Sunny skies and warm temperatures create ideal working conditions for Ray Robinson as he carefully paints the edge of a sign post Monday as he works on West Peyton Avenue.

Brett Lancaster, U.S. Cellular sales manager, and members of the Lenoir County Boys & Girls Club open a bag of potting soil for tomato plants Wednesday behind the club. U.S. Cellular began its 30,000 hours of giving program this month and doanted $10,000 to the club along with 4-H for STEM. The Boys & Girls Club will incorporate its ‘Watch Me Grow’ program from the donation and measure and calculate plant growth, track rainfall, look up recipes and donate the produce to Mary’s Kitchen.

Tennis

North Lenoir wins Eastern Carolina 2A Conference tourney

North Lenoir won the EC2A conference tournament in overall points Tuesday in Snow Hill. North Lenoir No. 1 seed Evan Kramer won the conference singles title and qualified for regionals, which will start on May 1.

Doubles pairs Drew Proctor and Matthew Warren and Brett Howard and Brett Shear qualified for regionals as well.

Kramer was named Conference Player of the Year and North Lenoir’s Scott Alston was named Conference Coach of the Year.

Kinston’s Koty Wojeski and Matthew Burwell won the EC2A doubles title and will advance to regionals.

The regionals will be held at Greene Central on May 1.

ARENDELL PARROTT 9, FAYETTEVILLE CHRISTIAN 0

Parrott defeated FCS Tuesday, improving to 10-2 on the season. SINGLES: William Hill d. Kyle Praschan 6-3,6-3. William Brechtelsbauer d. Max Faykus 6-0,6-0. Miller Stallings 6-0,6-2. Jared Hall d. Nathaniel Eddy 6-1,6-2. Cameron Pope d. Albert Bass 6-0,6-0. Jameson Doub d. Drew Daack 6-1,6-2. DOUBLES: Hill/Brechtelsbauer d. Faykus/Eddy 8-1. Hall/Pope d. Cody Vasquez/John Gilchest 8-0. Stallings/Doub d. Faykus/Joseph Perry 8-0.

Softball

NORTH LENORI 5, AYDEN-GRIFTON 4

North Lenoir’s softball team came from behind in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the visiting Ayden-Grifton Tuesday night.

Down, 4-2, to start the home half of the seventh, the Hawks scored three runs to claim the victory.

Leading hitters for North Lenoir included Madison Allen, who finished 2-for-2. Alison Montague, who hit the game-winning RBI, finished 2-for-3 with a double; Megan Lanier (double), Janna Moore, Roxie Stallings and Kelsie Stocks all went 1-for-4; Kacie Letchworth finished 1-for-3 with a double, while Kennedy Phillips was 1-for-1.

Moore was the winning pitcher, while AG’s Sarah Craft collected the loss.

Tauja Worthington finished 2-for-3 for AG. Amanda Speer and Shambria Hines went 1-for-4; Taylor Sutton and Craft were 1-for-3 and Andria McLawhorn was 1-for-3.

North Lenoir (7-2, 3-1 EC2A) hosts Kinston Friday night.

ARENDELL PARROTT 18, FAYETTEVILLE CHRISTIAN 0

Parrott shut out FCS on the road Tuesday.

Caroline Casey and Sarah Riley each recorded four RBIs in the victory, while Riley finished 2-for-4 with a double. Casey went 4-for-4 from the plate. Kerry Miller, Brianna Casey, Jessie Shingleton, Savannah Hill, Darci Basden and Kaelyn Mohrfeld recorded hits.

Parrott opened the contest with a five-run inning.

Caroline Casey picked up the win, striking out one and allowing a hit over two innings.

Parrott (12-1) plays at Rocky Mount Faith Christian Monday.

Soccer

KINSTON 2, SOUTH LENOIR 1

Kinston defeated the visiting Blue Devils in an Eastern Carolina 2A Conference matchup Tuesday night, taking down the defending conference champion.

Bailey Blake scored on a penalty kick and Shannon Mayo scored the other Kinston goal on an assist from Diamonquia Fields.

Kinston goal keeper Victoria Kosinski stopped five of six shots.

The game was scoreless by halftime. The Vikings came back from the break behind a strong rally from Blake, Mayo and Michaela Benoit. A South Lenoir hand ball led to Kinston’s PK.

The remainder of the half was a battle for field position. SL scored on a corner kick at the 12:03 mark to tie the game at 1-1.

Fields’ throw in to Mayo proved to be the momentum changing moment of the game. Mayo took the thrown, spun off her mark and slid the ball between the post and the SL keeper for the game-winning goal.     

Kinston (4-10-1, 3-1-0 EC2A) will play at North Lenoir Friday night.

ARENDELL PARROTT 3, FAYETTEVILLE CHRISTIAN 2

The Patriots were able to steal a victory on the road at Fayetteville Christian Tuesday night. After being down 2-0 midway through the first half, APA controlled the game from there to grab the victory. Chelsea Thomas put the Patriots in the board with less than 1 minute to play in the first half, which provided momentum heading from the break. After controlling the second half, Sallie Sylvester scored directly off of a corner kick with 15 minutes remaining. Mckinsey Walter sealed the victory with a headed goal with less than 3 minutes

APA (9-3, 4-3) hosts Harrells Christian Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.

