By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Just call Watauga’s Kate Sears the Energizer Bunny. Her 33 points matched the total offensive production of the Pioneers’ opponent, South Iredell — but, oh, there were 43 more points scored from up and down the Watauga lineup in the No. 1 seeded team’s domination of the No. 32 seeded Vikings, 76-33, in Round 1 of the NCHSAA 4A West bracket of the state basketball playoffs.

With the win, Watauga advances to host Round 2 on Friday, Mar. 1. They will face No. 16 North Mecklenburg, which defeated No. 17 Asheville, 86-53, at the same time the Pioneers were dismantling South Iredell.

Sears scored all of her points in the first three quarters, then sat on the sideline with most of the starters to watch the bench players outplay the Vikings in the final stanza, 9-4.

For Sears and the rest of the starters it was business as usual. In addition to Sears’ 33 points, backcourt tandem mate Charlotte Torgerson tallied 13 points, including her 1,000th career point as a Pioneer. Junior guard Julie Matheson added 12, freshman guard Blair Haines contributed seven points and guard Kaitlyn Darner hit with four points to complete the majority of the home team’s scoring in Lentz Eggers Gym on Feb. 27.

South Iredell was plagued with ball-handling foibles for most of the game while under pressure from the Pioneers, although senior forward Kayden Johnson (12 points) and Claire Humm (10) managed to get into double figures for the Vikings.

Watauga now boasts a 22-5 overall record for the 2023-24 campaign. South Iredell’s season ends with a 9-18 record.

By Bret Stelow. BOONE, N.C. — Ranked No. 24 in the country, App State Wrestling closed the regular season with a 45-3 home win against Gardner-Webb on Senior Day in Varsity Gym.
 
The Mountaineers (10-4, 7-1 SoCon) won 62 of 70 individual matches in their seven SoCon victories during the regular season, including nine of 10 on Sunday against the Runnin’ Bulldogs (7-9, 3-5). Will Miller (165 pounds), Luke Uliano (174), Chad Bellis (125) and Kaden Keiser (in the 149 finale) all recorded pins for App State, which earned at least one bonus point in all nine victories.
 
Tommy Askey opened the dual with a tech fall at 157, while wins by major decision came from Carson Floyd (197), Triston Norris (season debut at heavyweight), Ethan Oakley (133) and Ike Byers (141).
 
Gardner-Webb’s Jha’Quan Anderson, a two-time NCAA qualifier ranked 28th at 184 pounds, won a 7-3 decision against freshman Tomas Brooker.
 
The Mountaineers improved to 66-6 in SoCon duals over the past 10 years. Miller needed just 99 seconds to record his pin, and Keiser ended the dual just 43 seconds after he took the mat for his first start at 149 pounds. He opened the regular season with a start at 141.
 
Before the dual, App State recognized four wrestlers on Senior Day: Byers, Cody Bond, Jacob Sartorio and Heath Gonyer.
 
The 2023-24 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station. App State is back in action on Saturday, March 9 as the host school for the 2024 SoCon Championship tournament at the Holmes Center.
 
App State 45, Gardner-Webb 3
157: #19 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Tyler Brignola (GW) 21-5 tech fall (5:16)
165: #22 Will Miller (APP) def. Andrew Wilson (GW), fall (1:39)
174: Luke Uliano (APP) def. Samuel Mora (GW), fall (4:33)
184: #28 Jha’Quan Anderson (GW) def. Tomas Brooker (APP), 7-3 dec.
197: Carson Floyd (APP) def. Josh McCutchen (GW), 9-1 maj. dec.
HWT: Triston Norris (APP) def. Edison Flores (GW), 11-1 maj. dec.
125: Chad Bellis (APP) def. Matthew Rowland (GW), fall (6:04)
133: #27 Ethan Oakley (APP) def. Aedyn Concepcion (GW), 14-2 maj. dec.
141: Ike Byers (APP) def. Tyler Lamon (GW), 14-3 maj. dec.
149: Kaden Keiser (APP) def. Sam Harris (GW), fall (0:43)

By Jacob Plecker. RALEIGH, N.C. – It was a great day at the plate for the App State Mountaineers, tallying 20 total hits and 10 runs, which led to a doubleheader split in the Wolfpack Classic finale on Sunday. The Mountaineers defeated Cleveland State 8-1 to begin the day before falling to the host NC State 6-2 in the finale.

