. It is scheduled to run July 11th-15th. All three teams won their opening games on Saturday, and on Sunday, the Sweetees and Darlings won two games. The Angels won their first game, and thunderstorms delayed the second game.
These young ladies began the tournament on Saturday with a 16-2 win over Central Columbus. On Sunday, they won their first game of the day 21-0 over Kingston/Lenior. Their second game of the day was also a victory, 24-0 over West Brunswick. During the first three games, Cherryville outscored their opponents 61-2! Their next game is scheduled for Monday at 10:15 am, subject to weather delays.
They opened the tournament on Saturday with a 12-1 win over West Chatham. On Sunday, the first game resulted in a 12-4 victory against Leland. Their second game on Sunday was a 22-2 win over West Brunswick. They outscored their opponents 46-7 in the first three games. The next game is scheduled for Monday at 10:30 am, weather permitting.
Cherryville defeated Topsail 6-1 on Saturday. They took care of business on Sunday in their first game of the day by downing Central Columbus 9-3. In the second game of the day, thunderstorms interrupted play. The game against East Columbus was halted at the bottom of the first with 2 outs, bases loaded, with East Columbus at bat. The game will resume on Monday at 9 am.
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