WILSON CHRISTIAN 3, BETHEL CHRISTIAN 1

On Tuesday, Wilson Christian Academy defeated visiting Bethel Christian. Wilson scored three first-half goals in the first 10 minutes of play to secure the win. BCA struggled in the first half without a shot on goal but rebounded in the second with the only goal, recorded by Lydia Crain on an assist from Kelsey Worthington. NCCSA leading scorer Jensen Worthington was doubled and triple team the entire match and managed only one shot on goal. Wilson out shot BCA in the match 14-5. Keeper Morgan Rouse recorded 10 saves in goal.

BCA will travel to Greenvile Christian Academy for a conference match today.

Baseball 

WILSON CHRISTIAN 4, BETHEL CHRISTIAN 2

Bethel sophomore Cole Williams suffered his first loss on the mound, pitching five and 2/3 innings. He gave up 11 hits, struck out four, gave up four runs and walked one.

Hunter Stephens and Jonathan Truett each had a double for the Trojans. Daniel Daugherty, Hunter Truett and Blake Batchelor each had a single.

BCA (6-4, 3-2) play at Greenville Christian today at 6 p.m.

ARENDELL PARROTT 17, WAYNE CHRISTIAN 9 (JV)

Parrott’s junior varsity club defeated Wayne Christian Tuesday night.

Griffin Steelman was the winning pitcher, improving to 4-1. Trey McLawhorn was a leading hitter, going 2-for-3 with a double. Garrett Murray finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs; Jonah Beaman was 1-for-1 with two RBIs and a double. Steelman, Hayden Anderson, Dylan Bunn, Vince Lancaster and Alex Urban collected hits in the win.

The JV Patriots (6-3) will play at Rocky Mount Faith Christian Monday.

UPCOMING GAMES

TODAY

Baseball

Bethel at Greenville Christian 6 p.m.

South Lenoir at Goldsboro 7 p.m.

Softball

Greene Central at Eastern Wayne 4:30 p.m.

Soccer

Bethel at Greenville Christian 4 p.m.

FRIDAY

Baseball

Bethel at Wilmington Christian 4:30 p.m.

Kinston at North Lenoir 7 p.m. 

Greene Central at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m. 

Softball

Greene Central at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m.

Kinston at North Lenoir 7 p.m.

Soccer

Bethel at Wilmington Christian 4:30 p.m.

Kinston at North Lenoir 6 p.m.

South Lenoir at Goldsboro 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

LCC Baseball

LCC at Surry CC 1 p.m. *

SUNDAY

LCC Baseball

LCC at Surry CC noon

It took just one inning, a particularly good or bad inning depending on your perspective, to decisively decide South Lenoir’s 15-1 mercy rule-shortened victory over Kinston Tuesday at Grainger Stadium.

That inning was the third, the top of the frame to be more precise. Already leading 2-0, the Blue Devils (7-7, 3-2 Eastern Carolina 2A Conference), erupted for nine more runs, and just like that the air was gone from the Kinston dugout.

The fact that SL inflicted so much damage with just three hits only added insult to injury.

“It was a disaster,” said Kinston coach Ryan Buie, whose team committed six errors in the inning, eight total for the game. “We’ve got lots of young kids who are still learning the game of baseball, but some of those mistakes were by veteran players who know better. A couple of errors were a result of a lack of effort, and that’s unacceptable.”

The six errors, coupled with two-run singles by Cody Ladich and Nick Hunter, a sacrifice fly from Garrett Tyndall and a run-scoring base hit by Dalton Lang, were more than enough for the Devils.

“We needed a game like this,” said SL coach David Combs, whose team had lost four straight before the win over Kinston. “They helped us with some errors, but we hit the ball hard and put it in play. Good things happen when you do that.”

Every player in the Devil lineup, including pinch-hitter Mason Bland, scored at least one run.

Montana Thompson added an RBI double along with his two hits, Tyndall knocked in a pair and Hunter also contributed a sacrifice fly to finish with three RBI.

Jared Puckett and Christian Yanez also drove in runs for the Devils.

Kinston (1-15, 1-4) collected four hits off SL starter Will Kelly, all singles, by Alan McLawhorn, Sam McLawhorn, Jemarius Taft and David Whitfield.

Kelly went the five-inning distance, striking out six without a walk. Kinston’s lone run was unearned.

South Lenoir 15, Kinston 1

South Lenoir      209         22—15     8     2

Kinston                 001         00—1       4     8

Kelly and T. Winfield. A. McLawhorn, S. McLawhorn (4), Goyette (5), and Whitfield. W—Kelly. L—A. McLawhorn.

La GRANGE | Clay Wilson couldn’t have been more of a nuisance to North Lenoir and its previously undefeated conference baseball record Tuesday night.

Ayden-Grifton, Wilson’s team, and North Lenoir have an interesting history in the 2-year-old Eastern Carolina 2-A Conference. The only team the Hawks, defending conference champions, lost to last season during league play was Ayden-Grifton.

The Chargers didn’t start this year’s EC2A run as desirable as they’d hoped, so they needed to get their mojo back — and Wilson was the driving force behind it.

Ayden-Grifton extracted a 1-0 win from last year’s league title winner, spoiling North Lenoir’s 4-0 conference record.

Wilson pitched the complete shutout, striking out nine and allowing five hits.

The crafty junior hurler frequently pressured Hawks hitters to play on their heels.  

“He surprises you,” AG coach Corey Skinner said of Wilson. “You see him, and he’s not the biggest guy, he doesn’t throw the hardest but he knows how to pitch and he knows when to get the big pitch in.”

