Cedar Ridge Baseball

From the moment the abbreviated season started, the Cedar Ridge baseball team has fought an uphill battle.

The good news is they were one of six teams in the Big 8 Conference to field a team. Vance County and Southern Durham were the ones who didn’t, leading to automatic forfeit wins for the competing teams.

The bad news is Cedar Ridge had the shortest straw pulled for them in regards to scheduling. During the opening two weeks of the season, each of the other five teams in the Big 8 had forfeit wins over Vance County and Southern Durham, which created an open date on the schedule that allowed starting pitchers to get valuable rest. Cedar Ridge, on the other hand, started against Northwood (road game), Orange (road game), Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill (road game) and Northern Durham before the forfeited games finally came around on their slate.

Not to mention that only the first matchups between conference rivals counted in the Big 8 Conference standings this year, which essentially limited the conference championship race to five games.

With that unique format in place, Cedar Ridge needed its pitching staff healthy from the very beginning in order to contend for a state playoff spot. That led to another dilemma.

Matt Hughes, one of the Red Wolves most experienced pitchers, had an arm injury. He didn’t make his first appearance on the mound until the fourth game against Northern Durham, and only recently started to get into a rhythm. On Friday, Hughes threw four scoreless innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts against East Chapel Hill.

As Cedar Ridge completes its suspended game against Orange this afternoon at Red Wolves Territory, Coach Bryson Massey wants to use this year as a bridge to build something better for the future. Massey’ first season as head coach, in 2020, ended after just three games because of the pandemic.

“It’s been a different year,” Massey said. “I came in last year and we only got three games in. The guys got used to me a little bit. But it’s tough to get acclimated to what my coaching style is in just three games.”

If the first year didn’t give Massey a chance to learn more about his team, the second year hasn’t been much more forgiving. Last week, Cedar Ridge had to cancel a road trip to Northern Durham after two separate dates were each rained out. Then on Friday, Cedar Ridge had to make a second road trip to East Chapel Hill because two-and-a-half inches of rain that fell across Hillsborough left the outfield at Red Wolves Territory practically underwater.

“We’ve battled and had some close games,” Massey said. “We’ve got some guys that are getting a lot of experience in the field. That’s kind of what we hoped for last year. Learning to win has been something we’ve talked about a lot. Winning teams find a way to take close games. This year, we’ve struggled to win those close games.”

Cedar Ridge (4-7, 3-4 in the Big 8 Conference), has had four of its losses either by one-run or with the tying run on base in its last at-bat.

Not that there hasn’t been success. The season started with a stunning 8-2 win at Northwood on April 27, the Red Wolves first win in Pittsboro since 2014. On May 21, the Red Wolves defeated Northwood again, 6-1, behind big games from shortstop Bryce Clark and B.J. Thornton. it was the first-time ever that the Red Wolves swept the Chargers.

After the Orange game, Cedar Ridge will end its season against Kernersville Glenn on Wednesday night at 6.

“I love my guys,” Massey said. “I love how hard we’ve competed. But I’ve also had to remind myself that these guys had pretty much two whole years away from baseball. It’s been two years away from what I teach and how we got about ourselves. It’s been a year full of learning. The future looks bright with the young guys we have.”

On Wednesday, there will be a ceremony inside the J-Wing at Cedar Ridge High where three seniors will sign their letters of intent to play at the next level. Hughes will sign with Brunswick Community College, where he will be teammates with current Northern Durham ace pitcher Matthew Lombard.

“We’ve had to work Matt back slowly,” Massey said. “We started him on a pitch count. We’ve started putting him in situations where we’ve increase his output and he’s done well in those situations. He’s got a bright future.”

In addition, shortstop Bryce Clark will sign with Lenoir Community College in Kinston. Designated hitter Grady Ray will sign with Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville.

Recently, the Red Wolves have received some help from the winningest pitcher in school history. Phillip Berger, a 2019 Cedar Ridge graduate who won a school-record 21 games, tossed some bullpen sessions during practice in between stints with the Division III William Peace Pacers and the Elizabethtown River Riders of the Appalachian League. Last week, Berger earned the first two wins on the mound in the River Riders’ franchise history against the Greenville Flyboys and the Bristol State Liners.

Berger’s younger brother, Will, is a valuable part of Cedar Ridge’s future.

