Month: April 2022

There are six players for the Cedar Ridge Red Wolves were started during last June’s game against Orange. None of them need to be reminded of what happened in order to be properly motivated for tonight’s matchup against their crosstown rivals.

It has been stuck in their minds for ten months. It’s something they couldn’t possibly forget, no matter how hard they try.

On the night of June 11, the Red Wolves thoroughly outplayed the Panthers. In a game that started on May 28 but was suspended due to rain and resumed two weeks later, Cedar Ridge led Orange 6-2 at Red Wolves Territory going into the seventh inning. The Panthers’ offense had been anemic, limited to five hits through six innings. On top of that, Cedar Ridge appeared ready to hand the Panthers’ top pitcher, Ryan Hench, his first loss of the season. Hench, who was 2-0 on the year, had not given up an earned run through his first four starts. The Red Wolves ran up six earned runs on Hench in four-plus innings.

Cedar Ridge had not beaten Orange since 2018. It appeared the seventh inning would be a mere formality. The Panthers hadn’t strung together consecutive hits the entire game.

Then Tyler Lloyd led off with a single. Jackson Berini walked. Davis Horton lined a double to left field to score Lloyd. Things inside Cedar Ridge ballpark went from uncomfortable to stifling to outright panic. After Will Walker popped out to first base, things calmed down somewhat. There were two outs and Cedar Ridge still led 6-3. Orange’s last hope, Conner Funk, swung and missed at his opening two pitches, meaning the Red Wolves were a strike away from winning. Funk fouled off two more potential strike threes in a 9-pitch at-bat, which ended with a walk to load the bases. Hench, who remained in the game as a designated hitter after being replaced as pitcher by Jordan Underwood, sent a double to left field to score Berini and courtesy runner Jacob Jones to trim Cedar Ridge’s lead to 6-5. Funk would eventually score after Jaren Sikes drew a bases-loaded walk to incredibly tie the game. Lloyd, in his second at-bat of the inning, delivered the game-winning hit with a two-run single to left field to put the Panthers in the lead 8-6. Orange would go on to score eleven runs in the seventh inning and win 13-6.

Amidst the surreal scene afterwards, the pain that was left on catcher Tucker Cothan’s face stood out. Cothran was a senior that had never beaten Orange before at the varsity level. His junior year had been wiped away because of the pandemic. Was it asking too much to finally beat Orange with a 4-run lead in the 7th inning? When the Panthers were down to their last strike?

Twice?

The emotions on both sides were thick afterwards and Orange bid a hasty farewell on the team bus back across town.

Keep in mind that there were no championship implications on that summer night. Orange had already secured to a trip to the paired-down state playoffs. Cedar Ridge, who knew going into the game they would miss the postseason, simply wanted to beat their crosstown rivals.

Tonight, when the teams start a two-game series at Cedar Ridge, there are title implications galore.

Orange leads the Central Carolina Conference with a 7-1 record. Cedar Ridge, which has won six in a row, is in second place at 6-3.

The Panthers are searching for its first conference championship since 2016 when current Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bryse Wilson was a senior. In order to eliminate the Red Wolves from championship contention, the Panthers simply need to win one game in the series (the second game is Thursday night at Orange).

Cedar Ridge can clinch a share of the regular season championship and the #1 seed for the Central Carolina Conference Tournament with a sweep of Orange. Under that scenario, even if Orange sweeps Eastern Alamance next week, the Red Wolves would control the tiebreaker over the Panthers.

This series marks the final two games of the conference season for the Red Wolves.

Cedar Ridge last won a conference championship in baseball in 2007 when current Athletic Director Andy Simmons coached the team. Since becoming a 3A school in 2014, the Red Wolves haven’t won a league title. They last made the playoffs in 2018, the final season of Jamie Athas’ stint as head coach.

