Month: May 2021

In the middle of a gas shortage, West Stokes drove nearly 170 miles round trip in the middle of a gas shortage for a nonconfernece game. Yet they still got their money’s worth.

While Orange didn’t get the result they wanted on Friday night, time will tell if they got what they needed.

West Stokes’ Kaden Fuller earned the win after he threw three innings of relief as the Wildcats scored two runs in the eighth inning to beat Orange 8-6 on Friday night in Hillsborough. Designated hitter Adam Parris drove in the game-winning run with a bases-loaded walk. Orange catcher Davis Horton, who finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, reached second base in the bottom of the eighth to represent the tying run, but Fuller struck out Orange’s next three batters to complete his first varsity win.

It was a night of firsts for both teams. Orange Coach Jason Knapp used six different pitchers, but second baseman Connor Funk established himself from the pack. Funk, who had never pitched in a varsity game, threw two-and-two-thirds innings and struck out six after relieving Jaren Sikes in the sixth. Though he took the loss, Funk was the only Orange hurler to hold the Wildcats scoreless in consecutive innings.

“We know he’s got it in him,” Knapp said. “He’s got an electric arm. He just needs some time on the mound. We tried to give everybody a little bit tonight, but when we got caught in extras, we had to stick with him. He did a great job.”

West Stokes (5-1), a 2A team from the Western Piedmont Conference, has a roster of big bats and powerful arms. Coming into Friday, the Wildcats had hit seven home runs in five games. They added two more on Friday. Their pitching staff, which includes three sophomores, averaged eleven strikeouts per game. They maintained that average against Orange.

Fuller lined an opposite field home run off Orange starter Pierson Kenney to lead off the second inning for the first run of the night. The Panthers responded with three runs in the second inning after West Stokes’ starter Evan Cecile walked the bases loaded. With two out, Panther shortstop Jackson Berini drew a walk to score Jaren Sikes. Funk knocked in Joey Pounds with a grounder that reached left field, then Horton lined a first-pitch fastball over second base which plated Tyler Lloyd and built Orange’s lead to 3-1.

West Stokes tied it right back up when Fuller ripped a triple to right field. Dylan Roscoe, running for catcher Brighton Berthrong, scored. Pounds, making his first start in right field, hit Funk on the relay and Horton tagged out Joshua Jones at the plate. Fuller tied the game 3-3 after Parris hit a two-out bouncer to right field.

Sikes drew a walk in the bottom of the third, stole second, advanced to third on a single by Cesar Lozano and scored off an infield hit by Tyler Lloyd.

Again, Orange didn’t have the lead for long. West Stokes first baseman Bryson Bowman drew a leadoff walk to start the fourth inning and tied the game following a liner up the middle by Berthrong.

Orange got the lead back in the bottom of the frame when Funk drew a one-out walk. After Funk stole second, first baseman Will Walker drilled a double down the left field line to push Orange back ahead 5-4.

Fuller opened the fifth with a walk, and Jacob Smith throttled a 2-1 fastball off the bottom left corner of the Orange scoreboard to give West Stokes a 6-5 lead.

Fuller, who started at second base, replaced Dominic Mickle as pitcher in the sixth. Funk drilled Fuller’s first pitch over the head of centerfielder Jacob Smith for a triple. Horton sent a fly ball to right field that was dropped and allowed Funk to tie the game. With the go-ahead run at second base, Fuller came up with two strikeouts to keep the game tied 5-5.

After Orange went through four pitchers in five innings, Funk held the Wildcats scoreless in the sixth and seventh. Orange had a chance to win in the seventh after David Waitt, who was inserted into the game as a reserve in the fifth, grounded a one-out double to left field. But Fuller struck out Ryan Hench and got Jackson Berini to fly out to shortstop to send the game into extra innings.

