LOCAL SPORTS ROUNDUP: Notes and highlights from last week

Here’s a look at some of last week’s local sports highlights.

Prep Soccer

■ Southwestern Randolph’s Fernando Hernandez scored two goals and was named MVP as the West beat the East 3-1 in the North Carolina Coaches Association East-West All-Star Game. The Cougars’ Aaron Avina got assists on both Hernandez goals.

Owen Leonard of Randleman was also on the West squad.

ZooKeepers Baseball 

■ Chazz Grossington went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the ZooKeepers’ 7-5 win over Zebulon. Drue Saenz and Reggie Sharpe both had a hit and an RBI. Perry Hargett and Wilmis Castro both drove in a run. Nathan McKissick pitched four innings of no-hit relief, allowing two unearned runs, with six strikeouts to get the win. Alex Graber got the last out for his second save.

■ A.J. Malzone was 2-for-4, including his first home run of the season, with an RBI in the ZooKeepers’ 11-5 loss to Martinsville. Brady McGuire and Sharpe both had a hit and RBI. Brenden Cole pitched a scoreless inning.

■ McGuire was 2-for-3 and scored both runs in the ZooKeepers’ 5-2 loss to Martinsville. Thomas Canel-Piszel went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Grossington drove in a run. Graber pitched two scoreless innings and Caydon Laird hurled one.

■ Sharpe was 2-for-3, including his first home run of the season, and had four RBIs as the ZooKeepers walloped the Boone Bigfoots 17-7. Saenz was 2-for-4 with three RBIs while McGuire went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Wyatt Bush was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Grossington was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Malzone smashed a two-run homer and Tyler Peller was 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Daniel Stephens walked four times, scored four runs and had an RBI. Olmedo Quezeda (4-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and two earned runs.

■ Cameron Austin was 2-for-3 with his fourth home run of the year and four RBIs as the ZooKeepers pounded the High Point-Thomasville HiToms 11-1. Koy Swanson and Peller both had two hits and an RBI. One of Peller’s hits was a home run. Malzone went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Grossington was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Carlos Gomez pitched a one-hitter over six innings with three strikeouts and four walks. Chris Taylor pitched one hitless inning.

Brooks Brannon update

■ The former Randleman star was hitting .280 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs for the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox as of July 24. Brannon belted his 16th homer on July 21 in the top of the ninth inning to lift the Sea Dogs to a 4-3 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Brannon was taken by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2022 Major League Draft.