Cedar Ridge Baseball

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.

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. 

Perhaps its fate. Maybe it karma. Possibly it’s a lot of residue stemming from design, hard work and plenty of heart.

Regardless, the close games that Cedar Ridge baseball lost last year have largely swung the opposite direction in 2022. On Wednesday night, the Red Wolves completed its fifth come-from-behind victory of the season.

After trailing Grimsley 5-2 going into the sixth inning in Greensboro on Wednesday night, the Red Wolves came back with five runs in the sixth inning, followed by four in the seventh to cruise to an 11-5 victory. Cedar Ridge has won five in a row, its longest winning streak since 2018, which was also the last time the Red Wolves reached the 3A State Playoffs.

Oddly enough, all five victories during the winning streak have been on the road. Technically, Cedar Ridge’s win over Eastern Alamance in the second game of a doubleheader on Friday was a home game, but it was played in Mebane after the original meeting was rained out in Hillsborough last week.

On Tuesday in Central Carolina Conference action, Cedar Ridge held off Western Alamance 4-1 in Elon. After the Warriors scored the initial run in the second inning, Red Wolf sophomore catcher Efrain Morales hit a grand slam to left field. It was Morales’ second home run of the season. Cedar Ridge loaded the bases after freshman pitcher Quinn Finnegan drew a leadoff walk, senior Aidan Mcallister was hit by a pitch by Western’s Owen Bynum, and Cristian Macias also walked.

“It was huge,” said Cedar Ridge head coach Bryson Massey about Morales. “Anytime you can get that guy up in a situation with the bases loaded, I have all the confidence in the world in that kid to get the job done. The at-bat right before that one where Cristian got the walk to load the bases, to give Efrain a chance to give Efrain a chance to do what we expect him to do.”

The Red Wolves (11-6, 6-3 in the Central Carolina Conference) are tied with Eastern Alamance for 2nd place in the conference at 6-3, but the Red Wolves control the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Eagles after sweeping the doubleheader in Mebane.

Against Western Alamance, Finnegan earned his fourth win of the season. Finnegan, starting for the second straight game, allowed only one run and five hits over four innings. Junior B.J. Thornton, who replaced Finnegan in the fifth, struck out seven of the ten batters he faced for his third save of the year. Over three innings, Thornton allowed just one hit.

After the Warriors’ Alex Nebrig drove in Ty Belles in the second inning, Western Alamance didn’t have a runner touch third base the rest of the game. Finnegan and Thornton, backed by a Cedar Ridge defense that played an errorless game, allowed four singles in the final five innings.

Thornton also went 2-for-4 at the plate. Brian Flores, starting at third base, went 1-for-3.

Wednesday night’s win over Grimsley was Cedar Ridge’s fifth non conference win of the season. Nick Atkin, who made his varsity debut in the second game of the Eastern Alamance doubleheader last Friday, earned his first varsity win. Senior Mason Cates threw two scoreless innings for his first save of the season. Cates allowed only two hits and two walks.

Cedar Ridge started the rally with a leadoff walk in the sixth inning from Nick Nolan. Thornton, starting at second base, lined a single to right field. Mcallister loaded the bases with a base hit to left field. Atkin, in his only official at-bat of the game, singled to centerfield to drive in Nolan. Grimsley inserted Stephen Adamczak as pitcher to replace Chase Gurney, but Thornton put Cedar Ridge within a run after he scored on a passed ball. Once again, Morales had the biggest plate appearance of the game as he lined a two-run double to left field to plate Mcallister and Atkin, putting the Red Wolves ahead to stay.

Cates leveled a 1-0 fastball to centerfield to bring in Morales.

The Red Wolves added four more runs in the seventh inning. Mcallister had an RBI double to score Nolan. Morales added another RBI single. Morales finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs, while Cates went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Thornton and Mcallister were each 2-for-4. Mcallister scored three runs.

Cedar Ridge is scheduled to host Western Alamance on Friday night in Hillsborough. It will be the Red Wolves first home game since facing Holly Springs in the Hilltop Invitational two weeks ago.

