Kristina Kennedy of Cape Fear Christian Academy’s middle school softball team had 14 strikeouts Thursday in a 14-0 home win over North Raleigh Christian in a matchup of unbeaten teams. … Zoey Jones of Cleveland had seven strikeouts in a 7-0 softball win over visiting South Johnston on Thursday night. Iona Davis went 3-for-3 for the Rams with a home run and five RBIs. … Cleveland (9-0) hosts Clayton (8-1) for the Eastern 3-AA football championship tonight at 7 p.m. … The Carolina Panthers took South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. Horn was the first defensive player chosen. … The Carolina Hurricanes topped Detroit, 3-1, in Raleigh on Thursday night. … Former N.C. State basketball coach Mark Gottfried and staff have been placed on paid administrative leave at Cal State Northridge as the university investigates possible violations. … Keegan Bradley shot a 64 Thursday and leads the Valspar Championship by two strokes going into today’s second round (Golf Channel, 2 p.m.).