After labeling Wilson’s work on the mound outstanding, Skinner added, “He’s been good all year and great a couple times. We knew coming into this one, he was going to have to be great. He was … absolutely phenomenal, couldn’t ask for anything else out of him.”  

Wilson induced several fly balls to spur the defense behind him, customizing his pitches for each batter. He said this week’s focus in practice was finding a way to get past North Lenoir.

“I felt like coach Skinner and the team prepared me for this win,” said Wilson, who improved to 6-1. “(North Lenoir is) a great team, they’re a great ball club. They can hit the ball, do all the simple things.”

Wilson threw an efficient 95 pitches — 13.6 per inning — while carrying the Chargers (13-2, 3-1 EC2A) to a huge win over a quality club. Though North Lenoir's defense executed outstanding plays and saw a late spark in between pitchers, the Hawks’ handy defensive reputation wasn’t enough.

North Lenoir (9-5, 4-1) was denied scoring position for three straight innings. The Hawks were able to load the bases, despite two Wilson strikeouts, in the bottom of the third before AG third baseman Cole Hendricks tagged Luke Jackson out in his pursuit of the hot corner. 

 “We didn’t get it done at the plate,” NL coach Donell Garris said sharply. “Undefeated doesn’t matter. You’ve got to bring it every night. We didn’t match their intensity and they came out on top.

“(This game) wasn’t anything that you circle on the calendar — it’s the next ball game. We didn’t match their intensity and we didn’t get it done at the plate; that’s the only difference.”

The two-hour affair quickly became a pitching duel, which Wilson secured comfortably.  

North Lenoir starter Chad Ginn, who picked up his first loss on the year, threw 49 pitches his first two innings. The lone AG run came in the top of the second when Zach Johnson shot an RBI single to left-center, scoring Henricks.

Before coming down for reliever Orlando Cannon, Ginn used his final inning, the fifth, to capture a brief spell of momentum, which included second baseman Turner Butler swallowing a fiery line drive for the second out.

Ginn faced his opposing pitcher at the plate three times before coming off, walking Wilson once, surrendering a single to him and inducing the hit that Butler caught.

“Chad got himself corrected and was doing better,” Garris said. “We just felt like it was time to make the change. He had a couple of stressful innings.”

Cannon struck out three straight just for Wilson to return the favor by fanning one and forcing a pair of fly outs.

With two outs in the top of seventh, Wilson stepped to the plate to battle Cannon. He knocked off two foul balls before belting an infield fly to the opposite field for the final base hit of the night, really twisting the knife before North Lenoir gave it one last push .

Wilson finished 2-for-3, matching North Lenoir right fielder Allen Sutton. Butler, Jacob Baird and Luke Jackson recorded hits for North Lenoir, including Butler’s leadoff single to left in the bottom of the seventh.  

“It means a lot,” Skinner said. “We didn’t start off conference to way we wanted to with an 0-2 start. Our backs were up against the wall. We knew we were going to have to fight and beat some really good teams to get back in it.” 

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.

AYDEN-GRIFTON 1, NORTH LENOIR 0

Chargers 010 000 0 — 1 8 3

Hawks 000 000 0 — 0 5 1

WP: Wilson (6-1)

LP: Ginn (5-1)

A fire erupted at a North Queen Street recycler Thursday morning, sending flames dozens of feet into the sky.

Kinston Department of Public Safety Director Bill Johnson said the first calls came in around 7:20 a.m. and a text alert went across the city and county.

Nedra Gooding, who lives nearby, said the building had been sending smoke into the sky for some time.

“My neighbor (Deedrea Dixon) was the one who called the fire department, because it was around 7:15 (a.m.) when we got over here,” Gooding said. “It was just a lot of smoke then. And then a little while after the fire went up.”

Soon thereafter, the heat of the fire building inside the structure broke through the ceiling and caused walls to collapse.

“When that wall fell down, there was a fireman there and he almost got hit,” witness Patricia Dixon said.

Johnson noted that by the time fire crews arrived at the scene, the building was fully involved.

“When we got here, pretty much the entire area here,” Johnson said, motioning toward the collapsed wall, “was fully engulfed in fire.”

Two hours later, three ladder teams continued to work on smoldering materials inside the JIL Industrial Recycling building and putting out flare-ups.

The owner of the building, who lives in Greenville and arrived at the scene after the blaze was well underway, declined to comment.

Johnson said firefighters made certain to prevent the conflagration from spreading to nearby buildings and KDPS Assistant Fire Chief Don Crawford said no one was injured.

As the morning turned into afternoon, agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived on the scene along with other arson investigators. Johnson said KDPS requested their

involvement as a resource for their expertise in processing and investigating the fire, but that it wasn’t an indication there was any wrongdoing involved.

Also, the Lenoir County Red Cross and Salvation Army of Kinston stationed themselves at RJ’s Fuel Mart on North Queen Street to provide support to the firefighters and investigators at the scene.

“We’re canteening,” said Kathy Jones, Lenoir County Red Cross director of disaster and volunteer services. “We’ve … got lunch and sandwiches throughout the afternoon — water, tea, that sort of thing.”

Volunteer fire departments from Deep Run, Hugo, North Lenoir and Southwood provided assistance at the scene and North Queen Street remained closed off from Airport Road to Plaza Boulevard throughout much of the day.
 
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @WolfeReports.

While a major fire blazed only a few blocks away, a woman allegedly ran a stop sign Thursday morning and collided with a school bus.

