Month: May 2022

After spending this season facing several Division I college pitching prospects within its own conference, the Orange softball team is used to defensive duals.

Which meant they were well prepared for its state playoff opener on Tuesday night.

In most likely her final at-bat at Orange Softball Field, senior Courtney Watkins hit a grounder up the middle to score Kelsey Tackett in the bottom-of-the seventh inning for the game’s only run as Orange defeated Franklinton 1-0 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. The Lady Panthers, seeded #14, will face Cape Fear in Fayetteville on Thursday night in the round of 32.

Watkins, the designated player hitting eighth, provided the game’s only RBI.

It was her second of the year.

Tackett provided Orange a glimmer of hope to end the scoreless stalemate with an one-out single on a fly ball to right. Serenity McPherson moved Tackett to second on a sacrifice bunt for the second out.

Orange sophomore pitcher Caden Robinson earned her fifth win of the season where she started dominant, but spent the final innings hanging on by a thread in the face of adversity, which coincidentally resembles the Lady Panthers’ injury-riddled season.

After Robinson set the first 12 Rams down in order, Franklinton loaded the bases with no one out in the fifth inning. First baseman Mackenzie Williams ended Robinson’s attempt at a perfect game after getting hit by a pitch. After shortstop Chelsea Jones walked, the Rams’ Kyndal Hopkins broke up the no-hitter with a soft pop-up that barely reached the edge of the grass behind second base to load the bases. Robinson, who is now Orange’s top pitcher after an injury to senior Gracie Walker suffered against South Granville, struck out Emelyn Kirby, then forced an infield pop-up by Makenzie Helton which was caught by Tackett. With two out, Orange senior third baseman Mary Moss Wirt fielded a quick hopper hit by Franklinton’s Allie Mabrey right along the line three steps in front of the bag. Instead of letting it go foul, Wirt instantly snatched up the ball and made a pinpoint throw to Tackett to end the inning.

Orange was largely devoid of scoring opportunities in the opening three frames. Wirt led off the fourth with a double that reached the left field corner, but was thrown out trying to steal third. Franklinton pitcher Morgan Strickland allowed six hits in six-and-two-thirds innings. Only two Orange players reached third base the whole game.

In the second, Tackett lined on a single to left and advanced to second after the ball got past the left fielder. Watkins drew a walk where ball four was a wild pitch, which allowed Tackett to get to third. Yet the threat immediately ended after Watkins was thrown out by Strickland trying to reach second off the walk.

A moment of hesitation may have cost Franklinton a chance to get a run across in the sixth inning. After Robinson struck out leadoff batter Kaylei Main, the Rams’ Noelle Faulkner sent a double over the head of Orange left fielder Savannah Wynne. Strickland followed with a faint liner to shallow right. Tackett, second baseman Sadie Cecil and right fielder Alexis Latta-Harshaw converged on the ball, which caused Faulkner to remain on second. The ball bounced where the infield dirt met the outfield grass and kicked into foul ground in right field, leading Strickland to get another double. But Faulkner’s brief uncertainty cost her a chance to score and was held at third. Robinson struck out Williams for the second out, then forced Jones into a groundout back to shut down another Franklinton threat.

Robinson, who finished with seven strikeouts, set the Rams down in order in the seventh, leading to Watkins’ heroics.

Orange will face a Cape Fear team that finished second in the 4A/3A United Eight Conference behind 4A squad Purnell Swett. The Colts, the top 3A team in the United Eight, split the season series with Purnell Swett, beating the Rams 4-3 in 14 innings on March 14. Last Thursday, Cape Fear lost to Purnell Swett in the United Eight Conference Tournament Championship game 2-0.

The Colts (21-4) disposed of Northwood, from the Central Carolina Conference, 11-0 in the opening round of the state playoffs on Tuesday.

If the first-ever meeting between Orange and Cedar Ridge in the state baseball playoffs had been anything less than a classic, it would have been viewed as a disappointment.

Instead, the hundreds of people who gathered in the grandstands, around the fences and along the back row of Auman Stadium beyond centerfield Tuesday night were treated to a game they won’t forget anytime soon.

By the time extra innings rolled around, the only thing for certain was that one team would move on to the round of 32 in the 3A State Playoffs. The other team would have a group of seniors hurting badly after a painful loss.