App State (7-5) played a complete game on both offense and defense in the day’s first game against Cleveland State (3-5) as the Mountaineers jumped in front in the third inning and never looked back. A three-spot in the third inning courtesy of an RBI single by Peyton Darnell and a two-RBI triple by Killian Roberts gave App State a lead it never looked back from in game 1.

Roberts recorded her best game of her young Mountaineer career against Cleveland State, scorching three hits and driving in a season-high four runs. She accounted for half of App State’s runs in the first game. Darnell continued her strong showing at the Wolfpack Classic with three hits and two more RBIs. She’s driven in 14 runs through the first 12 games in her Mountaineer career.

Overall, 10 Mountaineers recorded at least one hit against the Vikings, including Ambry Lucas’ first hit of the season. Three different players tallied multi-hit games.

It was another strong outing for left-handed pitcher Kaylie Northrop as she quieted the Viking bats all game, tallying five scoreless innings and striking out six. Jenna Samuel came in for her second appearance in the Black and Gold and closed things out to secure App State’s third win of the weekend.

In game 2, it was Darnell who started the Mountaineers in front with an RBI single to give App State a lead against ACC opponent NC State (12-3). The Mountaineers led at the end of the first three innings, but a four-run sixth for the Wolfpack offense pushed them ahead to the win.

Sejal Neas provided the Mountaineers with another great start as she pitched 5.1 strong innings before being lifted in the sixth inning. She struck out two in her outing and kept the Wolfpack to just four hits with runners on base.

For the weekend, the Mountaineer staff was excellent as they allowed just eight runs across the four games.

How it Happened: Game 1: App State 8, Cleveland State 1

The Mountaineers saw a runner reach base in every inning as they tallied 15 hits in the game. On the defensive side, Kaylie Northrop continued her brilliant stretch in the circle as she extended her scoreless inning streak to 20, picking up her fourth win of the year.

App State immediately got its day started courtesy of a lead-off single from Kayt Houston, marking her fifth hit of the weekend. Nothing came after that for App State in the first, but a clean inning from Northrop in the bottom of the inning kept the Vikings at bay and held the game scoreless after an inning.

The second inning saw the Vikings see their first baserunner of the game reach, but two straight punchouts from Northrop stranded the runner at second as she recorded her first two strikeouts of her outing.

Northrop’s clean inning brought life into the App State dugout as they immediately took the lead in the third inning thanks to four hits and three runs. First, it was Abby Cunningham who singled through the left side to tally her first hit of the game. Then Grace Barrett reached via a bunt single, and Darnell promptly scored Cunningham on the first pitch she saw in her at-bat. It was Darnell’s fourth straight game with an RBI.

A fielder’s choice advanced both runners into scoring position, allowing Killian Roberts a chance to drive in a pair of runs. She did just that, smoking a ball into right-center field that scored Barrett and Darnell, giving App State a three-run lead.

The defense stepped up with a lead in the bottom of the third, keeping the Vikings off the board. The Mountaineers fed off their defense again, scoring four more runs in the fourth inning to take a commanding lead.

Hits from Taylor Chumbley and Addie Wray got things started in the fourth and both were advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Cunningham. Chumbley scored from third on a fielder’s choice to plate App State’s fourth run and then two more hits from Barrett and Darnell doubled the Mountaineers’ run total as both players tallied RBI hits.

Capping off the inning, Roberts scorched another RBI single into right and scored the seventh run, making it back-to-back multi-run innings for App State.

Northrop finished her stellar outing with three more strikeouts over the next two innings, keeping the Vikings off the board and extending her scoreless inning to streak to 20 before Samuel relieved her. Northrop tallied 16 strikeouts across two games on Saturday and Sunday.

The Mountaineers scored again in the sixth courtesy of Roberts’ fourth RBI of the game. Sunday marked her second multi-RBI game of her Mountaineer career.