The Cedar Ridge Red Wolves baseball team is still in the hunt for the Central Carolina Conference regular season championship with five league games remaining. Sophomore catcher Efrain Morales hit a grand slam in the third inning to push the Red Wolves past Western Alamance 4-1 in Elon on Tuesday night. Morales went 2-for-2 after his first career grand slam. Cedar Ridge’s Quinn Finnegan earned the win, throwing five innings. B.J. Thornton earned his second save of the season. Thornton faced ten batters, seven of whom he struck out over three innings. Thornton, who started the game in right field, also went 2-for-4. Cedar Ridge has now won four in a row and has five conference road wins this season. Cedar Ridge is 10-6, 6-3 in the CCC. They are two games behind Orange for first place. The Red Wolves already have their most wins in a season since the 2018 campaign, where they went 18-6 and reached the second round of the state playoffs. The Red Wolves will travel to Greensboro on Wednesday night to face Grimsley. They will conclude the two-game series against Western Alamance on Friday night in Hillsborough. 

With only two-and-a-half seasons under his belt at Cedar Ridge, Bryson Massey is still young in his coaching career.

However long his career lasts, he’ll have plenty of pleasant stories to tell about Friday night in a wild doubleheader at Eastern Alamance.

How often does a team trail 5-2 in the seventh inning, then score six runs in the final frame? Against a team tied for first place in the conference?

And how often does a pitcher, called up from the junior varsity earlier in the day, throws over three innings in his varsity debut against said 1st place team? And how often does a team score eight runs in a game–off two hits?

That’s a lot of questions that worked in Cedar Ridge’s favor Friday night. In a Central Carolina Conference that seems to deliver a surprise almost every night, Cedar Ridge swept a doubleheader from Eastern Alamance, rallying to win the opening game 8-5, then taking the nightcap 8-7 in Mebane.

The sweep not only knocked Eastern Alamance out of a tie with Orange for first place in the CCC, but the Red Wolves are now tied with the Eagles for second place with a 5-3 conference mark. The Red Wolves start a two-game series against Western Alamance tonight in Elon.

“This shows how much we’ve grown this season,” Massey said. “I’ve said this team doesn’t quit at any point. They didn’t on opening night against Chapel Hill and I didn’t think they would going into the seventh inning tonight. They’ve worked hard in practice this week and I think that showed tonight.”

In the opener, Eastern Alamance had senior starter Joey Teixeria on the mound, who was on a four-game winning streak. He took a 5-2 lead into the seventh inning, but Cedar Ridge’s Mason Cates and Garrett Ray opened with singles. Freshman Quinn Finnegan, as a pinch-hitter, drew a walk to juice the bases. Eastern Alamance inserted Kasen McCawley as pitcher to replace Teixeria, who struck the next batter out. Cedar Ridge’s Brian Flores started the rally after he was hit by a pitch, scoring Cates. B.J. Thornton was also hit by a pitch, which brought Ray to home plate and reduce the Eagle lead to 5-4. With the bases still loaded, senior Aidan McCallister sent a sharply hit grounder that got past the third baseman and trickled into the outfield, allowing Finnegan and Flores to score and vault Cedar Ridge into the lead for the first time at 6-5.

The Red Wolves weren’t done. With two out, sophomore Efrain Morales drew a walk to load the bases again. Cates, in his second at-bat in the inning, singled to right field to score Thornton.

It wasn’t smooth sailing in the seventh inning for Cedar Ridge. Junior catcher Cole McGuiness hit a leadoff double, while Colton Roberston also singled. Tristan Keck hit a liner to Flores at third base. Flores threw to Morales, who tagged out McGinnis trying to score at the plate. Finnegan earned his first career save when Jackson Saunders grounded out to Cristian Macias at second base, triggering an emotional celebration by the Red Wolves in the dugout.

Brian Flores earned the win, throwing six innings, his second victory of the season.

If the first game was one for drama, the second one was straight out of Moneyball. The objective for Cedar Ridge was getting on base, which they did courtesy of 14 walks issued by Eastern Alamance pitchers. The Red Wolves had just as many hits (two) as hit batters.

“We’ve taught our batters to stay patient at the plate,” Massey said. “We want them to wait for their pitch. The most important thing is to get on base and I thought they handled that well.”

After the Eagles charged out to a 4-0 lead, Cedar Ridge scored all eight of its runs in the second inning. Morales and Cates each walked, while Will Tippin also had a base on balls to load the bases with one out. Finnegan walked to score Morales. With two out, Thornton walked to plate Cates. McCawley came in as pitcher, but Tippin came in to score off a wild pitch. McCallister was hit by a pitch to load the bases again, which led to Macias reaching on a five-pitch walk, scoring Finnegan and tying the game. Morales lined a double over the head of the centerfielder to plate Thornton and McAllister. Cates drew another walk, leading to Ray drawing a bases-loaded walk to score Macias. Tippin was the latest player to walk, plating Morales and giving Cedar Ridge an 8-4 lead.

