The Kings Mountain Herald
May 1, 2008
Mountaineers clinch bor Hi
in state 3A baseball playoffs
Kings Mountain's
Mountaineers won two key
Southwestern 2A /3A
Conference games last week to
clinch a berth in the upcoming
3A state playoffs.
The Mountaineers defeated
Chase 13-2 in five innings on
Wednesday night, and shutout
Shelby 5-0 on Thursday.
With just three games remain-
ing and a three-game lead over
Burns, the Mountaineers are
assured of the SWC’s second 3A
playoff berth. KM, 8-4 in confer-
ence play, is two games behind
SWC leader R-S Central (10-2)
in the race for the #1 3A playoff
seed.
The Mountaineers will be
making their first playoff
appearance under fourth-year
coach Eric King and their first
berth since going three rounds
in the 1999 playoffs.
Cody Austin made his first
mound start of the season and
pitched a complete game four-
hitter in the win over Chase. He
didn’t walk and batter and
struck out six.
Kings Mountain collected 14
hits off three Chase pitchers and
scored at least one run in every
inning.
Brantley Blalock led the
Mountaineers’ plate attack with
3-for-3, including a lead off
home run in the third inning
which sparked a six-run rally to
the score to 8-0.
Jeffry Howell also went 3-for-
3. Rai Robinson went 2-for-3
with three RBIs and followed
Blalock’s third inning blast with
a two-run homer over the left
field fence.
GARY STEWART / HERALD
Brent Hunt rounds third and
heads for home for playoff-
bound KMHS baseball team.
Justin Heinbach went 2-for-3
with two RBIs and Austin, Luke
Proctor, Brent Hunt and Blake
Glass added a hit apiece.
The Mountaineers scored the
only run they really needed in
the bottom of the first when
Blalock and Howell singled,
and Blalock scored on a throw-
ing error.
The Mounties went up 2-0 in
the second when Hunt singled
and later scored on Heinbach’s
double.
Austin followed Blalock’s
and Robinson’s third inning
home runs with a two-run sin-
Brantley
Blalock went
3-for-3 with a
home run to
help lead
Kings
Mountain’s
Mountaineers
to a 13-2 win
over Chase .
Gary
Stewart
Photo
OS hoc led off the fourth with
a single. Howell followed with
a single and Robinson singled
to plate Blalock. Hunt added a
sacrifice fly, Glass doubled,
Heinbach had a run-scoring sin-
gle and Austin added a sacrifice
fly.
BM Against Shelby on
Thursday, Howell threw a com-
plete. game three-hitter and
struck out 14. The
Mountaineers scored two runs
in the first and third innings,
and one in the fifth
Howell and Hunt each had
two hits in the Mounties’ seven-
hit attack against two Shelby
hurlers. Austin, Proctor and
Robinson added a hit each.
Austin led off the game with a
single to center, and Tyler Ross
was hit by a pitch. Two outs
later, the Mounties loaded the
bass when Proctor reached on
an error. Robinson ripped a
two-run single to right.
“Proctor’s two out single to
left-center sparked the third
inning rally. After Robinson
was hit by a pitched ball, Hunt
singled to left and Proctor and
Robinson scored on the fielder’s
error.
Byers wins 7th
U.S. Championship
Kings Mountain's Dremiel
Byers won his seventh national
championship in the heavy-
weight division of the U.S
Wrestling National
Championship over the week-
end in Las Vegas.
The former North Carolina
high school champion is now
setting his sights on the US.
Olympic Trials in June, also in
Las Vegas.
Byers has lost the last two
Olympic trials by a single point
to Rulon Gardner, who won the
Gold Medal in the 2000
Olympics. Gardner retired fol-
lowing his loss in the 2004
Olympics, leaving Byers as the
U.S. favorite.
Byers, based with the U.S.
Army in Colorado Springs, CO,
defeated Russ Davie 2-1 and 4-0
to win the U.S. Championship.
“Byers won the World
Championship in 2003 and is
currently ranked as the #3
heavyweight in the world in the
Greco-Roman division.
Byers also led the U.S. team to
a bronze medal in last year’s
World Championship.
Schroder in championship
match in SWC tournament
Kings Mountain High's
Southwestern Conference
champion tennis team opened
play in the SWC tournament
Tuesday at Shelby High Schqol
and has already placed its #1
singles player, Felix Schroder, in
the championship.
In singles play, Schroder
drew a first round bye, along
with Michael Martin of R-S
Central. In the semifinal,
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Schroder defeated Zeke
Stephenson of R-S Central 6-1,
6-1 to advance to the finals
against Martin.
Matt Gray of the Mounties
defeated Isaac Xiong of Burns 6-
2, 7-5 but lost in the semifinal to
Martin 6-1, 7-5.
In doubles, Paul Philavong
and Davis Phanthalack of KM
drew a first round bye but lost
See Tennis, Page 11
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