The Vikings recorded their lone run in the sixth inning, but Samuel tallied a clean seventh inning to finish off the Vikings in game 1.

Game 1 Notes

Home runs
App: N/A
CSU: N/A

WP – Kaylie Northrop (4-0): 5 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Dakota Staffan (0-1): 3 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts

Game 2: NC State 6, App State 2

App State led for five of the seven innings in game 2 against NC State, but a four-run sixth inning from the Wolfpack propelled them ahead to the win.

The Mountaineers started strong in the game, taking an early lead courtesy of Darnell’s fifth straight game with an RBI. She recorded a hit in every game this weekend and raised her season batting average to .500.

Sejal Neas took the ball first for head coach Shelly Hoerner and worked around a lead-off single to keep the Wolfpack off the board. A slick double-play turned by Grace Barrett cut off the runner at second and a strong throw from Roberts nabbed the runner at first.

Neas pitched well with runners on base in game 2 as she allowed just four hits with runners on base in the game. Her ability to work around traffic paid off in a big way in the second inning as she stranded two runners in scoring position with her first two punchouts of the game.

Neither team scored through the next 1.5 innings as both pitchers continued to work solid games. The Wolfpack tied the game in the fifth inning, however, scoring on a fielder’s choice for their first run of the game.

App State immediately answered in the fifth inning and took the lead right back with another two-out RBI from Kayt Houston. Addie Wray slapped a single that stayed fair down the left-field line and was advanced to third base after two straight productive outs. After a pitching change, Houston put a ball in play to shortstop and legged out an infield hit to score Wray and give the Mountaineers a 2-1 lead after 4.5.

NC State tied the game back up at two in their half of the fifth inning with a solo homer off the bat of Hasler. The Wolfpack kept App State off the board in the sixth and scored four more runs to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth. App State fought hard in the game and showed its resilience after a long weekend full of delays and time changes, but the gas ran out as the Mountaineers fell 6-2 in the weekend finale.

Overall, it was a solid weekend for the squad as they finished 3-1 and moved their record to 7-5. The pitching staff allowed just eight runs all weekend.

Game 2 Notes

Home runs
App: N/A
NCSU: Hasler (6)

WP – Aisha Weixlmann (5-1): 2.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Sejal Neas (2-3): 5.1 IP, 7 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts

Up Next

In a quick turnaround, the Mountaineers hit the field again on Tuesday, traveling to Johnson City, Tenn. to face the ETSU Buccaneers in a doubleheader at Betty Basler Field. First pitch from game 1 is set for 4 p.m.

By Joey Jones. ELON, N.C. — App State tennis standout Savannah Dada-Mascoll powered the Mountaineers to wins in both her singles and doubles matches on the road Sunday, but App State fell 4-3 to Elon.

App State (3-4) claimed the doubles point early after Dada-Mascoll teamed up with Naledi Manyube to win 6-3 on court one, and Maggie Pate and Taya Powell clinched the team point on court two with a dramatic 7-6 (11-9) finish in a tiebreaker.

With Powell unavailable for singles action, App State’s lineup fell just short of being able to come through for the team victory over Elon (6-4).

Dada-Mascoll earned a 6-4, 6-4 win over Elon’s top player Sibel Tanik on court one, giving the Mountaineers’ ace her fourth straight singles win in the last four team matches.

Pate captured App State’s other point with her 6-2, 6-1 singles win on court two. She has now won her singles match in five of the last six outings.

Up Next
After playing the last four matches on the road, the Mountaineers return home for back-to-back home matches on Friday against Duquesne and Saturday against Western Carolina. Stay tuned for updates on the location of those matches.

The 2023-24 tennis season is presented by Hound Ears Club.