While Orange played a back-and-forth game against a team they hadn’t faced since 2009, the Big 8 Conference championship race was extended into next week. At Knights Field, Northern Durham rallied from a 3-0 deficit with five runs in the sixth inning to defeat Chapel Hill. That means the Knights and the Panthers will meet on Tuesday night in Hillsborough for a winner-takes-all battle for the Big 8 Conference championship. Orange (6-1, 6-0 in the Big 8) clinched a share of the title after Northwood defeated Northern Durham (5-1, 5-1) 7-6 on Wednesday. The winner of Tuesday’s game will be the #1 seed from the Big 8 in the state playoffs.

“We scheduled this game because we needed some quality opponents to prepare ourselves for the state playoffs,” Knapp said. “We knew that West Stokes was quality and they were going to bring a good team up here and they did.”

What many would consider a successful start to their high school career is what Fernando Martinez describes as “getting his butt kicked.” Martinez, a sophomore wrestler at Cedar Ridge, went 34-13 in his freshman year while competing at 106 pounds. That included a fourth place finish at the Mideast Regionals in February 2020. Martinez also won the 106-pound tournament at the Buccaneer Cup at Bartlett Yancey High School in January 2020. This year, wrestling mainly at 120-pounds, Martinez is off to a 10-0 start. That included a gutsy win over East Chapel Hill’s Asher Yeo on Thursday, even though Martinez injured his left shoulder midway through the match. Last week, Martinez pinned Orange’s Colton Jones in 4:37, then earned a forfeit win against Southeast Guilford. On Thursday, Martinez picked up another forfeit victory against Vance County to improve his career record to 44-13 midway through his sophomore year. Cedar Ridge won both dual matches to improve to 6-4 on the season. The Red Wolves grapplers will return to action on Tuesday with a tri-meet at Cedar Ridge Gymnasium. They will face Southern Alamance and Chapel Hill.

After finishing with a winning record for the fourth year in a row, three Cedar Ridge softball players were named first-team All-Big 8 Conference.

Third baseman Takia Nichols, the Big 8 Player of the Year, was named to the first-team. So were junior shortstop Ava Lowry and senior catcher ShiLi Quade.

Nichols led Cedar Ridge in nine offensive categories. She had a .707 batting average, scored 34 runs, had 29 hits, belted 13 home runs, registered 38 RBI, nine doubles, was walked 17 times, had a .793 on-base percentage with a 1.926 slugging percentage. Nichols, a junior, will enter her senior season on a six-game home run streak. Nichols started the string at Northern Durham on April 20 with a three-run blast to centerfield. The next day against the Knights, she hit an inside-the-park home run on a windy day at Cedar Ridge Softball Stadium, the 20th dinger of her career. Two days later, she hit another home run against East Chapel Hill, then followed with two home runs in a 8-3 win at Vance County in Henderson. Nichols concluded the season with two home runs in the opening game of a doubleheader against Southern Durham.

Despite playing home games inside a big park, Nichols is the all-time leading home run hitter in Cedar Ridge history, baseball or softball. She has 26 career dingers.

Lowry has built a bond with Nichols since the time they played together in middle school. They share the same side of the infield. Before the season started, Lowry committed to Division III North Carolina Wesleyan. This year, Lowry hit .550 with 25 runs scored, three home runs and 23 RBIs. She was also second on the team with seven doubles. Against East Chapel Hill on March 29, Lowry hit two runs as the Red Wolves defeated the Wildcats 18-5 in five innings at Wildcat Softball Park. She finished 4-for-5 against the Wildcats with six RBIs. On April 9 against Northwood, Lowry hit a three-run inside-the-park home run that ended the game. Lowry scored Quade and Olivia Aitkin to wrap up a 14-2 Red Wolf win. In the third inning of that game, Lowry had an RBI single to score Quade again.

Ironically, Lowry may have had her best game of the season in a loss. Against Orange on April 15, Lowry went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. Cedar Ridge trailed from the time they gave up three runs in the first inning, but Lowry never stopped competing. She hit a double in the second inning and scored Cedar Ridge’s first run off a wild pitch. With two outs in the sixth, Lowry drew a walk following a 10-pitch at-bat (she fouled off five balls) to extend the inning, which led to Quade scoring off a wild pitch. Then came the wild seventh inning, where Cedar Ridge trailed 9-2 but scored seven runs to send it to extra innings. In the 7th, Lowry reached off a dropped fly ball and also scored on a wild pitch. In the eighth, Lowry nearly won the game with a triple to right centerfield that missed clearing the fence by a few feet. She settled for a triple, but was stranded there after a groundout to the shortstop.

