Cedar Ridge Baseball

Regardless of whether you wear the burgundy, black and grey of Cedar Ridge or the orange and black of the Orange Panthers, there will be something for every baseball fan tonight.

Cedar Ridge will host Orange in baseball at Red Wolves Stadium tonight at 6 PM. In a benefit for Vs. Cancer, Cedar Ridge baseball coach Bryson Massey has worked exhaustingly to compile a lengthy list of items that will go to people holding a lucky raffle ticket.

Cedar Ridge joined forces with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Vs. Cancer program in an effort to defeat childhood cancer-the deadliest disease affecting children in the United States.

Among the items that will be up for bid tonight will be signed baseball from several Baltimore Orioles, including Cedric Mullins, Freddy Galvis, Ryan Mountcastle, Shawn Armstrong and Darren Holmes.

Mullins is a native of Greensboro who has played with the Orioles since 2018. Just last month, Mullins had his first two home run game against the New York Yankees.

There will also be several game-worn items up for raffle. That includes cleats worn by current Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jeff Hoffman, who was the 9th overall selection in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. Massey knew Hoffman from their days at East Carolina University, where Massey was a student manager for three years.

Also available for raffle will be a signed camouflage hat worn by Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini, who knows about battling cancer firsthand. Mancini had a malignant tumor removed from his colon last year. In November, Mancini announced he was cancer-free and returned to the Orioles lineup this spring.

There will also be a signed, orange and black Baltimore Orioles hat from current Baltimore Orioles Matt Harvey and Paul Fry. Harvey is a former UNC standout who was an National League All-Star selection in 2014 with the New York Mets.

Other items up for raffle is a signed hat by Baltimore pitcher Shawn Armstrong, a native of New Bern who also played for East Carolina; plus another autographed hat by Baltimore pitcher John Means.

There will also be lots of gift cards from facilities and restaurants across Hillsborough and Durham. That includes: a $25 gift card from El Patron Mexican Restaurant in Durham; a $25 gift card from Home Depot; three $10 gift cards from Chik-Fil-A; a $25 Domino’s Pizza gift card; two $25 Subway gift cards; two $25 gift cards with choice of the Longhorn Steakhouse or the Olive Garden; two $25 gift cards from the Cracker Barrel; a $75 gift card from the Wooden Nickel in Hillsborough.

There will also be a gift card from Panciuto Italian Restaurant in Hillsborough, as well as a gift card from Bradsher Grading and Septic Tank in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge selected the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Children’s Center to receive a portion of the funds for tonight’s game. Thanks to the generous support from of friends, family and fans, the team is well on its way to meeting its fundraising goal.

You can make a donation at this link.

Vs. Cancer was started by pediatric brain cancer survivor and former college athlete Chase Jones. Vs. Cancer empowers any sports team, any athlete, and any community to help kids with cancer. As a signature fundraising campaign of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, Vs. Cancer proceeds help fund child life programs in local hospitals, financial assistance funds for families experiencing a pediatric brain tumor diagnosis and groundbreaking research to cure pediatric brain tumors.

Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 19-9 earlier this month. Last Friday, the Red Wolves defeated Northwood in Hillsborough. This will be the final meeting between the two teams, in any sport, this academic year.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore B.J. Thornton. Last week, Thornton hit .428 as the Red Wolves defeated Northwood 6-1. It was the first time in school history the Red Wolves swept the season series from the Chargers. In the first inning, Thornton lined a RBI single to centerfield to vault the Red Wolves ahead 3-0. Cedar Ridge won add three more runs in the third inning, and Thornton would score off a single by shortstop Bryce Clark. Last Tuesday against Bethany Community School in Summerfield, Thornton went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. In the sixth inning, Thornton put Cedar RIdge in the lead with a 2-run single to centerfield. Thornton would later score off a base hit from catcher Tucker Cothran. Thornton has played right field and pitched this season for the Red Wolves. He developed his love of baseball at Gravelly Hill Middle School. During his brief freshman year, Thornton started at the varsity level under Cedar Ridge head coach Bryson Massey. Tonight, Cedar Ridge will continue its season against Chapel Hill. On Friday, they host crosstown rival Orange in a Vs. Cancer benefit that will feature memorabilia from current Major League stars being raffled off, as well as items from shops and eateries from throughout Hillsborough.