Results vs Elon

Doubles

• Savannah Dada-Mascoll/Naledi Manyube (APP) def. Lizette Reding/Sibel Tanik (ELON) 6-3
• Maggie Pate/Taya Powell (APP) def. Madison Cordisco/Mariana Reding (ELON) 7-6 (11-9)
• Simone Bergeron/Ella Suk (ELON) def. Brooke Demerath/Brooke Gruber (APP) 6-3

Singles

• Savannah Dada-Mascoll (APP) def. Sibel Tanik (ELON) 6-4, 6-4
• Maggie Pate (APP) def. Lizette Reding (ELON) 6-2, 6-1
• Mariana Redding (ELON) def. Naledi Manyube (APP) 6-3, 6-0
• Ella Suk (ELON) def. Brooke Gruber (APP) 6-4, 6-3
• Helen Sarikulaya (ELON) def. Riley Collins (APP) 6-1, 6-3
• Simone Bergeron (ELON) def. Peri Tippins (APP) 6-0, 6-1

By David Rogers. HICKORY, N.C. — Senior righthander Dante Chirico gave up three runs on six hits in five innings of work on Feb. 25 at L.P. Frans Stadium but still picked up the win with a lot of help from the middle of the App State batting order. The Mountaineers completed their weekend sweep of the Siena Saints, 10-6, to improve their early season record to 6-1.

Chirico was credited with his first win of the season after the first three Mountaineer batters in the bottom of the fifth inning each launched solo home runs off of Siena starting pitcher Connor Byrne. Batting third in the order, centerfielder Banks Tolley was the first to hit a dinger, clearig the centerfield wall on a 2-0 pitch. Designated hitter Braxton Church followed with a shot over the right field fence and first baseman Drew Holderbach put an exclamation point on the Mountaineers’ “meat of the batting order” with an HR that cleared the left centerfield fence.

The three moonshots were enough to chase Byrne before Evan Saulys was brought in by Siena head coach Alex Jurczynski to quiet the App State bats. While the freshman hurler wriggled out of the rest of the fifth inning without allowing any further damage, he didn’t fare so well in the bottom of the 6th as he was credited with allowing three runs on two hits before giving way on the mound to junior transfer (from UConn) Ramsey Collins.

The Mountaineers’ mid-innings power surge was not the only hot offensive production. Leftfielder CJ Boyd got only one hit in six at-bats on the day but it was a big one: a solo blast to leadoff the bottom half of the first inning. Holderbach followed Boyd in the first with a double down the left field line that scored teammate Austin St. Laurent.

The Mountaineers used only three pitchers in relief the rest of the way and they combined to give up three runs on four hits in the final four innings to mostly quiet the Saints’bats.

Meanwhile, App State padded its margin of victory with two more insurance runs in the 8th inning, manufactured when catcher Tommy Walker laced a sacrifice fly to center, scoring pinch runner (for Church) Grey LaSpaluto. Then, second baseman Joseph Zamora rapped an RBI single to right, scoring Holderbach from second.

Top Mountaineer Performers

• 3B Austin St. Laurent: 3-5, 2 runs scored
• DH Braxton Church: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, HR, 2 BB
• 1B Drew Holderbach: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, HR, 2B, 2 BB
• CF Banks Tolley: 1-5, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, HR
• LF C J Boyd: 1-6, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, HR

By Zach Smith. HUNTINGTON, W.Va. —For the third time in the 2023-24 season, App State men’s basketball played in front of a national audience on Feb. 24. The Mountaineers traveled to face Marshall, defeating the Thundering Herd for the second time in as many weeks, 65-58.

Junior guard Myles Tate led App State’s scoring effort, netting a career-high 25 points. Tate was joined by Donovan Gregory (15) and Terence Harcum (12) as Mountaineers in the double-figures. Tre’Von Spillers grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds.

Marshall’s Kevon Voyles and Kamdyn Curfman posted 19 points each, while Nate Martin pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.

Not looking like themselves, App State found themselves trailing most of the first half. The Mountaineers grabbed the lead with just over 11 minutes in the half but Marshall scored nine consecutive points to take an eight-point advantage. The Herd later used a 6-0 run to hold a six-point lead at the intermission.

App State’s depth once again proved its worth in the second half. The Mountaineers scored 11 of the first 15 points out of the locker room, grabbing their first lead since the halfway point of the first half. Kamdyn Curfman cashed in on two free-throws to regain Marshall’s lead, but Myles Tate drained a three-pointer to give App State a lead they never returned. 