“Will is going to be the leader of this team,” Massey said of the junior. “He stays after practice and does everything right. He’s a guy, as a coach, that you dream of. That’s all you can ask for.”

Phillip Berger: After completing the season with Division III William Peace University, Berger has started play for the Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League. Following the reshaping of minor league baseball over the winter, the Appalachian League has rebranded from Rookie-level professional baseball into a collegiate wooden bat league. Berger has already collected two wins, including the first win in franchise history. On opening night for Elizabethton on Thursday, June 3, Berger earned the victory in a 5-2 decision over the Greenville Flyboys at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark in Elizabethton, TN. Berger came out of the bullpen to throw one-and-one-thirds innings. He surrendered one run on two hits with two strikeouts. On Saturday, Elizabethton defeated the Bristol State Liners 4-0 at DeVault Memorial Stadium in Bristol, VA. Once again, Berger pitched in relief and took the win after he threw two shutout innings. He surrendered one hit with one strikeout. Elizabethton is 2-2 and will host the Kingsport Axmen on Tuesday. Berger, the winningest pitcher in Cedar Ridge history, will almost visit his old hometown when the River Riders face the Burlington Sock Puppets (finally get to type that nickname) on June 22 and June 23 for a two-game series at Burlington Athletic Stadium.

Joey Berini: The East Carolina Pirates swept its regional series this weekend to open the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Early Monday morning, East Carolina defeated third-seeded Maryland 9-6 to advance to the Super Regional. It is East Carolina’s sixth regional championship since the current format was introduced in 2001. On Saturday, the Pirates defeated Charlotte 7-5 at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville. In the 7th inning, Berini hit a pinch-hit single to left field to score Lane Hoover. It was Berini’s first RBI of the season. Berini was immediately replaced by pinch runner Ryley Johnson. On Friday, the Pirates came from behind to defeat Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion Norfolk State 8-5. Berini entered the game as a pinch-hitter to lead off the seventh inning and grounded out to the pitcher. It was ECU’s 11th comeback win of the season. Berini, the 2019 Big 8 Conference Player of the Year for Orange, has played in 13 games this season. East Carolina will travel to Nashville this weekend to face #4 Vanderbilt in a best-of-three Super Regional starting Friday.

Landon Riley: The Liberty Flames baseball team competed in the Knoxville Regional of the NCAA Tournament over the weekend. The Flames avenged two losses to Duke by beating the Blue Devils twice. On Friday, Liberty defeated the Blue Devils, who came into the tournament ranked #19, 11-6. On Sunday, in an elimination game, the Flames scored eight runs in the first inning to prevail 15-4. #2 Tennessee defeated Liberty 9-3 on Saturday, and 3-1 on Sunday at Lindsay Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, TN to advance to the Super Regional round. Riley played in Saturday’s loss to the Volunteers. He pitched to one batter, which led to a groundout. Liberty, the regular season champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference, finished with a record of 41-16. It was the second regional final in program history. The Flames finish the year with over 40 wins for the seventh time. Riley concludes the year with 19 pitching appearances, all in relief. He had a 2-0 record with a 4.00 ERA and five saves. Riley had 19 strikeouts and nine walks in 18 innings. He will be a senior next season.

Dante DeFranco: Two former Orange High teammates were on opposing sides on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament. As East Carolina faced off against second-seeded Charlotte, Berini suited up for the Pirates and Dante DeFranco was in uniform for the 49ers. DeFranco didn’t play in any games this weekend. The 49ers, ranked #20, opened with a 13-10 win over Maryland on Friday, but it was its final victory of the season. After the loss to ECU, Maryland edged Charlotte 2-1 on Sunday in an elimination game. Charlotte, the regular season champions of Conference USA, end the year 41-20. It hasn’t been publicly announced whether DeFranco, a freshman, will redshirt this year.

Just between me and you, I’m happy Bryson Massey, Allen Byrd and Andy Simmons allow me to have the VIP parking spot for Cedar Ridge baseball and softball games. That’s located down the hill near the tennis courts.

There’s a lot of equipment to haul nowadays to get those sound signals through your Internet speaker. There are miles to travel, but they’ve been worth it.

The four-year class that will graduate for Cedar Ridge this week were all freshmen when I started this website. Since then, I’ve traveled to Morehead City to watch the Cedar Ridge softball team beat West Carteret in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs. Tori Dalehite and Takia Nichols both homered that night.

