Cedar Ridge waited a long time to defeat its crosstown rival in softball. Nearly six years, in fact. The Red Wolves got a complete game four-hitter from senior pitcher Charlotte Lowry to defeat Orange 7-1 on Tuesday night at Cedar Ridge Softball Field. Lowry struck out nine over seven innings. The Red Wolves used the long ball to stay ahead of the Panthers. Laci Sykes hit a two-run single to right field in the first inning. Reagan Simmons and Kimber Shambley both hit home runs for the Red Wolves. Simmons added a double as Cedar Ridge earned its fourth win of the season. Lowry, the younger sister of former Cedar Ridge shortstop Ava Lowry, also went 2-for-3 at the plate. Lowry, Sykes, Simmons and Rylee Capps each had multi-hit games. The last time Cedar Ridge defeated Orange was in 2019 during a one-game playoff to determine which team would earn the #1 seed for the 3A State Playoffs. Lowry has been a strong presence in the circle for the Red Wolves. Cedar Ridge will return to action against Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Hillsborough, the first of three straight home games. The Red Wolves will host Roxboro Community School on Thursday night, then play Walter Williams on Friday.

Cedar Ridge softball pitcher Charlotte Lowry discusses win over Orange

Cedar Ridge waited a long time to defeat its crosstown rival in softball. Nearly six years, in fact. The Red Wolves got a complete game four-hitter from senior pitcher Charlotte Lowry to defeat Orange 7-1 on Tuesday night at Cedar Ridge Softball Field. Lowry struck out nine over seven innings.

The Orange baseball team won its first two Central Conference games this week. The Panthers swept Western Alamance for the first time since the two teams became conference rivals in 2022. On Tuesday, junior Ryan Sawyer struck out ten batters as the Panthers defeated Western Alamance 8-1 in Hillsborough. In five appearances so far this year, Sawyer has won four starts with a 1.91 earned run average. Sawyer also struck out ten batters in a 7-1 win over East Chapel Hill last week. During the first week of the season, Sawyer threw four innings and held Chapel Hill to three runs in an 9-5 victory over the Tigers on February 26. Sawyer’s development has been important for an Orange team that lost its top two starters and much of its bullpen from last year. In 2025, Sawyer has become the Panthers regular Tuesday starter. Last year, Sawyer won two games coming out of the bullpen. On Friday night, Orange endured cold weather, injuries and a rough start to defeat Western Alamance 11-7 in Elon. Garrett Sawyer came in relief in the opening inning and grinded out three-and-two-thirds innings of relief to earn the win. Sophomore Kayden Bradsher went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Orange will travel to Person on Tuesday night.

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The Orange baseball team won its first two Central Conference games this week. The Panthers swept Western Alamance for the first time since the two teams became conference rivals in 2022. On Tuesday, junior Ryan Sawyer struck out ten batters as the Panthers defeated Western Alamance 8-1 in Hillsborough.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior tennis player Cameron Foster. This season, Foster has consistently been among the two two singles players for head coach Justin Webb. With his doubles partner Porter Pelphrey, Orange has won matches over Voyager Academy, Roxboro Community School and Cedar Ridge through the first month of the season. On March 10, Foster defeated Cedar Ridge’s Grady Coleman 6-0, 6-0 as the Panthers rolled to a 9-0 win at Orange High Tennis Courts. Later that day, Foster and Pelphrey teamed to win at #1 doubles 8-1 as the Panthers won its first Central Conference match of the year. Foster has also teamed with Noah Jones in doubles. Last year, Foster frequently started at #1 singles for an Orange team that finished 12-7 overall. In 2024, Foster and Pelphrey nearly qualified for the 3A State Doubles championships. Foster’s goal for this spring is to earn a trip to the Burlington Tennis Center for the state championships. In addition, Foster plays saxophone and has performed with the Orange band. After he graduates in June, Foster plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill with a focus on music. In act, one of his favorite artists is Kenny G, who his parents turned him onto. Orange will return to action against Northwood in Pittsboro on Monday.