App State shot at a 38 percent mark, topping Marshall’s 33 percent clip. The Thundering Herd’s 13 percent shooting from beyond the arc proved to be costly as the Mountaineers connected on 37 percent of their tries from deep. The rebounding matchup was even, each team grabbing 46 boards.

Marshall falls out of contention for a double-bye in the upcoming Sun Belt tournament. The Herd remains in a tie with Georgia State for seventh in the conference standings. Marshall looks to bounce back into the win column Feb. 28 as they travel to Statesboro to face Georgia Southern. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., and can be streamed on ESPN+.

App State retains sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt standings, and the Mountaineers need one win to clinch at least a share of the regular season conference title. App State continues that quest Feb. 28, when they return to Boone for a battle with Old Dominion. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.

By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — Senior Day in Boone saw a thrilling women’s basketball matchup Feb. 24 between App State and visiting James Madison. The Mountaineers took down the third-place Dukes in a tight contest, 83-79.

App State was led by a 25-point, nine-assists performance from Faith Alston in what could be her last appearance in the Holmes Center. Alston was joined by fellow senior Taylor Lewis, who netted a career-high 23 points in her final sendoff. Lewis also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.

Jamia Hazell posted a team-best 19 points for JMU, while fellow junior Ashanti Barnes notched a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

The first quarter set the tone for what proved to be a nail-biter. James Madison jumped out to an early, five-point lead at the media break, but App State responded with a 9-0 run to push into the lead. A critical defensive stop by senior Mariah Frazier sparked that run, but the lead didn’t hold for long. The Dukes fought their way back, tying the game at 23 to end the first quarter.

JMU was plagued by poor shooting in the second period. The Dukes grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the quarter, compared to App State’s three, but shot just 29 percent from the field. The Mountaineers were able to hold JMU scoreless over the last two minutes of the half, taking a four-point lead into the locker room.

App State was able to pull away in the third quarter despite the Dukes tying the game late in the period. Faith Alston took over early out of the intermission, scoring 10 of the Mountaineers’ first 15 points. Taylor Lewis then took the reins, hitting three shots from beyond the arc over the last four minutes of the frame. The last of those treys punctuated an App State 7-0 run to secure an eight-point advantage at the third quarter buzzer.

The Mountaineers extended their lead early in the final stanza, but JMU proved they were still in the fight. Trailing by 12, the Dukes scored each of the next 10 points to make the game a two-point affair. Despite the rally, App State held the visitors to just one made shot from the floor over the final four minutes of play, securing a hard-fought, Senior Day win.

App State head coach shared her perspective of the Mountaineers’ adjustments following their Feb. 22 loss to Old Dominion.

“Yesterday was a mental day, and yesterday was a day of ‘let’s not let Old Dominion beat us twice,’” Elderkin said. “I felt like, the first time we played the series between Old Dominion and JMU, we went into the JMU game with a little bit of an Old Dominion hangover, per se. So we said we gotta turn the page.”

“When Taylor is on, Taylor is on”

Seniors Faith Alston and Taylor Lewis accounted for more than half of App State’s offensive production, scoring 48 of the Mountaineers’ 83 total points. Alston praised Lewis’ scoring output.

“When Taylor is on, Taylor is on, you can’t really stop Taylor,” Alston said. “It took a while to get her confidence back, get back in her groove after breaking her hand early in the season. But for the past four or five games, she’s just been lighting it up. She’s the Taylor that we saw in the summer and in the first two games before she got hurt.”

Alston also spoke on what she saw on the court in her 25-point performance.

“I look for my shots, I take them but if I need to pass it, I need to pass it,” Alston said. “Today my shot felt good, so I stepped in with confidence. I know that whether it’s a make or a miss my teammates always have my back.”

Fellow App State senior Mariah Frazier was a key defensive piece for the Mountaineers. She credited her team for App State’s crucial stops in the closing minutes of the game.