There was so much to gain for Cedar Ridge. It’s first playoff win since 2018. It’s first win at Orange since 2012. Ending a six-game losing streak to its archival.

All of it was two outs away.

For the second straight year, Orange would find a way to pull an improbable escape in the 7th inning. After the Panthers trailed for most of the game, sophomore Cameron Guentensberger bunted David Waitt home for the game-tying run with one out in the bottom-of-the-seventh inning.

The game eventually went nine innings, the longest for both teams this season. In the ninth, senior Davis Horton lined a bases-loaded single to score Conner Funk and push the Panthers past Cedar Ridge 3-2. It was Orange’s first playoff win since 2018. It was also the first time that Orange won a home playoff game since 2016, when they defeated South Johnson it what turned out to be Bryse Wilson’s final victory before he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves a month later.

Orange (17-8) will host Terry Sanford in Hillsborough in the second round. The game is scheduled for Friday but may be moved to Thursday due to the threat of rain.

Cedar Ridge (13-11) held a 2-1 lead after the third inning off a strong pitching performance by freshman Quinn Finnegan, who scattered only five hits in six innings. Finnegan was replaced by B.J. Thornton in the 7th inning after he reached his maximum allotment of 105 pitches allowed by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

“When I brought him into my office today, I said ‘Hey dude, you’ve earned every bit of this,'” said Cedar Ridge coach Bryson Massey, clearly emotional after a season-ending postgame meeting with his team. “I said ‘You’ve got four years of this, so go get it.’ He earned it. He showed his resilience all year. We had no doubt that he was going to go out there and pitch the way he did.”

Orange had its own redemption story. Last June, Asheboro defeated the Panthers off a walkoff double in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs at McCrary Park. Horton’s walkoff single gave the Panthers another day as a team after they stared into the abyss of its season ending.

“Going into playoff baseball, anything can happen,” said Orange coach Jason Knapp. “These guys are resilient. Conner Funk has showed that time in and time our, against this team specifically. The guys have a no-quit attitude. They’ve been in these situations a lot this year and they know they can pull them out.”

The dramatic finish came three weeks after the Panthers swept a two-game series from Cedar Ridge by a combined score of 29-5. Anyone who knows anything about high school baseball understands that the regular season bears little resemblance to the postseason, something that the Red Wolves made clear on the very first pitch of the game when senior Aidan McCallister lined a single to left field. McAllister advanced to second after a groundout by B.J. Thornton, went to third on a wild pitch and scored off a groundout by Cristian Macias.

McAllister, in his final game at Cedar Ridge, reached base in all four of his plate appearances.

Guentensberger, whose brother Colin (a walk-on football player at Appalachian State) was among the many faces in the crowd, factored in on both Orange runs in regulation. He led off the second by getting hit by a pitch. Guentensberger went to second base after a single by Connor Nordan. After Horton flew out to centerfielder Garrett Ray, Guentensberger tagged up and went to third. Orange’s Codey Snipes lifted a fly ball to right field that dropped in and evened the game, but not for long.

Cedar Ridge senior Nick Nolan lined a single to centerfield to lead off the third inning. After Braedyn Jacobson moved Nolan to second on a sacrifice bunt, McAllister was hit by a pitch. Thornton sent a grounder through the 5-6 hole into left field to put Cedar Ridge back in the lead at 2-1.

Orange starter Ryan Hench controlled the Red Wolves for the remainder of his stint. In his final four innings, Hench retired the Red Wolves in order three times. In yet another no-decision, Hench allowed only three hits.

Strong defense by Cedar Ridge led to Finnegan getting out of jams in the fourth and sixth innings. Nordan led off the fourth with a standup double. Horton followed with a single, but defensive plays by the Red Wolves’ Carlo Garay and Thornton led to the Red Wolves maintaining its 2-1 lead.

Nordan and Horton started the sixth inning with consecutive walks. This time, Finnegan struck out Snipes while Garay tagged out Neo Best. Left fielder Mason Cates ended the sixth inning with a catch on a Jackson Berini flyout.

Orange’s seventh inning started when Waitt lofted a soft liner to shallow centerfield that went off a glove and fell to the ground. After Hench walked, Thornton replaced Finnegan. Waitt moved to third after Funk grounded to Jacobson on a fielder’s choice, leading to Guentensberger’s bunt single to push across the tying run.

