News & Observer | newsobserver.com | 2008 NCAA Men's Bracket

Clayton High School student Lizzie Bundy has advanced to the championship match at the N.C. Junior Championships in Henderson. Bundy is facing Jessica Neese of Liberty in the final 18-hole match this morning.

Bundy earned a 1-up victory over Raleigh's Sarah Bea in the quarterfinals, then beat Laura Wearn of Charlotte 4-and-3 in the semifinals.

Over in the boys' half of the tournament, another Clayton High product bowed out in the round of 32. Justin Runyon was a 6-and-5 loser to Asheville's Noah Ratner on Thursday.

We'll keep you updated on Lizzie's day when we hear something. 

The Carolina Mudcats split their doubleheader with Tennessee on Thursday, but still picked up a half-game on division-leading Huntsville with its loss to Birmingham on Thursday night.

The Mudcats have three games to play -- all at Tennessee -- in the first half of the Southern League schedule, while Huntsville will square off with Birmingham in a doubleheader tonight. Huntsville has four games to play, counting tonight's double dip.

Carolina was rained out at Tennessee on Wednesday night, but Huntsville fell to Birmingham dropping the Barons' lead in the divisional standings to a game with five games remaining in the first half.

The Mudcats will play a doubleheader today (Thursday) at Tennessee, beginning at noon. 

From correspondent Jay Mumford:

Wednesday night's American Legion senior baseball game between Are One, Western Division rivals Benson Post 109 and Garner Post 232 was called in the bottom of the fourth inning due to rain, which made the Bruce Coats field diamond unplayable.

Benson led, 6-2, but Garner had runners on first and second with no one out when the storm chased the teams off the field.

To the disappointment of Post 109 and coach Earl Stephenson, the game, which will be made up June 26, will start anew as five innings were not completed, washing away all of Wednesday's statistics, including 2-for-2 nights at the plate by Benson's Preston Major and Chris Sanders and a 2-for-3 effort by Michael Johnson.

Garner High School graduate Meagan Proper, an N.C. State recruit, is among 32 of the state’s top female soccer seniors who have accepted invitations to participate in the 18th NCCA East-West All-Star Game to be played at UNCG Soccer Stadium on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 (7 p.m. kickoff).  Proper is one of 22 All-State selections who are expected to play in the match.

A total of seven Wake County players have been tabbed for the East squad. Lumberton High coach Kenny Simmons will lead the squad.

Tonight's (Wednesday) Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League baseball games between Clayton and Garner have been postponed. No make up date has been announced.

Clayton will try to get its season started Thursday night at Knightdale.

Clayton native Johnny Dutch ran to a second-place finish in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships over the weekend at the University of Arkansas.

Dutch, a nine-time state high school champion at Clayton High School, was second in the 400-meter hurdles in 48.62 seconds. He was one of two area track standouts to post top-eight finishes in the national championships.

Former Garner standout Booker Nunley, a freshman for the Gamecocks, finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdles. Nunley clocked in at 13.84 seconds. He ran a 13.69 in the first round of qualifying and ran 13.80 in the semifinals.

Bethune-Cookman's Ronnie Ash won the 110 championship (13.27), while Washington State's Jeshua Anderson nipped Dutch (48.47 to 48.62) in the 400 finals.

Dutch, a sophomore at "the other" Carolina, won each of his qualifying races, cutting time off on both occasions.

Two former Smithfield-Selma golfers led the way in the final round of the N.C. Amateur Sunday at Old Chatham Golf Club. Mark McMillen Jr. won the championship with a closing round of 67. He finished at 10-under par. Tying for second was McMillen's former SSS teammate, Derek Wallace.

McMillen is a rising sophomore member of the N.C. State golf team; Wallace is a rising junior at UNC Wilmington. 

We'll have a full report on the tournament in this week's print edition of The Herald of Johnston County. For a complete rundown of the N.C. Amateur scores, visit http://www.carolinasgolf.org/