The bus, No. 105, splits its duties between Kinston High School and Rochelle Middle School.

“It was completing its Rochelle route when it was hit by a vehicle that failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Dixon Street and Charlotte Avenue,” Lenoir County Public Schools spokesman Patrick Holmes said. “There were 27 Rochelle students on the bus – the bus driver was not injured, nor were the students.”

The wreck happened around 7:50 a.m.

Lenoir County EMS transported the woman to Lenoir Memorial Hospital for treatment, but it isn’t known as to the extent of her injuries, nor her name, at the present time.

A Kinston Department of Public Safety officer on the scene cited her for failure to stop at a stop sign.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

MAURY | A search is underway for an escaped inmate in Greene County. Timothy Hardee is wanted by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement officers after escaping Thursday afternoon.

Hardee escaped from the Greene Correctional Institution located in Maury just after 12 p.m., Thursday.  

Hardee is a 34-year-old white male who stands 6-foot, 1-inch tall, weighs 173 pounds and has brown hair and green eyes. Distinguishing marks include a Pittsburgh Steelers tattoo and a pit bull tattoo.  

He was serving misdemeanor sentences for resisting an officer, injury to property, and providing fictitious information to an officer. He had also recently completed a felony sentence for drug possession.

Hardee has a history of prior convictions, including multiple counts of felony breaking and entering, larceny and wreckless driving. He has convictions dating back to 1997. Counties where Hardee was previously convicted include Alamance, New Hanover and Guilford County.  

Hardee was scheduled for release in June.

Anyone with any information about Hardee’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Greene County Sheriff’s Department at 252-747-3411, the Greene Correctional Institution at 252-747-3676 or local law enforcement.

Staff writer Jennifer Cannon may be reached at 252-559-1073 or at jennifer.cannon@kinston.com. Follow Jennifer on Twitter at @JennylynnCannon.

UPCOMING GAMES

TODAY

Baseball

Bethel at Wilmington Christian 4:30 p.m.

Kinston at North Lenoir 7 p.m. 

Greene Central at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m. 

Softball

Greene Central at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m.

Kinston at North Lenoir 7 p.m.

Soccer

Bethel at Wilmington Christian 4:30 p.m.

Kinston at North Lenoir 6 p.m.

South Lenoir at Goldsboro 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

LCC Baseball

LCC at Surry CC 1 p.m. *

SUNDAY

LCC Baseball

LCC at Surry CC noon

LUCAMA | Jerry Moody, who is being honored at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama on Sunday, touched a lot of lives, none more so than Haley Moody.

Haley Moody, 20, from Kinston, is the daughter of the late Jerry Moody, who passed away on November 24, 2013.  For Haley Moody, a win in Sunday’s race would mean the world. 

Last season, she won the Limited Late Model division championship at Southern National Motorsports Park — a track on which her father won many races and championships as a car owner.

“I think it’s pretty cool that they have it here because this is where he started and everybody that has ran his car has ran here,” Haley Moody said.  “I basically started here myself and I won the championship last year and it’s pretty cool.  He would love it.  I’m pretty sure that he’s going to be looking down and be happy and I think he’ll be excited.  I really want to win that race.”

Despite the loss of her father, Moody raced into the pages of history in 2014. 

Her championship was the first of any kind for a female Late Model racer in the region where NASCAR Late Model Stock Car racing is most predominant.  Along with that, Moody also won the NASCAR Diverse Driver Award, which she accepted at the Daytona International Speedway in February.

“I’m pretty sure he was pretty excited looking down,” Moody said when asked how her father would feel about her accomplishments on the track.  “That’s all he wanted me to do was do good and I’m pretty sure that’s a big accomplishment for him and for me.”

Despite those accomplishments, the biggest sentimental victory of Moody’s career came on November 22, 2013, when she scored her first Late Model victory with her father present one last time. Racing in an exhibition event at Myrtle Beach, S.C., Moody qualified on the pole and ran 50 perfect laps.

Now, Moody will get to see her father’s legacy honored in a race she will participate in — a 100-lap Late Model Stock Car feature.  Her crew chief, Jamey Caudill, won four championships at Southern National Motorsports Park with three of those coming when he was teamed up with Jerry Moody.  He feels Jerry’s strong-willed daughter has the heart and the skill to score the win.

“I’d like to run that race but I’m helping [Haley],” Caudill said.  “He asked me to help her so that’s what I did and everything happened the way it did at Myrtle Beach.  I thought about it a lot.  The way I look at it is, it would mean more to him for me to help Haley then for me to run the race so that’s my thought process behind it.  She’s capable of running up front and competing for the win and that’s what we’ll try to do.”

Like he did for so many, Jerry left a positive impression on Caudill and he is happy to see his old friend honored in Sunday’s race.

“It’s cool to honor Jerry,” Caudill remarked.  “It’s a lot for anybody to deal with but, for Haley, it says a lot about her.  She’s a strong-willed person.  She gives 110 percent in everything she does, whether it’s racing, sports or school.  Her dad instilled that in her.  She wouldn’t go if she didn’t think she could give 110 percent in the race and her dad wouldn’t want her to.  It says a lot about her.”

The Inaugural Jerry Moody Memorial will be held on Sunday. Gates open at noon, qualifying begins at 2 p.m. and the green flag will fly at 3. Along with the Late Models, the Bandolero, Legends, Charger and U-CAR divisions will all be in action.