Knapp inserted Cross Clayton, the Panthers’ #2 pitcher who will likely face Terry Sanford, for the eighth inning. Clayton, who got Orange’s first win of the season against Northern Durham on February 28 in relief, earned his team-leading eighth win of the season, also in relief.

In the ninth, Funk got aboard off an error in the infield. Guentensberger lofted a soft liner that floated over first base and landed fair by about three feet along the right field line. After Nordan was intentionally walked, Horton lined the first pitch he saw up the middle to give Orange its first lead of the game and send the Orange reserves flying out of the dugout in jubilation.

In the first-ever meeting between Orange and Cedar Ridge in the state baseball playoffs, anything less than a classic would have been a disappointment. On Tuesday night, the two teams delivered a memorable game at Orange High Field. After trailing 2-1 for most of the game, Orange scored a run in the 7th inning and another in the ninth to beat the Red Wolves 3-2 in the opening round of the NCHSAA State Playoffs. Cameron Guentensberger factored in on both Orange runs in regulation. After getting hit by a pitch in the second inning, Guentensberger scored off a fielder’s choice hit by Codey Snipes. In the seventh inning, with Orange’s season two outs away from being over, Guentensberger laid down a bunt that scored David Waitt to tie the game. In the ninth inning, catcher Davis Horton lined a bases-loaded single to centerfield to score Conner Funk for the game-winning run. Orange claimed its first win in the state playoffs since 2018, when they defeated Jacksonville. It was Orange’s first home win in the state playoffs since 2016, when they defeated South Johnston. Orange will face Terry Sanford later this week in Hillsborough. The game is tentatively scheduled for Friday, but could be moved to Thursday due to the threat of rain.

For the second year in a row, the Orange lacrosse team has advanced to the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated the Walter Williams Bulldogs 17-10 in the 3rd round of the state playoffs at Auman Stadium. Junior Jake Wimsatt and sophomore Connor Kruse each scored four goals for Orange, who defeated the Bulldogs for the third time this season. Katie Wolter earned the victory as Orange’s goalkeeper in front of the largest crowd of the season at Auman Stadium. Tigh Metheny, who scored eight points in Orange’s win over South Brunswick in the 2nd round of the state playoffs on Tuesday night, had another strong game. Last year, Orange defeated Northwood to reach the state quarterfinals, where they lost to East Chapel Hill. Later this week, the Panthers will face another team from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School System in Carrboro, who defeated Cape Fear in Fayetteville on Tuesday night. The state quarterfinal matchup could be moved to Thursday because of the threat of rain on Friday. If Orange beats the Jaguars, they will play for the Eastern Regional Championship for the first time in school history. 

In a year where Duke and North Carolina finally met in the Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, it was only fitting that Orange and Cedar Ridge would square off in the state playoffs in some sport.

It could have been volleyball. There were three teams from the Central Carolina Conference in the state quarterfinals, with Cedar Ridge ultimately taking it all.

It could have been lacrosse, and it still very much could.

The fact that it will happen in baseball, still one of the most widely participated youth sports from one end of Orange County to the other, makes the matchup juicier than a 5-pound sirloin steak.

The field of 64 in the 3A State Baseball Playoffs was unveiled on Monday morning by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Orange, the regular season champions of the Central Carolina Conference, received a #8 seed. Cedar Ridge got a #25 seed, and the two teams will square off head-to-head tonight at Orange High Field. First pitch will be at 6:30.

“I had a pretty good idea it was going to be Cedar Ridge,” said Orang coach Jason Knapp, who was mowing his outfield grass well into Monday night in preparation for the game. “We were prepared for it. It’s going to be a lot of excitement in the community and a great atmosphere.”

The winner will meet the winner of Terry Sanford and Union Pines in the second round later this week.

“This is a great opportunity for our guys,” said Cedar Ridge coach Bryson Massey. “I don’t want to make it any bigger than it is. That’s my way of thinking about it. It’s just another game and it’s great to play in the state playoffs. That was one of our goals at the beginning of the year was to play in the playoffs.”

Going into last week, an Orange-Cedar Ridge matchup in the opening round of the state playoffs looked highly unlikely. As Orange finished first in the CCC, Cedar Ridge came in second. Yet both teams had disappointing results in the CCC Tournament, which is the main reason why they’re playing tonight.