Both Orange and Cedar Ridge have had several first-year varsity players make strong first impressions. Red Wolf sophomore catcher Efrain Morales made an immediate impact on opening night when he scored the game-winning run in the 8th inning in a 9-8 win over Chapel Hill. Morales went 2-for-4 in his first varsity game and has nine multi-hit games this season. Last week, Morales had a grand slam in a 4-1 victory over Western Alamance in Elon.

For Orange, sophomore Cross Clayton has been the most improved player since the season started with a 4-1 win over Northern Durham on February 28. Clayton, in his first varsity season, leads the team with four wins. He has tossed 13 consecutive scoreless innings. On Friday, Clayton threw a two-hit shutout in Orange’s 5-0 win at Northwood, no small feat considering that the Ronald Horton Baseball Complex is a hitter’s park.

Cedar Ridge freshman pitcher Quinn Finnegan is 4-1 after he threw four innings in the win at Western Alamance last Tuesday. Finnegan won the first varsity game he ever pitched in against Chapel Hill on March 2. Since then, he’s beaten Kernersville Glenn in High Point and earned a dramatic victory over Eastern Alamance when the Red Wolves scored eight runs in the second inning and held on to win 8-7 to complete a doubleheader sweep in Mebane on April 8.

Hench will likely start for the Panthers tonight in a series that has every ingredient imaginable for one spicy dish.

Championships. A crosstown rivalry. And, in the case of Cedar Ridge, possible redemption.

Jaden Hurdle: Hurdle hit her tenth home run of the season for Patrick & Henry Community College over the weekend. Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute swept the Patriots in a doubleheader. In the nightcap, the Cobras defeated the Patriots 11-6. Hurdle went 1-for-3 in the 2nd game and also had a stolen base. She is now 2nd on the home run list in Division II of Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, behind only Louisburg’s Brianna Tucker. In the opening game of the doubleheader, which the Cobras won 7-5, Hurdle went 1-for-3. She also came on in relief of starting pitcher Madison Lemons in the sixth inning. Hurdle threw two innings. Patrick & Henry is 24-12 overall, 15-5 in Region X. They will host Pitt Community College in Martinsville, VA on Thursday. Next weekend will be Sophomore Day for Hurdle as Patrick & Henry hosts doubleheaders against Gaston College and Cleveland Community College to end its home schedule. This season, Hurdle is hitting .406 with ten home runs and 32 RBIs (2nd on the team).

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team had a hard fought series against #2 Alabama over Easter weekend at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL. The Bulldogs lost two games on walkoff hits in the 7th inning to the Crimson Tide. On Thursday, Alabama won 2-1. Davidson went 1-for-2. She was intentionally walked in the sixth. On Friday, Alabama came back from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Bulldogs 7-6 with another a walkoff single in the 7th. Davidson hit a two-run homer in the first inning. She was also walked three times. It was Davidson’s 86th career home run. She is now 7th on the all-time NCAA Softball home run list. Davidson was intentionally walked three times in the series. On Saturday, Davidson went 1-for-3 in a 9-4 win by Alabama. Davidson tagged out Alabama’s Kat Grill at the plate trying to score in the sixth inning.

Montana Davidson: Montana entered the Friday game for Mississippi State against Alabama as a pinch-hitter and went 0-for-1.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team remains undefeated in the Southern Conference after a three-game sweep of East Tennessee State in Johnson City, TN over the weekend. Dalehite was inserted into Saturday’s 6-1 win over the Buccaneers as a pinch runner and scored in the fifth inning off a sacrifice fly by Brooklynn Maxwell. On Sunday, the Spartans defeated the Buccaneers 4-2 at Betty Basley Field. Once again, Dalehite came into the game as a pinch runner and second in the 7th inning after a double by pinch hitter Anna White.