For more information about Southern National Motorsports Park, check out SNMP’s website at www.snmpark.com , like Southern National Motorsports Park on Facebook  or  follow @SNM_Park on Twitter .

WINTERVILLE | Lenoir Community College’s baseball team was hoping to end a recent skid when it traveled to nearby Pitt Community College to face its rival Bulldogs Thursday night.

And despite an offensive output of 15 hits, the Lancers dropped a heartbreaker, 7-6, which included a controversial ninth-inning call. It is their fourth loss in a row. In the last five games against Pitt, the Lancers are 1-4. LCC (18-17) had only scored one run in its previous three setbacks before coming close to reversing its losing streak.

“This is kind of new for me,” LCC coach Stony Wine said. “I don’t think that I have ever lost more than three in a row in my whole career as a coach. We showed signs of life tonight and signs of improvement.

“Let’s see if we can build on this.”

LCC’s Nick Stuart led off the game with a double. However, as had become routine in recent games, Stuart would be sacrificed over to third and left stranded there. Stuart finished 3-for-5 in the game.

In contrast, Pitt’s leadoff Andrew Henrickson started with a double. Henrickson scored on a wild pitch, as the Bulldogs (30-11) tagged LCC starter Carrington Austin for an early score.

In the top of the second, Alex Groff led off with a single. After being sacrificed over to second, he advanced to third when a ground ball was mishandled, allowing Jamie Dove to safely reach first. Cody Ezzell drilled a ball that rolled to the wall in center field. Groff and Dove both scored, ending LCC’s 13-inning scoreless streak and putting the Lancers up, 2-1.

But Bulldogs stole the lead right back. After giving up two runs and loading up the bases, Austin was pulled for Addison Meeks. Austin lasted one and 2/3 innings after giving up four hits, three runs and walking three. Meeks helped stabilize the Lancers, as he pitched 2 and 1/3 innings with two walks, no hits and a strikeout.

The Lancers battled back the very next inning, as they led off with three straight hits, including a two-run double from Spencer Phillips. Phillips scored on a single to left by Nykolai Ellis, marking a 5-3 LCC advantage.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Meeks was replaced by Matt Devers. With the pitching change, the Bulldogs suddenly awakened. The first two batters in the inning collected singles, followed by an errant throw on a sacrifice bunt to score one run. With runners on second and third with no outs, Pitt’s Henrickson doubled to left field, driving in two runs and retake the lead. Devers was pulled in favor Ayden’s Tre Hill. Hill gave up a run, but was able to shut the door on the inning as the Bulldogs took a 7-5 lead.

“That fifth inning is what killed us,” Wine said. “The pitching was OK, but the fundamentals are what hurt us: a mishandled bunt and then a hit up the middle that could have been fielded. That hurt us. We didn’t handle some of those plays as well as I know we can. We are capable of better baseball.”

Down by a run after Ezzell’s RBI grounder in the eighth, the Lancers looked to make a comeback, but Pitt’s Chase Saunders came out to shut down LCC.

And it all started with Cole Bray’s leadoff single. Bray would be sacrificed to second, and he advanced over to third on a wild pitch. Tony Sanchez hit a grounder to the second baseman. The fielder rifled the ball down to home plate for a questionable call at home. Bray appeared to slide in before the throw, but the umpire made his ruling: an out.

“Had that call gone the other way, we’d have had a runner on with one out, a tie game, and the heart of our lineup coming up,” Wine said, “but hey, that’s baseball for you. We hung in there though and didn’t give up. We played tough, kept battling back, and made a push. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. We played a tough team and almost won. Maybe this will turn our season back around."

Lenoir 5, Pitt 3

Lancers  023 000 010 — 6 15 1

Bulldogs  120 040 00x — 7 10 2

SNOW HILL | The Kinston boys’ and girls’ track and field teams swept the Eastern Carolina 2A Conference championships at Greene Central Wednesday.

The Kinston girls scored 157 points to take the victory, while the boys came away with 165 points — 65 ahead of second-place Goldsboro. Host Greene Central placed second in the girls division and fifth in the boys.  

The Vikings girls took all four relays, while the boys captured two first-place finishes in the teams races. The Goldbsoro boys won the 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter races.

The 2A regionals begin on May 9 at Wilson Fike.

While Kinston dominated many races, the top spots were split between the other teams in the field events.

The afternoon was also filled with excitement and close finishes.

Ayden-Grifton freshman Halei Ward beat out South Lenoir senior Tana Tyndall in the final steps of the 1600-meter run finals to take first, while Kinston’s Raquise Bellamy crossed the finish line for first less than a second before Goldsboro’s Keyshawn Jenkins in the 400-meter dash.

Kinston hurdler Joshua Harper-Harris glided to an easy first-place mark in his 110-meter race, finishing well ahead of his competitors, while the Greene Central girls swept the hurdles events.  