While Finnegan, after earning the save in the opening game, got the win in the second game, the unsung hero of the night was freshman Nick Atkins. Since it was Cedar Ridge’s first doubleheader of the season (after Tuesday’s game scheduled in Hillsborough had been rained out), Massey told Atkins he would get called up from the junior varsity team earlier in the day.

“I though maybe we could get a few good innings out of him,” Massey said. “He did a lot better than that.”

Atkins threw three-and-two-thirds innings and struck out three. He allowed just two runs on five hits.

Once again, Cedar Ridge had to earn it when the Eagles cut the lead down to 8-7 in the seventh inning. Thornton, who started the game in right field, relieved Atkins in the seventh inning and retired the Eagles in order for his first save of the season and a doubleheader sweep that will dramatically alter the Central Carolina Conference pennant chase in numerous ways.

Brandon Andrews: Andrews, who pitched for Cedar Ridge and graduated in 2017, earned his win of the season for Nicholls State against Southeastern Louisiana on March 26. The Colonels defeated the Golden Lions 6-4. Andrews replaced starter Tyler Therlot in the seventh inning and threw one-and-two-thirds innings. He gave up just one hit with two strikeouts. Andrews earned his second win of the season against McNeese on Sunday as the Colonels rallied to win 8-7 in ten innings. Andrews threw the final two-thirds of an inning with one strikeout. On April 2, McNeese State defeated Nicholls 5-1 at Didier Field in Thibodaux, LA. Andrews threw two perfect innings, winding up with two strikeouts.

Bryse Wilson: Former Orange High baseball and football player Bryse Wilson will make his season debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon. Wilson earned his first win in spring training in his final start on Monday afternoon. Facing Baltimore, Wilson started and threw three-and-two-thirds innings, striking out seven. Wilson gave up two runs on five hits with two walks. Pittsburgh will face the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Wilson, who turned 24 during the offseason, will start his fourth Major League season.

Landon Riley: The Liberty baseball team lost to Jacksonville 11-7 on Sunday at Session Stadium in Florida on Sunday. Riley came out of the bullpen to throw two-thirds of an inning for the Flames. He struck out one. Liberty is 17-10. They start a three-game series against Florida Gulf Coast in Lynchburg, VA on Friday.

Dante DeFranco: The Wintrhop baseball team defeated Charlotte 9-6 at Winthrop Ballpark in Rock Hill, SC on Wednesday. DeFranco, who played shortstop at Cedar Ridge and 2nd base at Orange, entered the game in the ninth inning as a left fielder. The 49ers are 17-11, 4-5 in Conference USA. They host Southern Miss at Hayes Stadium in Charlotte for a weekend series starting Friday.

Will Walker: The Pitt Community College baseball team started a game against Lenoir Community College on Wednesday. The game was interrupted by rain in the eighth inning with Lenoir leading 6-3. Walker started at first base and was 1-for-4 at the time of the game’s stoppage. He singled in the fifth inning.

Mia Davidson: Southern Miss upset Mississippi State 3-0 at USM Softball Comples in Hattiesburg, MS on Wednesday. The Bulldogs were limited to three hits. Davidson went 0-for-1 with two walks.

Montana Davidson: Montana entered the game as a pinch hitter for the Bulldogs against the Golden Eagles. The Bulldogs are 24-13 and start a weekend series against Missouri on Friday at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS.

Tori Dalehite: For the second year in a row, Dalehite played against the college team she grew up rooting for. UNC Greensboro’s softball team faced Duke at UNCG Softball Complex on Wednesday. The Blue Devils, ranked #13 in the country, defeated the Spartans 11-1 in five innings. Dalehite entered the game as a pinch runner. The Spartans are 25-11 and will face Chattanooga to start a three-game weekend series on Friday in Greensboro.

Jaden Hurdle: The Patrick & Henry Community College softball team was swept in a doubleheader by Louisburg College on Sunday. The Hurricanes defeated the Patriots 7-2 in the opener in Martinsville, VA. Hurdle hit leadoff and went 0-for-3. In the second game, Louisburg won 8-0 in five innings. Hurdle went 0-for-1 with a walk. Patrick & Henry are 20-10, 11-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. They host Wake Technical Community College this weekend, where Hurdle will go against her former Orange High teammate Kara Tackett, who suits up for the Eagles.