This past January, the drive to Greenville to watch the Cedar Ridge volleyball team battle D.H. Conley wasn’t as far, but it was intense. For the second year in a row, the Red Wolves played a team that won the 3A State Championship. Unlike in 2019 when they stunned Chapel Hill, the Red Wolves would fall a little short, but they did capture the first set. I’m sure that match hasn’t left the minds of Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier this spring as they’ve been practicing with Coach Fiona Cunningham.

To the seniors who have been so kind and patient with this website, I truly want to thank them for giving me the honor of covering their games and listening to my dumb questions. I hope they keep up with the website as they move on in life because some of them have left impressions on me.

I’ll remember ShiLi Quade, who doesn’t seem to believe in days off. In the winter, she played volleyball for the Cedar Ridge team that won the Big 8 Championship. When she wasn’t practicing or playing, she had to handle editor duties for the Cedar Ridge Yearbook. She would be on the sidelines shooting photos at men’s and women’s basketball games and was kind enough to share some of her galleries for this website. Keeping my usual overnight hours, I’d be typing away with some album from King’s X blaring in my headphones, and then an email from ShiLi would pop in my inbox at 2AM. In 2025, an employer somewhere will hire someone with a great work ethic.

Alexandria Matthews, Lajoan Stuart, and Emma-Rae Sharp and Quade were part of one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever seen. For anyone who reads this website, it’s become cliche to bring up Cedar Ridge softball scoring seven runs in the seventh inning to tie Orange 9-9 to send the game into extra innings. Alex, who played 1st base and pitched, jump started the rally with a single up the middle and later scored off a single by Olivia Aitkin. Stuart started in right field that night for Cedar Ridge and Sharp started at 1st base. It was something to remember for everyone in attendance.

I’ll remember Elijah Whitaker, and his dedication to the Cedar Ridge football program. The emotion of the Cedar Ridge players as they walked off the field in their final game against Vance County was unmistakeable. All of those players want to win every game, of course, but there were tears in the eyes of the seniors who had just played their last football game. They want to establish a program. Elijah didn’t plan to be the quarterback this season, but the top starter was injured in the first half of the first game, never to return. Elijah played quarterback for the final five games against a tough Big 8 Conference. Afterwards, he talked about coming back to Cedar Ridge to coach wide receivers because he loved the brotherhood that Coach Cory Lea is developing.

I’ll remember Kyle Long, who rarely got a play off along the interior line for Cedar Ridge. Kyle is going into the Navy now. He’ll be keeping up with Cedar Ridge football on Friday nights, no matter where he is. He may be leaving Cedar Ridge, but Cedar Ridge won’t leave him.

I’ll remember Luke Pagnanelli and Ian Johnson. And their perseverance. It would have been easy to throw in the towel when Orange led Cedar Ridge in men’s basketball 49-31 with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter on January 11. But Luke and Ian wouldn’t let that happen. Instead, they erased that deficit in just five minutes and 53 seconds. Pagnanelli scored the opening four points of overtime and Cedar Ridge won 67-66. A month later, Pagnanelli and Johnson each hit pressure free throws in the final minute to beat Orange again, this time in Panther Gymnasium. Pagnanelli and Johnson labored through a 1-23 season as sophomores, but they each won their last four games against Orange.

I’ll remember A.J. Richmond for his dedication to athletics. He played basketball, football and ran track. I’ll also remember him for a memorable interview last week where he said that his father played basketball against Jerry West. Jerry West?! The logo of the NBA? The man who traded Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant?! Why didn’t Andre ever tell me about this? Turned out it was David West, who played at Garner when Andre Richmond was at Orange. David went on to play 16 years in the NBA and won two World Championships with Golden State. I’m sure Andre was more impressed with his son’s two victories at Northwood High in the 100 and 200 meters last week.

I’ll remember the versatility of Marlee Rakouskas. She was a starting libero for Cedar Ridge volleyball. She played on two Cedar Ridge softball teams that won the Big 8 Conference Championship. Marlee didn’t always get the headlines, but those teams wouldn’t have been as successful without her. Between playing two sports, she put together an art show for the Orange County Arts Commission. And, like Krzyzewski, I’ve learned how to spell Rakouskas by typing it so often I don’t even need to look it up. (Well, just once for old time sake tonight).