Last Monday, 7th-place Walter Williams upset Cedar Ridge 6-2 in the first postseason game at Red Wolves Territory since 2018.

“We didn’t play our best baseball,” Massey said. “For the guys, it was their first taste of postseason baseball. They got that underneath their belt and realizing how it is. I think it was a good experience for them before the state playoffs. Realizing how it is. It was a learning lesson for them that every out is big. That’s postseason baseball for you.”

Orange, the tournament’s #1 seed, was stunned by Person 4-0 on Tuesday. The Rockets went on to win the tournament championship at Northwood on Thursday night.

“I think we learned you can’t take anything for granted,” Knapp said. “You can get beat any given day at any given time. I think it was an eye-opener for us. We had a great couple of practices in the days after the Person game and had a really good practice today. I think we’re ready to go.”

It will be Cedar Ridge’s first state baseball playoff game since 2018, when they lost to Terry Sanford 7-4 in the 2nd round.

Meanwhile, Knapp is going for his first postseason win in Hillsborough. The Panthers’ last win in the state playoffs came in 2018 when they prevailed at Jacksonville. Four nights later, Chapel Hill dominated the Panthers in what was Dean Dease’s final game as Orange’s head coach after 31 years.

In 2019, J.H. Rose pounded Orange 15-3 in the opening round in Hillsborough. Last June, Asheboro edged the Panthers 5-4 at McCrary Park in a thrilling game that ended with a walkoff double by Tanner Marsh.

The two crosstown rivals met in a two-game series only three weeks ago with plenty on the line. Orange wound up sweeping the series to officially wrap up the CCC regular season championship. On April 21, the Panthers got a 5-inning perfect game from sophomore Cross Clayton in a 16-0 win. The Panthers had a season-high 17 hits.

On April 18, Orange pulled away from Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Territory 13-5. Leading 4-2 going into the top of the sixth inning, the Panthers scored nine runs in the final two frames. Right fielder David Waitt went 2-for-3 with four runs scored, while sophomore Connor Nordan went 4-for-4 with 4 RBIs.

Nordan went 8-for-9 with seven RBIs in the two-game series against the Red Wolves.

In order to advance to the second round of the state playoffs, Cedar Ridge will also have to battle history. The Red Wolves haven’t won at Orange since April 18, 2012.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior lacrosse midfielder James Clayton. On Thursday night, Clayton had five assists as the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 18-5 at Red Wolves Stadium. It was the first time that Cedar Ridge had won a game in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs since 2017, when they reached the state championship game. In addition, Clayton is the second-leading scorer for Cedar Ridge with 37 points season. On March 8, Clayton had four goals in an 19-4 win over Seaforth. On April 14, the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 18-12 in Hillsborough. Clayton had a career-best six assists. On Tuesday night, Cedar Ridge will make a trip to Kill Devil Hills to face First Flight in the Round of 16 in the State Playoffs. Clayton has played four years on the varsity level. This year marks a new career-high for points, goals and assists. After he graduates from Cedar Ridge next month, Clayton plans to attend N.C. State where he wants to play club lacrosse. In a stretch midway through the Mid-Carolina Conference season this year, Clayton scored goals in six consecutive games. 

For the first time since 2017, the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team has won a game in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. On Thursday night, Cedar Ridge dominated Western Alamance 18-5 at Red Wolves Stadium. Cedar Ridge, seeded #7, advanced to face First Flight in Kill Devil Hills on Tuesday night. In what may have been his final game inside Red Wolves Stadium, senior Roman Oguntoyinbo scored a career-high nine goals. With the game tied 1-1 with 8:22 remaining in the first quarter, Oguntoyimbo scored five goals during a 10-0 Cedar Ridge run that took all suspense out of the game. Senior Alex Castro scored all five of his goals in the first half. Castro finished with six points on the night. Oguntoyinbo came away with eleven points as the Red Wolves defeated the Warriors for the third time this season. Cedar Ridge advances to the Round of 16. Junior Billy Power added two goals and an assist, while Mason Lynde and Jim Trost also scored goals for Cedar Ridge. The Red Wolves will face the Nighthawks on Tuesday night. The winner advances to the state quarterfinals. Cedar Ridge is one of three teams from the Central Carolina Conference remaining in the state playoffs.