“I just see a whole group, a whole unit just working together,” Frazier said. “I know that Coach Angel told me about setting the tone on defense, just making sure I’m the energy on defense. I think the whole team really matched my energy, and even surpassed my energy sometimes, and was able to make some key stops down the stretch. It wasn’t a one-man thing.”

“[She] stars — I’ll say it again — stars in her role”

Elderkin had high remarks for Frazier’s character and ability to play her role well.

“She’s a kid that’s graduating from graduate school in three years,” Elderkin said. “Very driven, very hard worker. And stars — I’ll say it again — stars in her role. A lot of her role doesn’t show up in [the box score], but it shows up on the court.”

As a team, App State shot 39 percent from the floor, short of the Duke’s 44 percent mark. The Mountaineers made stops when they needed to, forcing 12 JMU turnovers to just eight of their own. The Dukes outrebounded App State, 48-42.

James Madison’s loss drops them to 11-5 in conference play, good for a third-place tie with Old Dominion. The Dukes’ next test is a road trip to Conway, SC to face Coastal Carolina Feb. 28. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.

App State improves to 8-8 in Sun Belt competition, placing them ninth in the conference standings. The Mountaineers go on the road for their last two contests of the regular season, beginning with a trip to Troy Feb. 28. The mid-week Sun Belt matchup is slated to tipoff at 8 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.

By Jacob Plecker. RALEIGH N.C. – A three-run first inning got the day started for App State Softball, and Kaylie Northrop kept Iona’s bats silent in a 7-0 win over the Gaels in the Wolfpack Classic on Saturday afternoon.

The App State-Cleveland State game also scheduled for Saturday has been moved to a 1 p.m. start time Sunday, and the Mountaineers will face host NC State at 3:30 p.m.

Five of the seven RBIs from the Mountaineers (6-4) on Saturday came from the first three batters in the lineup. Kayt Houston led the way by tallying two hits, one of which was a home run, and recording two RBIs. Peyton Darnell had a similar performance with two hits and two RBIs. Grace Barrett added one hit and one RBI out of the No. 2 spot in the order.

Northrop was dominant in the circle throughout the game. The strikeout pitch was working all game for Northrop, as she racked up 10 in her complete-game performance. While Iona had at least one runner reach base in five of the seven innings, Northrop and the Mountaineer defense kept the Gaels (0-1) off the scoreboard, stranding all eight batters that reached.

App State kept the pressure on all game, as it had a runner reach base in all seven innings, but the strong start would prove to be the difference in the win.

How it Happened
App State scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back. After a leadoff walk from Houston and a single from Barrett, Darnell doubled to center field, scoring both. Three batters later, Olivia Cook singled through the right side, bringing in Darnell.

The offensive attack continued in the second inning, when Houston doubled to the left-center gap and moved to third on the throw home, scoring Abby Cunningham, who had reached on a single. Houston scored off a Barrett RBI groundout to the second baseman.

The Gaels threatened in the bottom of the fourth inning. After the leadoff batter reached on an error, the following batter singled to left field. After a fielder’s choice moved both runners into scoring position, Northrop got a swinging strikeout to end the frame.

Houston padded App State’s lead in the top of the fourth, homering to right field for her fifth long ball of the season. The Black and Gold got some insurance in the top of the seventh, when Addie Wray singled through the left side to score Summer Simpson, who had run for Darnell after a leadoff single.

The Mountaineers threatened again in the seventh following Wray’s RBI single and a Brooke Kennerly walk to load the bases. A lineout ended the inning and left the bases loaded, but the Mountaineers had extended their lead to seven before the third out.

Northrop returned to the mound for the bottom of the seventh, getting a groundout, strikeout and flyout to end the game and cap off a dazzling performance.

Saturday Notes

Home Runs

App: Houston 1 (5)
Iona: None

WP: Kaylie Northrop (3-0): 7 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts
LP: Samantha Rieb (0-1): 5 IP, 9 hits, 6 runs, 3 walks, 0 strikeouts

Up Next
App State will complete its weekend at the Wolfpack Classic with a doubleheader on Sunday. The Mountaineers will take on Cleveland State at 1 p.m., and a matchup with the hosting Wolfpack from NC State is slated for 3:30 p.m.