Kara Tackett: After an 0-25 start, the Wake Tech softball team won its first game of the season at Spring Forest Road Park in Raleigh on Friday. Tackett earned the win in the circle as the Eagles defeated USC Union 10-9. Tackett started and threw three innings, where she gave up five runs off five hits. Tackett also went 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Eagles built a 10-1 lead after three innings. USC Union won the opening game of the doubleheader 19-4. Tackett started in centerfield and finished 1-for-3. On Thursday, Pitt Community College swept a doubleheader from Wake Tech in Raleigh. The Bulldogs won the opening game 21-2. Tackett started in centerfield and finished 0-for-2. Pitt won the second game 23-2. Tackett went 1-for-2 with an RBI single and scored the first Eagle run.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson threw four-and-one-thirds effective innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates in its 6-4 win over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on Saturday night. In his second start of the year, Wilson struck out two and gave up two runs off four hits. He left the game with one out in the fifth inning. Wilson has two no-decisions thus far through two starts and a 5.40 ERA. His next start is slated for Thursday when the Pirates face the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Joey Berini: The East Carolina baseball team has won four in a row after a sweep of UCF in John Euliano Park in Orlando over the weekend. On Friday, the Pirates defeated the Knights 10-0. Berini entered the game in the ninth inning as a second baseman. On Saturday, the Pirates completed the sweep with a 10-1 win. Berini played as a reserve 2nd baseman in the eighth inning.

Brandon Andrews: The Nicholls State baseball team won two games in a weekend series over Northwestern State at Didier Field in Thibodaux, LA. On Saturday, the Colonels defeated the Demons 6-0. Andrews closed out the game throwing a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout.

Phillip Berger: A tough day on Sunday for the William Peace baseball team. Pfeiffer University rolled past the Pacers 16-2 at Coleman Field in Cary. Berger suffered his second loss of the season. In six-and-two-thirds innings, Berger conceded seven runs off 14 hits. He struck out six. Berger is now 5-2 this season.

Matt Hughes: Hughes, who pitched for Cedar Ridge and graduated last June, is now pitching for Wake Tech’s baseball team. On Friday, the Eagles rallied to defeat Catawba Valley Community College 11-10 at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs. Hughes made his four appearance of the season and threw two-and-two-thirds shutout innings. He gave up only one hit with two strikeouts and a walk. On April 3, Wake Tech defeated Southwest Virginia Community College 12-2. Hughes threw two shutout innings to close out the win for the Eagles. He had one strikeout. Hughes’ debut came agains the Barton Junior Varsity team on March 23, an 8-6 Eagles win. Hughes threw the sixth inning and gave up one hit and one strikeout. Wake Tech is 22-19 overall, 14-12 in Region X.

Will Walker: On Wednesday, the Lenoir Community College baseball team defeated Pitt Community College 14-7. Walker went 2-for-2 with two runs scored. He also walked twice. Walker had another multiple hit game went they rolled to defeat Southeastern Community College 11-10 in Whitevile. Walker hit two doubles and went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. In the second game of the doubleheader, Pitt completed the sweep with a 14-5 win. Walker went 1-for-5 with two runs scored. Pitt Community College is 27-6 overall, 22-6 in Region X.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior pitcher Ryan Hench. On March 22, Hench went 3-for-3 with a three-run triple, a solo homer and another triple against Walter Williams. Hench also earned the win on the mound, throwing five innings and giving up just three hits with eight strikeouts. The following night, Hench had another home run, along with another triple, as the Panthers defeated Southwestern Randolph 9-2 in Hillsborough. Hench had seven total bases against the Wildcats. This season, Hench has nine pitching appearances for Orange. He has a 1.08 ERA and leads the team with a 41 strikeouts. Last season, Hench was the co-Big 8 Conference Pitcher of the Year. His start this season has propelled Orange to an 7-1 start in the Central Carolina Conference, placing the Panthers in first place. The Panthers are going for its first conference championship since 2016. Orange will face Cedar Ridge in a two-game series starting on Tuesday night at Red Wolves Baseball Field at 7PM. The Panthers will also take on the Red Wolves Thursday night at Orange High. 

In terms of Hillsborough high school sports, the game of the year during the pandemic year of 2021 was arguably Orange softball’s trip to Cedar Ridge.