Quade played on two Big 8 Conference Softball championship teams at Cedar Ridge during her four-year stint on the varsity. After she played centerfield in her abbreviated junior year, Quade shifted to catcher this season to replace Emma Roby, who graduated in 2020. She opened the season by going 4-for-6 against Northwood on March 17 in a wild 17-16 loss to the Chargers in eight innings. For the year, Quade hit .465. She scored 32 runs, which was second only behind Nichols. Quade hit 4-for-5 against East Chapel Hill on March 29, where she had a double and a triple.

While the pandemic may have kept most students at home for most of the academic year, Quade had no problem keeping herself active. In the winter, she was a member of the Big 8 Champion Cedar Ridge volleyball team, which reached the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. When she didn’t play volleyball, she was a photographer for the Cedar Ridge yearbook staff. Quade was a regular at Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s basketball games, shooting pictures at courtside (some of which appeared on Hillsboroughsports.com) right up until softball practice started in February.

Senior second baseman Reagan Ruhl and junior centerfielder Olivia Aitkin were named honorable mention. Ruhl, who also played on the varsity for four years, hit .340 with one home run. She had an inside-the-park home run against Northern Durham on April 21 that reduced Cedar Ridge’s deficit to 15-14.

Aitkin, who started in centerfield, hit .404. She was third on the team with 20 RBIs. In the past, Aitkin has also competed on Cedar Ridge’s swimming team.

Bryse Wilson: On Tuesday morning, Bryse Wilson was recalled by the Atlanta Braves from Gwinnett of Triple-A East. Wilson made his fourth start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays at Truist Park. Wilson worked effectively and threw five shutout innings. In the sixth, Wilson conceded a two-run homer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Wilson wound up with a no decision. He threw six innings and struck out five. Wilson gave up six hits, two runs and one walk. The Braves bullpen couldn’t hold on to a 3-2 lead and lost 5-3. On Wednesday morning, Wilson was reassigned back to Gwinnett. He could pitch for the Stripers this weekend against the Louisville Bats.

Kayla Hodges: A week after the Elon women’s soccer team’s season came to an end after reaching the NCAA Tournament, Hodges was named the winner of the Robert C. Browne Sportsmanship Award. The award is presented annually to the male and female student athletes who have best displayed exemplary qualities of sportsmanship. “Her strength, leadership and aerial ability has been unwavering this season,” Elon women’s soccer coach Neil Payne said in a statement. “Along with our entire defensive unit, she has shown tremendous resolve, grit and determination all year.” Hodges is a Human Services major who has also worked as a coach for youth soccer. She has also spent numerous hours with community organizations. Hodges participated in the Phoenix Leadership Academy. She helped Elon win its first Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship last month.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team continued its winning ways in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday. The Bulldogs defeated #23 Ole Miss 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals in Tuscaloosa, AL. Davidson drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning to score the first run of the afternoon. In the fifth inning, Davidson doubled to left field. She also tagged two runners out at the plate, including one in the fifth inning that was the subject of a lengthy replay review.

Montana Davidson: Montana started at third base and was in the nine spot in the batting order for Mississippi State. She walked twice. Mississippi State has won eight in a row. They will face top-seeded Florida, ranked #4 in the country, in the quarterfinals on Thursday morning at noon.