There’s something about playing Northwood that has brought out the best in Cedar Ridge baseball this year.

After a string of one-run losses and seven-inning rallies that fell short, Cedar Ridge cut a path to a surprisingly decisive 6-1 win over the Chargers at Red Wolves Territory on Friday night. Junior pitcher Cristian Macias earned his second win of the year on the mound as the Red Wolves (3-5, 3-4 in the Big 8 Conference) swept the season series from the Chargers for the first time ever in a rivalry that dates back to 2009.

“I credit our guys because they come out here every day and they work for one goal,” said Cedar Ridge Coach Bryson Massey. “We just try to get better every day. We can’t do anything about what’s happened the first half of the season. We’re just trying to play better each time we play.”

Northwood (5-3 overall, 4-3 in the Big 8 Conference) came into the game with wins in five of its last seven games, including a victory over Northern Durham last week. Northern captured a share of the Big 8 Conference Championship on Tuesday with a 4-0 win over Orange.

Sophomore Cedar Ridge shortstop B.J. Thornton set the right tone early with an RBI double to score junior first baseman Aidan McAllister in the 1st inning. It started a three-run opening frame for the Red Wolves that continued when Bryce Clark reached on an infield single. Thornton wound up scoring off a double steal when Clark raced for second. Garrett Ray doubled down the left field line to plate Clark.

“B.J. stepped up,” Massey said. “He’s a young guy in our lineup. We know he’s a ball player. He’s growing and maturing and we know he’s going to great things at Cedar Ridge.”

The top of the lineup pushed across three more runs for Cedar Ridge in the third inning. After Thornton took second off a dropped fly ball to start the frame, Clark lined an RBI single to left field. Macias sent a grounder to third base, which was fumbled and led to Clark scoring.

Catcher Tucker Cothran, on his senior night, lined a single to right to move Macias to third base. With Trent Kirby at bat, Northwood pitcher Zach Barnes was called for a balk, which allowed Macias to score.

After Macias was replaced as pitcher in the fourth inning, junior Will Berger had easily his best performance of the season. Berger, the younger brother of former Cedar Ridge All-Conference pitcher Phillip Berger, threw two-and-one-thirds innings of shutout baseball with three strikeouts. Senior Matt Hughes struck out the side in the seventh to conclude the Red Wolves’ most impressive game under Massey.

This season, Massey has used four different starting pitchers in seven contested games (Vance County and Southern Durham were forfeit wins). He’s coming closer to finding the top man in the rotation.

“As a coaching staff, we’ve talked about what gives us our best chance,” Massey said. “We’re going to roll out somebody every game that can compete in the first three innings. That’s where we’ve struggled. Keeping it close after three innings. We have shown that we can score runs late. But we just need to shut them down from the start. Tonight, we did that.”

Northwood scored its only run in the second inning when Jackson Shaner knocked in Walker Johnson with a sacrifice fly to left field, which was caught by Grady Ray. Johnson reached on a double to left field with one out, then moved to third off an error.

Cedar Ridge (4-5, 4-4) now ventures into an interesting stretch where they travel to Chapel Hill on Tuesday before hosting archival Orange next Friday.

Before the game, the Red Wolves held a ceremony to honor seniors Clark, Cothran, Kirby, Hughes, Grady Ray, Marco Velasquez and Hunter Shingleton.

The Cedar Ridge baseball team had a memorable senior night on Friday. The Red Wolves rolled past Northwood 6-1 to complete a season sweep of the Chargers in Hillsborough. Senior Cather Tucker Cothran went 2-for-3, ending a week where he hit .428 over two games. Cothran had base hits in the first and third innings. In each frame, the Red Wolves scored three runs. First baseman Aidan McAllister, a junior, has been among the most consistent hitters for the Red Wolves this season. Against Orange, McAllister hit two home runs in as many innings. The win over Northwood was the first time ever that the Red Wolves swept the season series from the Chargers since they’ve been rivals in the Big 8 Conference. Though this year’s unusual format will keep the Red Wolves from making the state playoffs, Cothran and the rest of the Cedar Ridge seniors are set to make it a memorable finish to the season. Cedar Ridge will travel to Chapel Hill on Tuesday, then host Orange next Friday in a benefit for vs. Cancer. There will be lots of great baseball memorabilia that be raffled off, as well as great items from restaurants and shops from throughout Hillsborough.