It was the only time during Orange’s undefeated run to the Big 8 Conference championship where they were seriously challenged–and even that took a miracle by Cedar Ridge. On April 15, 2021, the Red Wolves trailed 9-2 going into the bottom-of-the-seventh inning. Cedar Ridge had already achieved a moral victory by just extending Orange to the seventh inning. The Lady Panthers were 7-0, winning each game via run rule after five frames. They had outscored its first seven opponents 115-3.

Then Cedar Ridge scored seven runs in the 7th inning. After Alexandria Matthews knocked in Reagan Ruhl off a groundout to shortstop Carson Bradsher to tie the game, Emma-Rae Sharp nearly won it. With the bases loaded, Rae-Sharp grounded to third baseman Mary Moss Wirt, who threw out Marlee Rokouskas at the plate for the third out of the inning. Orange went on to win 12-9 in nine innings, but not before Ava Lowry almost won the game in the eighth inning with a fly ball to right centerfield that went off the wall inside Cedar Ridge’s inordinately large park.

One year to the day of that classic, Orange and Cedar Ridge returned to Red Wolves Softball Field once again on Friday night. It had all the trappings of a crosstown rivalry game. With a packed grandstand, around a dozen fans watched the game from behind the right field wall, content with a spot 230 feet from home plate because they wanted the feel of seeing the whole park on an early spring night.

There was some drama early, but it soon withered away after Orange scored ten runs in the third inning. The Lady Panthers would go on to win 18-6 for its third straight road win. Sophomore second baseman Delaney Shaffer, who made some crucial defensive plays in last year’s thriller against Cedar Ridge, went 4-for-6. It was her second four-hit game of the week. Against Williams on Tuesday, Shaffer also finished 4-for-6 in an 18-5 win in Burlington.

Cedar Ridge senior centerfielder Olivia Atkin and freshman pitcher Charlotte Lowry each went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Senior Gracie Walker earned the win during a week where Orange won three straight road games, including a victory at Person, ranked the #2 team in the 3A East Region by MaxPreps. The Lady Panthers (8-4 overall, 6-3 in the Central Carolina Conference) remain tied in the loss column with Western Alamance at Person for 2nd place in the CCC. Orange’s only two conference games remaining are against Eastern Alamance.

Cedar Ridge (7-8, 2-6) scored the opening run in the second inning after freshman Reagan Simmons walked. Charlotte Lowry reached on a bunt single back to Walker. Tori Carden laid down a sacrifice bunt that led to Simmons rushing around third to score.

Just as they did against Person, Orange took advantage of plenty of opportunities in the third inning. Junior Serenity McPherson, who scored the game-winning run against Person, reached second base off an error, went to third base and then scored off a passed ball to tie the game. Sophomore Caden Robinson hit two doubles in the third inning, the first of which was to centerfield. Senior Mary Moss Wirt doubled to right, bringing in Robinson. Senior catcher Lauren Jackson, who also got on board off of an error, came in to score off a ground ball hit by Kelsey Tackett. Walker drove in two runs off a double to right field to put Orange ahead 5-1. Robinson would go on to hit another double to score Shaffer and Orange led 10-1.

In the bottom of the third inning, senior Takia Nichols led off with a walk, while Aitkin reached on an error. Freshman Kimber Shambley sent a pop fly to right field that fell for a base hit and scored Nichols. Simmons sent a hard grounder to left field to bring in Aitkin and cut Orange’s lead to 10-3. Tori Carden got aboard with a single to second base, scoring Shambley.

Orange scored in each of the final five innings, including five in the seventh. Tackett went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Senior right fielder Alexis Latta-Harshaw finished 1-for-3 with two walks.

Last season, Cedar Ridge missed out on the 3A State Playoffs simply because the field was paired down to 32 teams (due to the pandemic) as opposed to the standard 64. Despite a 7-8 record, the Red Wolves are still ranked #23 among 51 teams in the 3A East Rankings. Of the top eight teams in the MaxPreps ranking, four are Cedar Ridge’s conference rivals: Eastern Alamance (#1), Person (#2), Western Alamance (#7) and Orange (#8). 32 teams from the East Region will make the state playoffs, which is a 64-team field once again this year.