Jaden Hurdle: The Patrick Henry Community College softball team captured a best-of-three series against Southeastern Community College on Wednesday. The Patriots won the third and deciding game 3-1 in Martinsville, VA. Hurdle went 0-for-2 and drew a walk in the third game. Patrick Henry won the opening game 4-2 on Tuesday. Hurdle went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth inning, which proved to be a valuable insurance run. Before Hurdle’s RBI, the Rams had narrowed what was once a 3-0 deficit to 3-2. Southeastern captured game 2 of the series 6-2. Hurdle had an RBI single. She also relieved starting pitcher Brianna Taylor in the circle. Hurdle threw three-and-one-thirds innings and surrendered just two hits and one run. She struck out three. Patrick Henry will start play in the Region X Division II Tournament at Springwood Park in Burlington. The Patriots will face the fifth-seed, Florence-Darlington Tech, Friday morning at 10 o’clock. This will be a two-day, double elimination tournament.

We step back in the time machine for the retro Orange Panther of the Week. We journey back to the week of March 7, where the winner is senior wingback/linebacker Elliott Woods. On March 12, Woods scored Orange’s only touchdown in a 7-6 win over Northern Durham. On that touchdown drive, Woods had a crucial 12-yard catch on a 4th down, which enabled the Panthers to continue the drive. Woods also started on defense and made five tackles. This season, Woods was a co-captain for Van Smith’s Panthers. For the second year in a row, Woods led Orange with 65 tackles. He also had nine tackles for loss, which was second on the team. In 2019, Woods had 87 tackles. Right now, Woods is a part of Orange’s wrestling team, which will face Chapel Hill on Tuesday for the Big 8 Conference championship. After Woods graduates from Orange next month, he will attend N.C. State to focus on majoring in business. Orange will certainly miss Woods’ presence on defense, where he accounted for over 150 tackles, as well as rushing for 731 yards in 18 career varsity games.

In a power pitching display reminiscent of Bryse Wilson’s days at Orange, Panther sophomore Ryan Hench struck out 16 batters as the Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 5-0 at Tiger Field on Tuesday night. It may very well have set a school record for strikeouts in a game. For good measure, Hench drove in Jackson Berini in the seventh inning. Hench, in just his second start for Orange, won despite throwing on only four days rest. He earned the win in Friday’s game against Northwood. Senior center fielder Jaren Sikes scored Orange’s first two runs. Sikes reached on a bunt single in the third inning and scored off a wild pitch. In the fifth, Sikes hit a lead off double and scored off a fielder’s choice from Tyler Lloyd. Sikes slid into home plate safely under the tag of Chapel Hill catcher Trevor Liebe. Orange is 5-0 and has sewed up a spot in the 3A State Playoffs. The Panthers will face West Stokes in a recently scheduled non conference game on Friday in Hillsborough. You can hear that game on Hillsboroughsports.com.

There was no gas shortage at Tiger Field on Tuesday night.

That’s because Ryan Hench was throwing flames.

In only his second varsity start, the sophomore pitcher struck out 14 batters in a two-hit shutout to propel Orange past Chapel Hill 5-0. Hench did it on the same night where former Orange star Bryse Wilson started for the Atlanta Braves against Toronto at Truist Field.

According to MaxPreps, Wilson’s career-high at Orange was 15 strikeouts against East Chapel Hill on March 21, 2016.

Through nine innings over his past two starts, Hench has surrendered two hits, one walk and no runs with 18 strikeouts.

The Panthers, 5-0, ensured a playoff birth for the 19th consecutive season.

Hench started Orange’s victory over Northwood on Friday, where he and three other pitchers combined on a one-hitter. It was his first varsity win in just his second pitching appearance. Against the Chargers, he was pulled after three innings and 51 pitches without conceding a hit. On Tuesday, he needed only 90 pitches to blank Chapel Hill, 71 of which were strikes.

Hench’s brother Cooper, who graduated from Orange last June and recently completed his freshman year at N.C. State, was in attendance Tuesday. In Orange’s last trip to Chapel Hill on April 25, 2019, Cooper Hench threw a three-hit shutout in a 10-1 Panther win.

In a pivotal game for Orange’s playoff chances, Panthers Coach Jason Knapp didn’t hesitate to start Hench on four days rest.