I’ll remember James Rosati-Brown and Daina Pritchard. Like all other senior wrestlers in Hillsborough, they had some of the most cherished annual events in the area taken from them because of the pandemic. James and Daina both love competing in the Jim King/Orange Invitational, the Tiger Holiday Classic and the Red Wolf Invitational. This year, they had to start the season at a time when it would normally be long in the rear view mirror. That hasn’t stood in the way of making progress. Daina is 20-1 this year. James is 19-2, and both of those losses were last week to wrestlers who placed in the state championships last year. Fortunately, they’ll be able to compete for spots in the state championships next week.

I’ll remember the excellence of Emerson Talley, the all-time leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history. A reluctant star who prefers to let her playing do the talking, Emerson will be a prime performer for the Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team for years to come and provide plenty of fodder for Alumni Update.

And there are more. There’s Bryce Clark hitting a home run against Orange two weeks ago. There’s Grady Ray, who competes in three different sports and never takes a play off, regardless of what the sport is. There’s Matt Hughes, who will play baseball at Brunswick Community College after his final high school game this week.

To all of them, as they go forward in life, I’ll share with you what Coach Charles Watters told me when I walked away from Auman Stadium on my graduation night around this time 30 years ago.

There are only three things in life that truly matter: what you think about yourself when you wake up and see yourself in the mirror. What you think about yourself when you go to bed at night. And what your loved ones, in their hearts, truly think of you.

Have fun. Be free.

Landon Riley: The Liberty Flames were upset in the Atlantic Sun Tournament championship game by Jacksonville 7-3 on Saturday at Harmon Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Riley threw one inning of scoreless inning against the Dolphins with one walk and one strikeout. Liberty defeated North Florida 5-2 in Friday’s semifinal game. On Thursday, Jacksonville defeated the Flames 2-1, Liberty’s first loss in the tournament. On Friday morning, Liberty shut out Kennesaw State 6-0. The Flames now await for the NCAA Selection Show at noon on Memorial Day to learn if their season will continue. Projections from Baseball America and D1baseball.com both have Liberty receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. The Flames have two wins over North Carolina, as well as victories over Virginia and Virginia Tech. Liberty, which won the Atlantic Sun regular season championship, are 39-14. In 18 pitching appearances this season, Riley had a 2-0 record with a 4.08 ERA and five saves. In 17-and-two-thirds innings, Riley had 19 strikeouts and nine walks.

Joey Berini: #11 East Carolina was eliminated by UCF on Saturday in the American Athletic Conference Tournament at BayCare Park in Clearwater, Florida. Berini entered the game as a pinch hitter for the Pirates in the eighth inning and hit a two-out single to centerfield. It was Berini’s third hit of the season. Berini also played Wednesday at East Carolina defeated Cincinnati 13-9 in an elimination game. He went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter. East Carolina is 41-15 and will wind up with a spot in the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced later today. Berini has played in eleven games this year.

Brandon Andrews: The Jacksonville State baseball team ended the year with consecutive wins over Eastern Illinois. It was not enough for the Gamecocks to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. They finished 26-27, 10-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Andrews pitched in one game for Jacksonville State after he transferred from Nicholls State. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Bryse Wilson: After his win over the Toronto Blue Jays last Friday, Bryse Wilson was optioned back to the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East. On Friday night, Wilson earned the win as the Stripers defeated the Memphis Redbirds 8-2 in a rain-shortened six innings. It was the first complete game by a Gwinnett starter this year. He struck out five over six innings and surrendered only two runs. He also had a bunt hit in the third inning and scored off a home run by Jason Kipnis. In his last nine starts with the Stipers, Wilson is 8-0 with a 1.58 ERA dating back to July 21, 2019.

Marvin Jones: Jones competed for North Carolina Central at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Regional Preliminary Championships at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. Jones finished tied for 37th place in the high jump with a 2.06-meter leap. During his senior season, Jones had five top-5 finishes with three wins. He won the gold medal at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Olivia Ward: The former Cedar Ridge women’s tennis player ended the year on a strong note for Division III Methodist. On April 25, Ward defeated Chandler Brice of North Carolina Wesleyan 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in the opening round of the USA South Women’s Tennis Tournament. North Carolina Wesleyan won the match 6-3 at the Slick Family Tennis Center in Rocky Mount. Ward ended the year with wins in six consecutive matches. Methodist end the year 8-14, but finished 2nd in the USA South Conference with a 5-1 record.

