NCHSAA 2A State Baseball Championship

Cherryville Ironmen Vs. Rosewood Eagles Game 1 Results

Cherryville-4 Rosewood-0

Posted Wednesday, May 27, 2026 8:20 pm

Roger Sigmon - Wise News Network

Burlington, NC (WNN) - Cherryville opened the NCHSAA State Championship series on May 27th, 2026, with a 4-0 victory over the Eagles of Rosewood, to move within one win of bringing home another state title. The two teams will face off again on Thursday, May 28th, 11:00 am at the same ballfield, Burlington Athletic Park in Burlington, NC.

Game 1 Recap

The Ironmen’s starting pitcher, Brock Bumgardner, began the game throwing smoke. He struck out the first six batters and retired the minimum number of batters faced, 13, through 4 1/3 innings. Bumgardner also drove in the first 2 runs of the game in the bottom half of the first inning on a double that took a hop to bounce off the outfield wall. His hit scored Kenan Fowler, who had walked, and Talon Dalton, who had singled. There was a stoppage in play in the second inning after Bumgardner aggravated a blister on his throwing hand. A bandage was applied that did not stop the bleeding, and Rosewood issued a protest. The protest was nullified after several attempts at treatment to stop the bleeding, and Bumgardner was allowed to remain in the game. Canon Whitesides singled on a little looper that fell in between defenders to open the second inning for the Ironmen. Bryson Withers added a single, and a fielder’s choice by Kenan Fowler resulted in a force out of Withers at second base. A groundout ended the threat. Rosewood got their first base runner of the evening when Braxton Waters reached on an error at shortstop. He was later left stranded on base. It appeared the Ironmen were in position in the bottom half of the inning to blow the game open. They scored 2 runs for a 4-0 lead but failed to take full advantage of the opportunities. Talon Dalton started things off with a stand-up double; the Eagles elected to intentionally walk Brock Bumgardner for the second time on the night. Chandler Wooten hit a fly ball that was caught in foul territory, yet both runners advanced on the throw-in. A walk by Davin Digh juiced the bases with only 1 out. A strikeout followed, then Aaron Heavner hit a “Texas blooper” that dropped just beyond second base between a couple of defenders for a 2-run single to score Bumgardner and Digh. Heavner tried to advance to second on the throw but was thrown out to end the inning. Rosewood’s Robbie Boren walked to begin the sixth inning, and Cuyler Jones executed a sacrifice bunt before play was stopped again to attend to Bumgardner’s hand. Bumgardner then struck out the next two batters. The Eagles again placed a runner on base in the final inning as Jacob Bond reached first base due to an error in right field with 1 out. A ground out and a fly out ended the inning and the game. It was not only a 4-0 victory for Cherryville, but also a no-hit shutout for Brock Bumgardner.

Cherryville Ironmen vs Corvian Community Cardinals - NCHSAA Round 4 West 2A Baseball - at Fraley Field, Cherryville, NC - May 15th, 2026

Rusty Wise (WNN)

Brock Bumgardner pitched a complete game, no-hitter, shutout. He only allowed 3 base runners on 2 errors and 1 walk while giving up 0 runs, 0hits, and struck out 11 batters. He only faced 24 batters, three more than the minimum. Talon Dalton went 2-3, scoring 2 runs, Brock Bumgardner went 1-1, scoring 1 run and 2 RBIs, and Aaron Heavner went 1-3 with 2 RBIs. In all, the Ironmen had 6 hits, 1 stolen base, committed 2 errors, and left 6 runners on base. Robbie Boren took the loss for Rosewood. The senior left-hander allowed 4 runs on 6 hits, walked 4, and threw 7 strikeouts. He also pitched out of several jams. The win was the sixth straight in the 2026 playoffs for Cherryville, and the 397th career win for Head Coach Scotty Heavner.