“Absolutely,” Knapp immediately answered when asked if he felt Hench was capable of such a powerful performance. “I thought he could give us a good 4-5 innings after what we saw against Northwood. He was fired up tonight. He commanded the zone and wasn’t scared to pitch to contact.”

Hench’s emotional, confident nature was on full display right down to the final pitch. With an 0-2 count on pinch hitter Liam Carruthers with two out in the 7th inning, Hench slammed the rosin bag down on the back of the mound and forcefully turned to the plate, which got a rise out of an already boisterous Panther dugout. Hench unleashed yet another fastball that glanced off Carruthers bat in front of the plate. Orange catcher Davis Horton picked it up and threw to Jordan Underwood to end the game. Moments earlier, Underwood made the defensive gem of the night. With Tigers catcher Trevor Liebe at second following a double, Underwood made a diving stab on a grounder hit by Chapel Hill’s Becket Yates that hugged the first base line. Hench raced over to cover first as Underwood, still on the ground, chucked the ball across to preserve the shutout.

Chapel Hill only managed five baserunners. Liebe had both of the Tigers’ hits. Of Hench’s 14 strikeouts, Chapel Hill had two batters get on base after dropped third strikes. Four of the base runners were left on base, while the other was tagged out in a rundown.

Orange centerfielder Jaren Sikes scored the Panthers’ first two runs. Sikes led off the third inning with a beautiful bunt down the third base line. With Tyler Lloyd at bat, Sikes went station-to-station, going to second base on a wild pitch, and advanced to third when Lloyd flew out to right. With two out and Conner Funk at bat, Sikes scored off another wild pitch.

Chapel Hill’s biggest threat came in the bottom of the second. Liebe lined a one-out single to right field. Third baseman Tyler Stillson was hit by a pitch. Carruthers, running for Liebe, advanced to third with one out after a wild pitch with Martin Nesbitt at bat. Hench shut down the threat with strikeouts of Nesbitt and Will Blythe.

It appeared Sikes would leadoff the fifth with a routine flyout to left field. But fly balls were as problematic as finding a gas pump on Tuesday night, and the outfielder lost it in the lights. Sikes, despite nearly being thrown out, still wound up at second, then went to third on another wild pitch. Lloyd sent a grounder to Stillson, who tried to nab Sikes at the plate, but Sikes slid in safely. Lloyd advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Jackson Berini. Will Walker got on board after an infield hit with two out, and Lloyd would score off a wild pitch with Horton batting to increase Orange’s lead to 3-0.

In the fifth, Berini added another run following a leadoff walk. Horton singled to left field to extend his hitting streak to four games. Hench, as if his night wasn’t big enough already, lined a single to centerfield to bring in Berini. Right fielder David Waitt grounded a fastball through the hole in left for a RBI single to score courtesy runner Jacob Jones, running for Horton.

After Orange scored 15, 19 and ten runs in its first three contested games (Vance County was a forfeit on April 30), the Panthers picked up a reputation across the league as an offensive powerhouse with questions surrounding a young pitching staff. In one night, that may have changed with Ryan Hench delivering a power pitching performance not seen since Wilson’s high school glory days five years ago.

Now, Orange will prepare for Northern Durham next Tuesday in Hillsborough. It will be Orange’s final game that will count in the Big 8 Conference standings this year and could decide the league title. (Northern was scheduled to play Northwood in Pittsboro on Tuesday, but didn’t travel due to the gas shortage. Northern’s wrestling team did travel to Hillsborough to face Cedar Ridge).

While the conference crown will have to wait, Knapp went to bed on Tuesday night knowing that his postseason fate is secure.

“It feels real good,” Knapp said. “To get that sewed up and to get into nonconference games, we’re just excited. These guys are getting better every single day.”

For his first Mideast Regional tournament, Cedar Ridge sophomore Josh Mayhew set a goal of beating one of Chapel Hill’s top players.

Mission accomplished.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mayhew defeated Chapel Hill senior Eddy Ferreira 6-2, 6-2 to reach the championship match of the Mideast Regional at the Burlington Tennis Club. In the final, Chapel Hill’s Dennis Perumov defeated Mayhew 6-2, 6-2 for the regional title.

