The final days of the Central Conference has brought out the best baseball from Cedar Ridge.
Days after handing Southern Alamance its first league loss of the year, the Red Wolves scored five runs in the seventh inning to stun the Patriots 6-4 in Graham on Thursday night. John Grove tied the game at 4-4 after he stroked a two-run single into right field to score Ian McGuffey and Quinn Finnegan. Grant McGuffey scored the game-winning run when Patriots closer Eli Gilley was called for a balk. For extra measure, with Dominic Sena at the plate, Grove stole third and scored off a wild pitch.
Hudson Kelly worked a scoreless seventh to earn the win. Kelly, a sophomore, threw three-and-one-thirds scoreless innings in relief of starter Jesus Velazquez, striking out four and scattering only two hits.
Southern Alamance took a 4-1 lead into the seventh inning on the strength of starter Kaden Parker, who surrendered just one run off one hit in three innings. Parker added a solo home run in the first inning.
Mark King put the Patriots ahead in the fourth inning with a two-run double on a pop fly that plopped down into left field to score Camden Whittemore and Lance Siegner. Cooper Partin extended the Patriots’ lead to 4-1 with a bases loaded walk to bring in Johnny Rojas.
Velazquez started the seventh inning rally with an infield hit. Kelly walked and Finnegan reached on another infield hit to load the bases. Ian McGuffey sent a grounder to left field to score Velazquez.
Over the past two weeks, Cedar Ridge has taken three out of four games against Southern Alamance and Orange, the two teams that tied for the Central Conference championship last year.
After Southern Alamance stormed out to a 8-0 start in conference play, their lead in the Central Conference has been whittled down to one game going into the final week of the regular season. Remarkably, Western Alamance, who started league play 0-4, could catch the Patriots when the two teams square off next week in a two-game series. The Warriors will also face Cedar Ridge to make up a game that was rained out earlier this month.
Person (7-3) is one game behind Southern Alamance for first place. The Patriots control the tiebreaker over the Rockets after sweeping a two-game series last month.
Williams 3, Orange 2: On its Senior Night, Orange couldn’t get out of its offensive funk against Williams. The Bulldogs ended a 10-game losing streak with its first win since March 7 on Friday night in Hillsborough.
Earlier in the week, Orange played with fire but didn’t get burned in Burlington. The Panthers were limited to two hits against the Bulldogs but won 2-1, scoring both of its unearned runs in the first inning.
On Friday, Orange blew too many opportunities. In the first, fourth and fifth innings, the Panthers put runners at second and third base with one out and didn’t score.
Senior Eli Horton put the Panthers ahead in the second inning after getting hit on the crown of his helmet by a pitch. Cam Brown bunted Horton over to second base. Horton moved to third after a groundout by Gary Miller. Kayden Bradsher sent a cue shot up the third base line that was bobbled by Mason Fleener, allowing Horton to score.
Bradsher triggered a 6-4-3 double play in the third inning. Immediately aftewards, Williams’ Aidan Pulliam lined a single to left field. Following a walk to Angel Mora, Charlie Smith grooved a single to right field to bring in Pulliam and tie the game.
Pulliam finished 2-for-3 with a double.
William’s Hunter Daniels walked to leadoff the fourth inning with a walk. Jazion Bieglow was hit by a pitch on an 0-2 count. Daniels took third base off a wild pitch. Will Allen skied a fly ball to centerfield. The throw by Mason Grooms to the plate was a beat late as Daniels slid in safely on a sacrifice fly to take the lead.
The Bulldogs added another run in the sixth when Logan Thompson was hit by a pitch. Vince Coker, who earned the win on the mound, sent a tricky pop-up that dropped in between three fielders along the right field line to push the Bulldogs lead to 3-1.
Orange drew closer in the sixth. Cam Brown scored off another infield hit by Bradsher to the left side of the infield. Bradsher, the fastest player on the team, got to third base for the potential tying run. But the Panthers left the bases loaded after a two-out groundout to Mora at shortstop.
Liam Kerr Finger earned his first save of the year working a perfect seventh, the only time in the game Orange went down in order.
For the third year in a row, Williams split a two-game series against Orange. It was their first win in Hillsborough since 2012.