Eastern Carolina 2A Conference Championship Meet 

Boys Scores

1 Kinston 165

2 Goldsboro 100

3 Ayden-Grifton 96

Girls Scores

1 Kinston 157

2 Greene Central 96

3 South Lenoir 75          

Official Results

GIRLS 4x800-METER RELAY

1. Kinston 11:46.96 (Destunee Berry, Nwabuo Starr, Briana Summers)

2. South Lenoir 11:53 (Carley Hill, Miranda Moore, Tana Tyndall, Meredith Rhodes)

3. North Lenoir 12:59.57 (Alysee Harris, Dianthony Hall, Faith Stroud, Maurita Goodall)

BOYS 4x800-METER RELAY

1. Kinston 9:08.33

2. South Lenoir 9:18.45 (Mason Zeagler, Landon Floyd, Cooper Kelly, Micaiah Jackson)

3. Ayden-Grifton 9:43.61 (Raekwon Smith, Tyrell Jones, Malik Anthony, Tim Jones)

GIRLS 100-METER HURDLES

1. Gabriella Anderson, Greene Central, 19.81

2. Sajha Moore, Kinston, 19.82

3. Elecia Matthis, Kinston, 20.20

BOYS 110-METER HURDLES

1. Joshua Harper-Harris, Kinston, 16.74

2. T. Williams, Greene Central, 17.71

3. Davonne Gardner, Ayden-Grifton, 19.69

GIRLS 100-METER DASH

1. Keaundrea Walters, Kinston, 18.83

2. Forneika Williams, Greene Central, 13.84

3. Beyonce Jones, Ayden-Grifton, 14.10

BOYS 100-METER DASH

1. Khalif Harper, Ayden-Grifton, 11.45

2. Tevon Herns, Kinston, 11.58

3. Mekahi Harper, Kinston, 11.66

GIRLS 4X200-METER RELAY

1. Kinston, 1:50.56 (Unavailable)

2. Goldsboro, 1:55.04 (Shquaila Thompson, Tyona Moses, Kimberley Martin, Nekooshia Kornegay)

3. Ayden-Grifton, 1:57.61 (Mariah Heath, Gabrielle Greene, Destiny Smith, Chyna Joyner)

BOYS 4X200-METER RELAY

1. Goldsboro, 1:32.60 (Antonio Futrelle, Rayvonne Barnes, QueyShawn Bowden, Joe Baker)

2. Kinston, 1:33.86 (Jamal Burns, Marquan Harris, Tevon Herns, Mekahi Harper)

3. North Lenoir, 1:50.45 (Treion Fields, Keyante Mitchell, Jalen Hill, Tabronze Carr)

GIRLS 1600-METER RUN

1. Halei Ward, Ayden-Grifton, 5:50.39

2. Tana Tyndall, South Lenoir, 5:51.91

3. Nichole, Mehlhaff, Goldsboro, 6:01.87

BOYS 1600-METER RUN

1. Mason Zeagler, South Lenoir, 4:52.28

2. Caleel Cobb, Kinston, 5:07.13

3. Jacob Seate, Goldsboro, 5:16.78

GIRLS 4X100-METER RELAY

1. Kinston, 52.26 (Nyasia Perkins, Kalexis Mills, Diamonequia Fields, Keaundrea Walters)

2. Goldsboro, 52.99 (Nekooshia Kornegay, Destini Covington, Tyona Moses, Kimberly Martin)

3. Ayden-Grifton, 54.28 (Zhyion Kilpatrick, Beyonce Jones, Joi Turnage, Mariah Heath)

BOYS 4X100-METER RELAY

1. Goldsboro, 44.28 (Antonio Futrelle, QueyShawn Bowden, Joe Baker, Rayvonne Barnes)

2. Greene Central, 45.01 (M. Battle, B. Thaggard, B. Hunt, B. Monroe)

3. Kinston, 45.38 (Shyheim Adams, Mekahi Harper, Tevon Herns, Joshua Edmonson)

GIRLS 400-METER DASH

1. Lydia Rivers, Kinston, 1:02.72

2. Tahliyah Joyner, Greene Central, 1:06.88

3. Danielle Heath, Kinston, 1:07.94

BOYS 400-METER DASH

1. Raquise Bellamy, Kinston, 52.52

2. Keyshawn Jenkins, Goldsboro, 52.57

3. Darius Wayne, Ayden-Grifton, 55.34

GIRLS 300-METER HURDLES

1. Areale Vines, Greene Central, 52.18

2. Anijah Chambers, Greene Central, 54.76

3. Sajaha Moore, Kinston, 54.89

BOYS 300-METER HURDLES

1. Joshua Harper-Harris, Kinston, 44.20

2. Maurice Heath,Ayden-Grifton, 44.34

3. Davonne Gardner, Ayden-Grifton, 46.47

GIRLS 800-METER RUN

1. Tana Tyndall, South Lenoir, 2:39.49

2. Tahliyah Joyner, Greene Central, 2:45.77

3. Nichole Mehlhaff, Goldsboro, 2:48.78

BOYS 800-METER RUN

1. Caleel Cobb, Kinston, 2:03.13

2. Mason Zeagler, South Lenoir, 2:06.86

3. Chris Williams, Kinston, 2:18.99

GIRLS 200-METER DASH

1. Keaundrea Walters, Kinston, 27.82

2. Forneika Williams, Greene Central, 28

3. Zhyion Kilpatrick, Ayden-Grifton, 28.80

BOYS 200-METER DASH

1. Di’Quarius Taylor, Ayden-Grifton, 23.40

2. Joe Baker, Goldsboro, 23.68

3. Rayvonne Barnes, Goldsboro, 23.84

GIRLS 3200-METER RUN

1. Halei Ward, Ayden-Grifton, 14:18.46

2. Tana Tyndall, South Lenoir, 14:33.95

3. Destunee Berry, Kinston, 15:05.71

BOYS 3200-METER RUN

1. Mason Zeagler, South Lenoir, 10:35.74

2. Jacob Seate, Goldsboro, 11:48.44

3. Landon Floyd, South Lenoir, 12:36.56

GIRLS 4X400-METER RELAY

1. Kinston, 4:26.97 (Danielle Heath, Nwabuo Starr, Lydia Rivers)

2. Ayden-Grifton, 4:36.88 (Zhyion Kilpatrick, Mariah Heath, Gabrielle Greene, Chyna Joyner)

3. Goldsboro, 4:50.44 (Shquaila Thompson, Nadia Bowden, Nekooshia Kornegay, Nichole Mehlhaff)