The Cedar Ridge wrestling team’s dual matches continue to be tight. And their top three grapplers continue to hold undefeated records.

For senior night at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Tuesday night, Cedar Ridge defeated Southern Alamance 48-30. In its Big 8 Conference match, the Red Wolves narrowly lost to defending league champion Chapel Hill 45-33.

The loss ended Cedar Ridge’s five-match winning streak. The Red Wolves are now 7-5.

Two Cedar Ridge seniors improved to 12-0 for the season. At 145 pounds, Daina Pritchard pinned Stanley Eno of Southern Alamance in 2:48. Later, Pritchard rode out a 6-2 decision over Chapel Hill’s Bar Dinh 6-2. Pritchard is now 62-33 for his Red Wolves career. He also finished 4-0 lifetime against Chapel Hill.

At 152 pounds, Red Wolf senior James Rosati-Brown earned a forfeit win over Southern Alamance. Against Chapel Hill, Rosati-Brown pinned Leo Davenport in 2:58. Of Rosati-Brown’s 12 wins this year, seven have been via pinfal. His fastest came against East Chapel Hill’s William Weis in only 20 seconds last Thursday.

Also maintaining an unblemished record was Cedar Ridge sophomore Fernando Martinez, who added two more pins to his quickly growing career total Tuesday night. Competing at 120 pounds, Martinez pinned Southern Alamance’s Walker East in :58 seconds. Against Chapel Hill, Martinez disposed of Jack Krueger in 1:05. Midway through his sophomore season, Martinez has a 46-13 career record. Of those 46 wins, exactly half have been via pinfall.

Cedar Ridge senior and co-Captain Kady Watkins earned her seventh win of the season. Against Southern Alamance, Watkins pinned Lucas Perry in 2:35. It was her fourth pin of the season. Watkins has also pinned Southeast Guilford’s Colon Krall in 2:33 during a tri-meet at Orange on May 6. She pinned Eastern Alamance’s Mason Tanner in 2:49. Last week, Watkins defeated East Chapel Hill’s Cuong Tran in 1:57.

Against Southern Alamance, Thomas Bradley scored a pin at 182 pounds over Nicholas Reid in 40 seconds to secure the dual match win. Cedar Ridge’s Wyatt Robinson pinned Nate Ayers in 50 seconds at 195 pounds.

Cedar Ridge’s Gavin Mintz (160), Kaden Tatro (170) earns forfeit wins to complete the win over the Patriots.

The Red Wolves will face Carrboro and Orange in a special tri-meet on Thursday. It will be the second time this year the Red Wolves have taken on the Jaguars and the Panthers.

Cedar Ridge baseball to hold vs. Cancer benefit against Orange

The Cedar Ridge baseball team will start the second half of its season on Friday night against Northwood. However, Red Wolves baseball coach Bryson Emerson is quickly putting together a benefit to fight cancer for the game against Orange on May 28.

The Vs. Cancer game will have a first pitch scheduled for 6PM, immediately after the junior varsity contest between the Panthers and the Red Wolves.

“We’ll be raffling off lots of stuff,” Emerson said. “There will be many items from local restaurants and businesses.”

All proceeds will go to fight childhood cancer.

There will also be a proceed night at Jersey Mike’s on Oakdale Drive, a short drive from Cedar Ridge. There will also be items donated from several Major League Baseball players.

After forfeit wins over Vance County and Southern Durham over the past week, Cedar Ridge will start the second half of its Big 8 Conference slate against Northwood on Friday night in Hillsborough. First pitch will be at 6 o’clock at Red Wolves Territory. You can hear the game with Curran Campbell and Jmari Graham on Hillsboroughsports.com.

On Tuesday, Bethany Community School defeated the Red Wolves 7-6 in Summerfield. Trailing 6-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, Bethany scored three runs to win the game, ending with a walkoff single.

Senior Trent Kirby hit a two-run homer for the Red Wolves in the top of the second inning. Kirby scored Bryan Flores, who singled to leadoff the inning. Cedar Ridge’s B.J. Thornton went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.