For the first time since 2016, the Orange baseball team is in first place in its conference with two weeks to go in the regular season.

That 2016 team was led by Bryse Wilson, who finished 10-2 with a 0.75 ERA. If you’re unfamiliar with him, Wilson will pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon against Washington at PNC Park.

The current Orange Panthers don’t have as dominant a starter as Wilson, but who really does? Yet not even the 2016 Panthers had two reliable starters. In fact, Wilson had to start Orange’s first three state playoff games before they lost to Topsail in the state quarterfinals.

Despite several flat performances in March, the 2022 Panthers have emerged atop the Central Carolina Conference with a 7-1 league record led by two quality staters and a bullpen that, through trial-and-error, has molded into a reliable unit.

For the second straight Friday night, Orange sophomore Cross Clayton tossed a complete game on the road, this time in Pittsboro. This time, Clayton threw a two-hit shutout. Unlike last week against Person, Clayton found himself in a pitcher’s dual with Northwood junior Zach Barnes, who held Orange scoreless through five innings.

Barnes, who also threw four innings in Tuesday’s game against the Panthers, left after the fifth inning when the Panthers loaded the bases with one out but couldn’t score. Orange finally broke through in the seventh inning when Ryan Hench drove in Jackson Berini, leading to a five-run frame and the Panthers grinding out a 5-0 win.

It was the first time in six years that Orange won a two-game series against Northwood. Last year, the Panthers swept the Chargers, but the games weren’t in a series format.

Clayton showed pinpoint control in earning his season-best fifth win of the season. He retired the Chargers in order in the sixth inning, at which point he had thrown just 60 pitches, 46 of which were strikes. Clayton has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings.

Berini led off the seventh with a walk and advanced to second following a sacrifice bunt by David Waitt. After catcher Davis Horton walked, Hench sent a fly ball towards the downward slope along the left field line to send in Berini and end the stalemate. Horton also scored on the throw. Designated hitter Connor Nordan singled through the left side of the infield to score Hench. After Cameron Guentensberger singled on a fly ball to centerfield, senior Connor Funk launched a double to the centerfield wall to score Neo Best, who was running for Nordan and increase Orange’s lead to 4-0. Cesar Lozano hit a RBI groundout to Northwood second baseman Mason Bae, bringing across Guentensberger for the final run.

It capped a dramatic week for Clayton, who had the game-winning hit in the opening game of the series against Northwood in Hillsborough. In the eighth inning, Clayton belted a fastball to dead centerfield that went off the fence, then off the arm of Northwood’s Andrew Johnson. Neo Best, pinch-hitting for Codey Snipes, scored from first base for the game-winning run as Orange won 3-2. In the second inning, Clayton blasted a solo homer to put Orange ahead 2-0.

Orange scored the game’s opening run when Davis Horton reached on an infield single. After Hench was hit by a pitch, Connor Nordan lined a single to left field. Ty Walker, a courtesy runner for Horton, scored.

The Chargers’ only true threat of the game came in the fifth inning against Hench, Orange’s top stater. Yet they still scored two runs. Nate Ortiz reached on an error at third base, which was followed by a single off a bouncing ball by Luke Smith. After a sacrifice bunt by Shaner advanced each runner 90 feet, Kaleb Howell knocked in Ortiz with a groundout to Berini at shortstop. Jake Leighton, running for Smith, scored off a passed ball while Johnson was at the plate.

Hench nearly won the game in regulation after a two-out single to centerfield. Nordan sent a sharp grounder that went through the third baseman’s legs and wound up going into left field. Orange head coach Jason Knapp, coaching third, waved in Hench in an attempt for the game-winning run, but a great throw by Northwood’s Nate Davis found the cutoff man Ortiz, who relayed to catcher Luke Smith, who tagged out Hench at the plate to force extra innings.

