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Brady Marshall struck out 10 in four scoreless innings. As if that wasn’t enough, he went 3 for 3 with a double and triple to lead North Davie’s baseball team to a 9-2 road win over North Carolina Leadership Academy on April 6.

The game was stopped after six innings via a one-hour, 45-minute time limit.

After Marshall threw two-hit ball for four innings, Brice Wilson struck out two in a scoreless fifth. Jacob Morgan got the final three outs for North.

Blake French was the other big stick for the Wildcats (7-1-1), going 2-3 with a double, triple and three RBIs.

“Brady was a dominant presence on the mound,” coach Trevor Gooch said. “He also had a big day at the plate. He was intentionally walked in his last at-bat. Blake cranked two big hits.”

The defensive player of the game was Tanner Steinour, and it wasn’t the first time for the catcher.

“Tanner put on a clinic by blocking balls in the dirt and throwing out two runners trying to steal,” Gooch said.

Ellis 5-2

Ellis is 5-2 and could easily be 6-1. One of the losses was 2-1 in nine innings to unbeaten Watauga.

The Jaguars trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh. They pushed in the tying run with a sac fly.

“We had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on,” coach Mike Dinkins said.

Ellis had chances in the eighth and ninth, too.

“In the eighth, we left a runner on second,” Dinkins said. “In the ninth, we had the bases loaded with one out and we grounded into a double play. That’s the most heartbreaking loss I’ve ever had.”

Aidan Sanders and Logan Allen provided superb pitching. Sanders worked a two-hit shutout for five innings, walking one and striking out six. Not bad for a guy who had not touched the Ellis mound before this game.

“He had never pitched one inning at Ellis,” Dinkins said. “He came to me a couple of weeks ago and asked if he could throw in the bullpen. I said: ‘Yeah, let’s go.’”

Allen went three innings, the only run scoring on a bloop single over the shortstop’s head.

“We’ve been using Logan as a closer,” Dinkins said.

Watauga broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the ninth. With two outs and two strikes, a pinch-hitter rolled a run-scoring grounder between short and third.

Allen hit a home run in a home win over Wesleyan Christian Academy, and Foster has impressed as a pitcher/third baseman.

“Logan’s been hitting the ball extremely well,” Dinkins said. “Brandon can play the game. Defensively, he’s up there with (Brandon) Lankford. He can be legit.”

Dinkins added: “I’ll be sending several good ones to the high school.”