Orange Panther of the Week: Cameron Foster

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior tennis player Cameron Foster. This season, Foster has consistently been among the two two singles players for head coach Justin Webb. With his doubles partner Porter Pelphrey, Orange has won matches over Voyager Academy, Roxboro Community School and Cedar Ridge through the first month of the season.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore cross country runner Gracie Whitaker. Last fall, Whitaker helped the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team win the Mideast Regional Championship at Owens Recreation Park in Louisburg. She also helped the Red Wolves win the Central Conference championship, finishing sixth at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington. She finished with a time of 23:01.63, helping the Red Wolves finish with 31 points, beating out Orange, who registered 50. At the Regional Championships, Whitaker finished 21st at 23:01.38. Whitaker had several top ten finishes last fall, including at a meet at Orange High School where she came in seventh overall, clocking in at 24:27. Whitaker finished 46th at the 40th annual Greensboro Cross Country Invitational at Hagan Stone Park in Pleasant Garden. Whitaker helped the Red Wolves finished seventh at the 3A State Championships at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. Whitaker came in with a time of 22:06.79 as the Red Wolves finished highest in the state championships than any other Central Conference team. Whitaker started the year by finishing sixth at the Eno River Academy Invitational in Hillsborough. Whitaker was among a group of young runners who stepped up last fall and helped the Red Wolves women’s cross country team to its best season as a 3A squad.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Gracie Whitaker

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore cross country runner Gracie Whitaker. Last fall, Whitaker helped the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team win the Mideast Regional Championship at Owens Recreation Park in Louisburg. She also helped the Red Wolves win the Central Conference championship, finishing sixth at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington.

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After a four-year career at UNC Greensboro, Tori Dalehite returned to her softball roots this winter by joining the Cedar Ridge coaching staff.

Tuesday night must have brought back some pleasant memories.

The last time Cedar Ridge defeated Orange in softball, Dalehite was a senior in 2019. Takia Nichols, the all-time home run hitter in school history who now starts at North Carolina Central, was a sophomore.

Six years of frustration against Cedar Ridge’s crosstown rival ended on Tuesday.

Senior Charlotte Lowry threw a four-hitter while also going 2-for-3 at the plate to push Cedar Ridge past Orange 7-1 at Cedar Ridge Softball Field.

Seniors Kimber Shambley and Reagan Simmons each homered for the Red Wolves while Laci Sykes delivered a two-run single the first inning. The Red Wolves (5-3 overall, 3-1) remain one game back of Eastern Alamance for first place in the Central Conference. Cedar Ridge will travel to Eastern Alamance on Friday in a crucial rematch from a somewhat controversial result from earlier this month.

Lowry made sure nothing was controversial against the Lady Panthers. She struck out nine batters and didn’t allow a hit until the third inning. Orange did mount a minor threat in the first inning after freshman Kaylee Allen walked and advanced to second when Allie Carden reached on a dropped ball. Lowry retired the side when she struck out Addison Guentensberger.

When Orange made mistakes in the field, Cedar Ridge capitalized on them. Raegan Remaly reached on an errant throw to first in the opening inning. After Shambley and Simmons walked to load the bases, Remaly scored when a pitch from Guentensberger skipped away from Carden, the Orange catcher, to the backstop. Sykes dropped a two-run bloop into shallow right field to plate Simmons and Shambley and increase Cedar Ridge’s lead to 3-0.

Simmons, who played at Apex High School last year before retuning to Cedar Ridge this season, led off the third inning with a towering home run over the centerfield fence. It was her team-leading fourth home run of the year.

In her seventh start, Lowry improved to 4-1 with 38 strikeouts and seven walks.

Simmons drove in another run in the fourth when she smashed a fastball down the left field line for a double. Remaly, who was hit by a pitch earlier, scored. Rylee Capps, who hit a grand slam in last week’s rout of Southern Alamance, grooved a single to centerfield to score Simmons and increase the Red Wolf lead to 6-0. Capps leads the team with a .519 batting average.

Orange didn’t get a runner to third base until the sixth inning when Carden delivered a solo homer over left field.

Shambley, who has committed to Western Carolina, led off the seventh inning with a deep fly ball over the fence in left field that nearly hit the scoreboard. It was Shambley first home run of the season.

Now Cedar Ridge heads to Mebane for Friday’s game. The conference opener against Eastern Alamance from March 3 will be easy to remember. The Red Wolves led 3-0 after three innings against the Eagles on March 3. The Eagles scored its first run off a controversial call when Edie Stewart sent a fly ball to centerfield while Rachel Byrd was at third base. After Cedar Ridge’s Madeline Galindo-Woodring made the catch, Byrd tagged up. Originally, the field umpired ruled that Byrd had left the base early and was called out. The home plate umpire overruled the field umpire’s call and the run counted.

That proved to be costly for Cedar Ridge in the end. The Red Wolves led 4-1 in the seventh inning before Eastern Alamance scored three runs to send the game into extra innings. Brylea Warren hit a game-tying, three-run homer. The Eagles added four runs in the eighth inning.

Cedar Ridge’s last conference championship in softball was in 2019.

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