Brad Debo: Though he didn’t play for N.C. State this season, Debo was still honored during the Wolfpack’s home game against Florida State on May 22 at Doak Field in Raleigh. Debo didn’t have a senior day game during his senior year in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Debo played in eight games in 2020 for the Wolfpack as a catcher and designated hitter. He hit .263 with one double. For his Wolfpack career, Debo hit .284 with nine home runs and 96 RBIs. He has started work as an organizational instructor for catchers at North Carolina Development Baseball out of Durham.

The rivalry game between Orange and Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Territory was suspended by rain in the bottom of the second inning on Friday night, but it sure had some fireworks early.

Orange’s Ryan Hench drilled a two-run homer to put the Panthers ahead 2-1. The game was stopped in the bottom of the second inning. In Cedar Ridge’s side of the first inning, shortstop Bryce Clark laced a solo homer to left field. He became the first person to score a run off Hench this year. Hench entered the game with 17 scoreless innings over three games this season. He had yielded only four hits with 30 strikeouts and seven walks.

The rain interrupted a night that Cedar Ridge Head Coach Bryson Massey had prepared weeks for. The game was a Vs. Cancer benefit where Major League Baseball memorabilia would be raffled off. Anyone who purchased tickets for the raffle should keep the tickets. The game will be rescheduled at a later date.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Northern Durham on Wednesday night. Orange travels to Northwood Tuesday night at 7.

Wrestling:

Cedar Ridge 49, Greensboro Grimsley 19; Cedar Ridge 39, Montgomery Central 36

Despite competing during a pandemic, the Cedar Ridge wrestling team eclipsed its win total from the previous season on Friday night.

The Red Wolves defeated Greensboro Grimsely 49-19, then held off Montgomery Central 39-36. It was the Red Wolves’ second tri-match sweep of the week. They’re now 12-6 on the year.

The victory over Montgomery turned out to be the most dramatic win of the season for the Red Wolves. The match was tied 36-36 with only the heavyweight bout between Cedar Ridge’s Aidan Kearns and the Timberwolves’ Jordi Bello remaining. Kearns earned a 6-1 decision to put Cedar Ridge ahead 39-36. The only remaining match was a double forfeit at 106 pounds, so Cedar Ridge took its fourth straight victory.

Kearns, who was the starting goalkeeper for the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team this season, is now 10-8. He earned a forfeit win over Grimsley earlier in the night.

Sophomore Fernando Martinez earned his 50th career win against Grimsley. At 120 pounds, Martinez opened the dual match against the Whirlies with a 13-4 major decision over Zachary Swearington. Martinez, who is 15-1 on the year, pinned Tarian Tanner of Montgomery in 35 seconds. It was his eighth pinfall victory of the year.

Senior Daina Pritchard pinned Montgomery’s Cain Arzate in 1:00 for the 70th win of his career. Pritchard, who is 15-1, suffered his first loss of the season against Grimsley’s Toure Moore.

Senior James Rosati-Brown improved to 18-0 at 152 pounds with two forfeit wins.

Against Grimsley, Gavin Mintz earned a decision over Login Goodwin 6-2 at 170 pounds. At 182 pounds, Thomas Bradley pinned D.J. Diggs in 2:54.

Kearns, Kady Watkins, Kaden Tatro, Mac McGhee and Zoey Moreno also had forfeit wins for Cedar Ridge against Grimsley.

Against the Timberwolves, Tatro pinned Emmanuel All-Gonzalez in 2:31, which evened the dual match 24-24. Mintz then put Cedar Ridge in the lead after he finished off Jamira Jackson via pinfall in 3:10.

Bradley also had a forfeit win against Montgomery Central.

Last season, Cedar Ridge finished 11-8. In the absence of individual tournaments like the Jim King Invitational at Orange High, the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill and the Buccaneer Cup at Bartlett-Yancey High Schoo, Cedar Ridge has been able to schedule more dual matches this year. Cedar Ridge also hosts its own individual tournament each year, the Red Wolf Invitational, every November.

Cedar Ridge still has six more dual matches scheduled before the 3A Mideast Regional championships, which will be the first individual tournament for wrestlers across the state, next month. The regionals will be held at Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville.

On Wednesday, Cedar Ridge will host powerful Uwharrie Charter Academy at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

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.