Joey Pounds earned the win for Orange.

Orange’s trip to Carrboro was much less tense on Wednesday. The Panthers cruised 10-0 in five innings. Sophomore Josiah Gibbs threw three-and-one-thirds shutout innings for his third win of the season. He gave up just four hits. Lozano and Funk completed the shutout on the mound.

Funk scored the first run of the game in the second inning after Clayton drew a bases-loaded walk. Best added another run off another bases-loaded walk by Berini.

The Panthers scored eight runs in the fourth inning against the Jaguars. After Funk hit a leadoff single on a bunt, he advanced to second on a steal, then went to third on a passed ball. Best hit an RBI single to left field.

Davis Horton finished 2-for-3 with a double against Carrboro. Funk went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Nordan had an RBI double.

Orange is 12-6 overall, 7-1 in the CCC.

The clutch play bug is running rampant across the Cedar Ridge baseball team.

A week after coming back from a 5-1 deficit with six runs in the 7th inning to beat Eastern Alamance, the Red Wolves nearly blew a big lead themselves against Western Alamance in Hillsborough on Friday night. After the Warriors trailed 7-2 going into the sixth inning, Western scored five unanswered runs, capped by a three-run seventh when senior Owen Bynum lined a single to score Shepard Goodwin to even the game at 7-7.

Last season, the Red Wolves had two games just like this where they lost the lead in the 7th inning and didn’t recover. Seven players from that Red Wolves team were on the field on Friday night and proved that they had learned from their mistakes from 2021.

Yet the hero was a first-year varsity player.

Junior Will Tippin lined a walkoff single to centerfield to score Cristian Macias for the game-winning run, setting off a frenzy in the Red Wolves dugout. Cedar Ridge, playing its first home game since March 30 after six straight road games, prevailed 8-7 for its sixth straight victory.

Cedar Ridge (11-6, 6-3 in the Central Carolina Conference) is in sole possession of second place in the CCC. The Red Wolves are two games behind crosstown rival Orange for first place. The Panthers will face Cedar Ridge next week in a two-game series, with the opener set for Tuesday night at 7 at Red Wolves Stadium.

Cedar Ridge is one game ahead of Eastern Alamance for the 2nd automatic playoff birth in the CCC. The Red Wolves control the tiebreaker against the Eagles after they swept a doubleheader in Mebane last Friday.

It’s the longest winning streak for Cedar Ridge since the 2018 squad, which won 13 in a row. That was also the last Cedar Ridge baseball team to make the state playoffs.

Tippin came up to bat after Nick Nolan drew a walk to load the bases. Before the hit, Tippin was 0-for-3 on the night. After the Warriors rallied for three in the seventh, Macias led off the bottom-of-the-seventh with a bloop fly to left field for a single. Sophomore catcher Efrain Morales was hit by a pitch immediately afterwards.

“It was a great team win,” said Cedar Ridge coach Bryson Massey. “I couldn’t be happier for Will Tippin. He comes in and works hard every day. He came up in a big spot and got the big hit. Our guys could have put their heads down after them tying it in the 7th, but our guys have been in that situation so many times over the past two years that they stayed calm and had the confidence to battle and get it done in the bottom of the 7th. I’m just so happy for our guys.”

Senior Aidan McAllister went 3-for-4, nearly hitting for the cycle, lacking only a home run. Garrett Ray finished 2-for-4 with a triple.

Cedar Ridge starting pitcher Brian Flores fell two outs short of earning his fourth win of the season. B.J. Thornton, who picked up a save in a 4-1 win over Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Elon, got the final two outs in the seventh to improve to 3-1.

Western Alamance opened with a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Kaden Wilborn, who led off with a single, scored off a line drive by Ty Belles. Wilborn crossed home plate off an error in left field. Belles scored when Flores was called for a balk.