BOYS 4X400-METER RELAY

1. Kinston, 3:32.18

2. Ayden-Grifton, 3:40.75 (Raekwon Smith, Darius Wayne, Davonte Fenwrick, Tim Jones)

3. Goldsboro, 3:40.82 (Emond Bufkin, Jamal Taylor, Antonio Futrelle, Keyshawn Jenkins)

GIRLS HIGH JUMP

1. Danielle Heath, Kinston, 5-00

2. Kailey Brown, North Lenoir, 4-10

3. Gabrielle Greene, Ayden-Grifton, 4-06

BOYS HIGH JUMP

1. Dijon Cobb, North Lenoir, 5-10

2. Devonte Gardner, North Lenoir, J5-10

3. Shyheim Adams, Kinston, 5-08

GIRLS LONG JUMP

1. Makenzie Loomis, South Lenoir, 14-00

2. Erica Lee, North Lenoir, 13-08.50

3. Nyasia Perkins, Kinston, 13-08

BOYS LONG JUMP

1. Thomas Little, Ayden-Grifton, 19-06.25

2. M. Battle, Greene Central, 19.03

3. Shyheim Adams, Kinston, 18-08

GIRLS TRIPLE JUMP

1. Angelique Shackleford, Greene Central, 29-08.25

2. Kalexis Mills, Kinston, 29-05.50

3. Makenzie Loomis, South Lenoir, 29-05.25

BOYS TRIPLE JUMP

1. Tevon Herns, Kinston, 39-01.50

2. Darius Wayne, Ayden-Grifton, 38-04.75

3. Ronnie Simmons, Kinston, 37-06.25

GIRLS DISCUS THROW

1. Armenia Lynch, North Lenoir 66-07

2. Jasmina Worthington, Greene Central, 66-02

3. Kaitlyn West, South Lenoir, 61-07

BOYS DISCUS THROW

1. Da-vionta Staton, Goldsboro, 107-09

2. Damian Burnett, Kinston, 107-00

3. Wes Harper, South Lenoir, 94-10

GIRLS SHOT PUT

1. Dianthony Hall, North Lenoir, 32-10

2. Bria Payton, Greene Central, 31-07

3. Talaysia Evans, North Lenoir, 26-02

BOYS SHOT PUT

1. Da-vionta Staton, Goldsboro, 44-01

2. Marcel Reddick, Ayden-Grifton, 41.02

3. Domenick Bryant, Greene Central, 40-03.50

BOYS 100-METER DASH WHEELCHAIR

1. Bryce Floyd, South Lenoir, J33.20

BOYS 200-METER DASH WHEELCHAIR

1. Bryce Floyd, South Lenoir, J1:11.93

BOYS SHOT PUT WHEELCHAIR

1. Bryce Floyd, South Lenoir, J12-10

BOYS DISCUS THROW WHEELCHAIR

1. Bryce Floyd, South Lenoir, J33-04.50

Students from South Lenoir High School experienced the real world expectations of potential future professions on Thursday. The job shadowing program, now in its eighth year, sent 97 sophomores, juniors and seniors out across the county.
Students shadowing Lenoir County Emergency Services participated in a response to a fire at JIL Industrial Recycling on North Queen Street.  
“I’ve done patient rehabilitation,” student Katelyn Pike said. “I checked heart rates, blood pressure, took their date of birth, their name, and their 0-2.”
Fellow student Christian Ruiz agreed with Pike’s assessment.
“I did the same thing she did,” Ruiz said. “It was pretty fun. I would like to do it someday.”
At Eastern Eye Associates, Cooper Kelly explained his interest in optometry.
“I thought it would be a good idea because, later on in life, people looking at phones all the time will mess up their eyes, so I think there will be a demand for it,” Kelly said.  
Hands-on experience is something Dr. Bruce Reese believes in. As a student, he worked at Eastern Eye Associates, which contributed to his decision to go into optometry.
“It’s a chance for kids to get out and see what opportunities are available in the real world and give them an opportunity to make a decision about what they might want to pursue after high school,” Reese said.  
Some students focused on helping people while other students focused on helping animals by shadowing at the Lenoir County SPCA.  
“I really want to be a vet when I get older, so I wanted to do something to care for animals and to be around animals all day,” Lindsey Vinson, a sophomore in her first year in the job shadowing program, said. “I’m looking forward to caring for and loving on all the animals that need help.”
The SPCA looks forward to the job shadowers visiting each year.
“We just love having them here to walk the animals and do little things that help out, but more than anything else, it’s just nice to have young people that we can say, ‘Hey, this is what we do,’ and that maybe they’ll volunteer now or maybe they’ll volunteer when they’re older,” Nancy Vander Schaaf, a board member of the SPCA, said.
Each year, the job shadowing program provides students in career and technical focused programs a chance to get out of the classroom and into the field.

Staff writer Jennifer Cannon may be reached at 252-559-1073 or at jennifer.cannon@kinston.com. Follow Jennifer on Twitter at @JennylynnCannon.

