Garner product Jeremy Hall, a senior, helped get Mount Olive College one of its two victories in the NCAA Division II National Championships last week the USA Baseball Complex in Cary.
Hall struck out six Millersville batters in the Trojans’ 5-2 victory last Wednesday before giving way to Matt Hinkle, who picked up the win in relief.
The Trojans bowed out in the semifinal round and finished the season with a 47-10 record. Mount Olive’s roster included two Garner products: Hall and senior pitcher Greg McDaniel.
Hall was 5-0 on the season with a 2.27 ERA with 16 appearances and eight starts. McDaniel started four games and made eight total appearances, compiling a 4.50 ERA and an 0-1 record.
Chris Hinton, a member of Princeton’s 2007 NCHSAA 1-A state championship baseball team, pitched in 10 games for the Trojans this season. The junior right-hander compiled a 2.89 ERA with one save and no decisions.

Friday night's results from the NCHSAA State Final Four in softball...

1-A

Pamlico 2, Princeton 0

Princeton 5, Murphy 4 (9)

4-A

Holly Springs 1, Clayton 0

North Davidson 3, Clayton 2 (9)

Princeton will meet three-time defending state champion East Surry Saturday at 11 a.m. in the losers bracket final. The winner meets Pamlico at 1:30 p.m. Princeton would need to beat Pamlico twice if it beats East Surry in order to win the state championship.

Clayton and Princeton will both being their quest for an NCHSAA prep softball state championship on Friday evening at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex in Raleigh. The schedules for both the 4-A and 1-A, four-team, double-elimination state championship events were announced. Both teams will play twice on Friday night.
The three teams remaining (one will be eliminated on Friday) will return to the softball complex at 11 a.m. on Saturday to finish the tournament.

Friday night's results from the NCSHAA softball playoffs...

4-A

Clayton 3, Wilmington Ashley 1

2-A

Eastern Randolph 3, North Johnston 2

1-A

Princeton 2, South Creek 1

Look for reports on all three games in Saturday's editions of The News & Observer.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina are playing Saturday night at 6 p.m. due to today's rainfall.

A potent Fuquay-Varina attack is expected to face Holly Springs’ Erica Nunn, one of the top high school softball pitchers in the state tonight, in the fourth round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A playoffs tonight.

Friday's games
4-A
Clayton (15-9) at Wilmington Ashley (17-3), 7 p.m.
2-A
North Johnston (26-0) at Eastern Randolph (27-2), 7 p.m.
1-A
Robersonville South Creek (18-7) at Princeton (19-5), 7 p.m.

We'll update things once we confirm the start times for the other games.

Tuesday night's area results from the NCHSAA prep softball playoffs, third round:

4-A: Clayton 4, Garner 1

Nicole Bond pitches a no-hitter... Comets (15-9) will travel to Wilmington Ashley (17-3) to battle for a spot in the state Final Four.

2-A: North Johnston 4, South Granville 0

Tayler Creech holds South Granville to three hits, strikes out 14.... The Panthers win a battle of unbeaten teams, will be on the road again Friday

1-A: Princeton 1, Chocowinity Southside 0 (9)

Ashleigh Mayes' RBI single in the bottom of the ninth sends the Bulldogs into the fourth round... Princeton will host a fourth round game on Friday.

We'll have more later and throughout the week.

The third round of the NCHSAA prep softball playoffs will be played around the state tonight. Here's what's on tap for the Garner-Clayton Record and The Herald readership areas...

4-A

Clayton (14-9) at Garner (19-5), 6 p.m.

2-A

North Johnston (25-0) at South Granville (23-0), 7 p.m.

1-A

Chocowinity Southside (20-4) at Princeton (19-5), 6 p.m.

Look for updates all night via Twitter from @dclaybest.

Princeton's 4x200-meter relay team finished eighth in the state this weekend in the 1-A state outdoor track and field championships. The Bulldogs' team of Tyler Craft, Malcolm Blake, Jamal Allen and Kameron McDougald finished in 1:33.29.
Princeton's Javontae Davis also posted an eighth place finish individually in the triple jump with a leap of 42 feet, 2 1/2 inches.
The Bulldogs' 4x100 team with McDougald, Davis, Blake and Allen was ninth in the state (44.57). Discus thrower Adrian Joyner was 12th for Princeton at 110-2, while pole vaulters Nathan Woodard and Ethan Anderson tied for 13th at 9-6.
On the girls' side, Amber Brush finished 12th in the state (90-0) in the discus and Linda Smith was 15th in the 3,200 run (14:38.68).

We don't know the times yet but we know the wheres and whos for Tuesday's third round state playoff softball games involving teams in the Record and The Herald coverage areas...

4-A

Clayton (13-9) at Garner (19-3)

With another Scotty McCreery party scheduled at Garner as well this night, I'd expect a 6 p.m. start with this one.

2-A

North Johnston (25-0) at South Granville (23-0)

Two undefeated teams face off in a match-up that's been eyed since the playoff brackets came out.

1-A

Chocowinity Southside (20-4) at Princeton (19-5)

Princeton, which scored just twice against Perquimans, will need its offense to come around when the Seahawks visit. Southside is averaging 13.5 runs a game in the playoffs.