The Red Wolves scored six straight runs. In the second, Mason Cates led off with a single to centerfield. Garrett Ray then lined an 0-1 fastball to the deepest centerfield for a triple, scoring Cates.

Cedar Ridge scored four runs in the third inning. Thornton, who started at third base, opened with a single, followed by a double by McAllister. Macias knocked in Thornton off a grounder that bounced off the mound into centerfield. Following a single by Ray with two out, Nolan reached on an infield single to second base, scoring Macias.

In the fourth, McAllister lined another triple to centerfield to score Thornton, who reached after getting hit by a pitch.

Flores threw six-and-one-thirds innings in a no decision for the Red Wolves.

“They just believe in themselves,” Massey said. “When you have been in those situations so many times, you know how to slow the game down and execute.”

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior outfielder Aidan McAllister. This season, McAllister has been an instrumental player as the Red Wolves are on its longest winning streak in four years. On March 11, McAllister went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, including a triple and a double as the Red Wolves defeated Williams 7-1 in Hillsborough. On March 10, Cedar Ridge defeated Kernersville Glenn 11-2 at High Point Rockers Stadium. McAllister went 3-for-4 with two triples and an RBI. The Red Wolves defeated Person 11-7 in Roxboro on March 18. McAllister, hitting second, went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a double. Last fall, McAllister officially committed to play at Hofstra University in New York. Before he leaves for life up north, McAllister wants to put Cedar Ridge in the state playoffs for the first time since 2019. The Red Wolves have won five in a row after Wednesday’s win at Grimsley in Greensboro, a game where McAllister went 2-for-4 with three runs scored as Cedar Ridge came back from a 5-2 deficit to beat the Whirlies 11-5. Cedar Ridge hosts Western Alamance tonight at 7 PM at Red Wolves Stadium. 

The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team is one step closer to moving on to the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. On Thursday night, the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 18-12 at Red Wolves Stadium. It was another big night for senior attacker Roman Oguntoyinbo, who scored six goals and six assists. Oguntoyinbo now has 45 goals this season and 70 points overall. Junior Billly Power, who transferred to Cedar Ridge in November, also notched six goals as the Red Wolves improved to 10-4 overall, 7-4 in the Mid-Carolina Conference. The Red Wolves are tied for third place in the loss column with Walter Williams after the win over the Warriors. Power has scored 32 goals this season for Cedar Ridge. Senior Alex Castro also had a hat trick and assisted on two goals as the Red Wolves jumped out to a 7-0 lead, keeping the Warriors scoreless for the opening 17:32 of the game. Senior James Clayton had two goals and five assists. Cedar Ridge returns home to face Walter Williams on Tuesday night. With a win, the Red Wolves will clinch third place in the Mid-Carolina Conference, which will help Cedar Ridge reach the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. Also in this interview, Cedar Ridge players discuss why they play jazz during pregame warmups and postgame, in lieu of the standard AC/DC/Guns n’ Roses rotation. 

The Orange softball team finally gets to return home after a successful four-game road swing. On Thursday night, the Lady Panthers defeated crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 18-6 at Red Wolves Softball Stadium. Sophomore Delaney Shaffer finished 4-for-6 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Last season, Shaffer faced Cedar Ridge and turned a crucial double play in the ninth inning of a thrilling game that the Panthers won despite a miracle comeback by the Red Wolves. First baseman Kelcey Tackett went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Orange completed a stretch where they defeated Walter Williams in Burlington, upset Person in Roxboro and prevailed over the Red Wolves. Senior Gracie Walker earned her third win of the season in the circle for Orange, who improved to 9-4. Waiting for Orange when they return back to Orange Softball Field on Monday night—Eastern Alamance, the #1 ranked team in the 3A East Region who has already clinched the Central Carolina Conference Regular Season championship. Orange will travel to South Granville on Wednesday, then host Vance Charter on Thursday for Senior Night. The Panthers are tied for second place in the CCC with Person and Western Alamance, though the Warriors have already swept the season series from Orange.