Mayhew had the best singles finish in a regional for any singles player from Hillsborough since 2014. It was the third time this year that Mayhew had faced Perumov, a senior who is 13-0 this year.

Mayhew will be the #2 seed from the Mideast for the 3A NCHSAA State Singles Tournament, which begins Friday morning in Burlington. Mayhew, in his first varsity season, is 11-2. His only losses in singles play have come against Perumov.

Also on Tuesday, Orange’s doubles team of Brandon Gwinn & Colin O’Hagerty lost to East Chapel Hill’s Kabir Grewal & Michael Gannon 6-2, 6-1. Gwinn & O’Hagerty will become the first representatives from Orange in the state tennis championships since 2013 on Friday. They will be the #4 seed in the 3A State Doubles Tournament.

Wrestling: Orange 60, Northwood 9

Though wrestling season falls during the spring this year, that doesn’t mean it will be any different than most others within the Big 8 Conference. Once again, the conference title will come down to Chapel Hill vs. Orange.

On Tuesday night, Orange defeated Northwood 60-9 to improve to 7-0. It was senior night at Panther Gymnasium for grapplers like Kessel Summers, who won his 100th match last week. On Tuesday, Summers pinned Northwood’s Asher Rockriver in 40 seconds at 132 pounds for his 103rd career win.

Senior Hayden Horne pinned Northwood’s Jacob Dunning in 5:41. At heavyweight, Tyler Larkin pinned George Gilson in 1:42.

Matthew Smith Breeden, who has wrestled four years at varsity, scored a major decision over Ian Morrison 10-2. Henry Joubert-Stanzel pinned Ryan Brinker in 1:09. At 195 pounds, Elliot Woods earned another major decision against Hunter Klingel 15-1.

At 120 pounds, Colton Jones pinned Coltrane Northington in 1:19. Jared Hutchins put Orange ahead 12-0 after he pinned Aiden Vigus in 1:14.

Avery Clark won via forfeit at 138. Andrew Hill pinned Northwood’s Nathan Davis in 1:31 at 160 pounds.

Orange will prepare for Tuesday’s match against Chapel Hill when they face Riverside and Hillside in a tri-meet in Durham on Thursday.

Cedar Ridge 36, Eastern Alamance 33; Cedar Ridge 54, Northern Durham 12

Fernando Martinez, James Rosati-Brown and Daina Pritchard maintained their undefeated individual records for 2021 as Cedar Ride swept a tri-match inside Red Wolves Gymnasium on Thursday night.

The Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance 36-33. Kaden Tatro won the deciding match for the Red Wolves after he pinned Aidan Clark in :45 at 170 pounds. Martinez started the dual match with a pin of Caden Parsons in 48 seconds. Martinez would go on to a forfeit victory over Northern Durham to improve to 8-0 with four pins this season.

At 152 pounds, Rosati-Brown pinned Northern Durham’s Khayree Dixon in 1:24. Rosati-Brown, who picked up a forfeit win over Eastern Alamance, is also 8-0. His victory over Dixon was the 63rd of his Cedar Ridge career.

Pritchard pined Cameron Rivera of Eastern Alamance in 6:30. It was Pritchard’s sixth pin of the year. A forfeit win over Northern Durham improved Pritchard’s record to 8-0 this year. Pritchard now has 59 career wins.

Senior Kady Watkins also earned two wins on the night. Watkins pinned Eastern Alamance’s Mason Tanner in 2:49. She earned a forfeit win against Northern. Watkins pinned Southeast Guilford’s Colton Krall for her first win this season last week at Orange High.

At 132 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Mac McGhee pinned Khamani Dixon in 1:46. Gavin Mintz got a forfeit win at 160 pounds for the Red Wolves, as did Wyatt Robinson at 182 pounds.

Cedar Ridge improved to 4-4 and will travel to East Chapel Hill for a tri-meet on Thursday.