One of the best stories from Shrader family lore involves the cat.

Sherman was named such because my parents, well before I was born, put an ad in the local paper they were seeking a cat for an active boy (my brother), one that could “survive Sherman’s march to the sea.”

That was a hard part of the story to tell when I lived in Georgia.

Cats can be territorial. Sherman was an indoor cat and he was very territorial about the basement. That was his turf.

Rightfully so, as it was the area he was relegated to every night. My dad didn’t want a cat crawling all over him when he was trying to sleep, so every night, Sherman went in the basement.

This worked out fine, except the furnace was in the basement. A very old furnace. A furnace that required somewhat regular maintenance from a person outside our family.

For the first years of my life, we had an older gentleman who was our “furnace man.” He — and I dearly wish I could remember his name — and Sherman had a few run-ins.

So many that when our furnace man died, my very young mind was convinced Sherman was somehow responsible until my family assured me otherwise.

Sherman and I weren’t exactly best friends from the start, either. Sherman pre-dated me in our family timeline and had already established himself by the time the baby — me — came along. To assert his place in the family, evidently he took a few swipes at my face.

My father was horrified.

I only know this because, in a box in my spare room — that room everyone has of projects to be completed later — my dad kept every card the family received on the occasion of my birth, along with some journal entries he had started. He was adamant that if Sherman didn’t calm down, the cat was going to be gone.

I really always was a daddy’s girl.

Luckily, Sherman did calm down and wasn’t drummed out of the family. He grew up with Jeff and I and lived to be about 22, a long life for even an indoor cat.

Not everyone in the family was pleased about that lifespan, but that’s a column for another day.

Sherman almost did meet a premature end one night, through his own efforts. Jeff had him at the top of the basement stairs but Sherman decided he wasn’t quite ready for bed. He tore across the house — as cats do — to hide under my parents’ bed.

Except, the door was shut.

There were two hits, one when his head hit and the other when the force of the collision sent his butt into the air, also hitting the door. Then there was the voice of my father, who had been asleep on the other side of the door at the time of the incident.

“What in God’s name is going on out there?” he yelled.

Obviously, I am paraphrasing.

My family, in the living room, could do nothing but laugh in response and a family memory was made. We later found Sherman under the dining room table, licking his wounds and no doubt questioning his life choices.

Any cat that survived that night deserved to live to 22.

Jennifer Shrader is the managing editor of The Free Press; her column appears in this space every Friday. You can reach her at 252-559-1079 or at Jennifer.Shrader@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter at @jenjshrader.

A man with more than 27 years in state prison on his record is accused of stealing flags from a military memorial on April 13.

“On that day at approximately 1:05 p.m., while on routine patrol in the city in the vicinity of 101 S. Herritage St., an officer noticed that the Marine Corps military flag was the only flag on the Walk of Honor at Pearson Park,”

Kinston Department of Public Safety spokesman Woody Spencer said. “While the officer was serving a search warrant … he discovered the missing flags. He contacted the complainant and he advised he wanted to proceed with prosecution in the case.”

The five flags — the state flag, POW/MIA flag and flags representing the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard — were valued at $50.

Jolly Premium Hinton, 70, faces a count of misdemeanor possession of stolen property and scheduled to appear in Lenoir County District Court on Monday.

He also has cases pending April 30 for felony breaking and entering of a motor vehicle, May 5 for misdemeanor larceny, May 21 for misdemeanor second-degree trespassing and July 14 for another felony breaking and entering of a motor vehicle count.

Hinton spent March 1974 through February 1988 in state prison for felony counts of crimes against nature, second-degree kidnapping and larceny, then October 1991 through May 2004 for felony second-degree rape and January through September 2013 after violating probation regarding felony counts of larceny and breaking and entering of a motor vehicle, along with misdemeanor counts of attempted breaking and entering a motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and obstruction of justice.
 
Drills, electronics stolen from vehicle

Police responded to the Hampton Inn on U.S. 258 South the morning of April 15 for a larceny complaint.

“(The victim) stated he parked his vehicle at the rear of the Hampton Inn around 7:30 that night,” Spencer said. “He stated he thought he secured it when he was walking in.”

A TomTom GPS unit, iPad 2, iPhone 4 and a router were estimated at $860, two DeWalt drills taken were valued at $200 and $200 cash was also missing.

The victim was unable to provide serial numbers.

There were no immediate suspects.
 
Expensive shoes, speakers stolen from car

A woman in the 1800 block of Cambridge Drive reported someone stole items from her husband’s car sometime in the evening between April 14 and 15.

“(The victim) said her husband’s vehicle was parked in her driveway (the night before) at 8:30,” Spencer said. “She stated when she came outside the morning of the report, she noticed the vehicle had been gone through.”

The car was unlocked at the time of the larceny.

Among the more than $5,000 worth of possessions taken were speakers and a headset for an entertainment system valued at $3,000 and a $1,700 pair of shoes.

There were no immediate suspects.
 
SUV stolen, recovered

A black 2008 GMC Yukon went missing from a residence in the 1800 block of Cambridge Drive on April 15 but was later recovered across town.

“The victim stated he left the keys inside his vehicle and during the night it was stolen,” KDPS spokesman Woody Spencer said. “He had OnStar on the vehicle and was able to locate it at 900 Savannah Lane.”

Discovered with the vehicle were a DeWalt tool bag and a pink and green skirt valued at $50.

There were no immediate suspects.
 
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @WolfeReports.