Cedar Ridge Softball

The Cedar Ridge softball team seemed to do it all in its conference opener against Northwood.

Be on the verge of losing in five innings? Check. Come back from a seven-run deficit to take the lead? Check. Score 12 runs in a span of three innings? Check.

Unfortunately, the list of accomplishments also included losing in extra innings.

Northwood’s Shakhai Mole scored off a grounder by freshman Carolina Garner in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel the Chargers past Cedar Ridge 17-16.

As you may have guessed, it was a night of offense. The two teams combined for 35 hits, eight extra base hits and 18 walks.

It was a costly loss for the Red Wolves since the Big 8 Conference standings will only include the first games against league opponents, the same format that was used in volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball this year.

In what will probably be a theme this season, Cedar Ridge’s Takia Nichols hit a solo homer to lead off the third inning, then was intentionally walked in her final four plate appearances. That included an intentional pass in the fifth inning–with the bases loaded.

Even with Nichols’ powerful bat taken out of her hands, Cedar Ridge still managed to erase an 11-4 deficit in the fifth inning, incredibly starting a seven-run rally with two outs. After Olivia Aitkin reached on an infield single Marlee Rakouskas lined a hit to center field. Alexandria Matthews’ bloop to the outfield scored Aitkin. Sophomore Anaya Carter walked to load the bases, which led to the Nichols walk, bringing in Matthews.

ShiLi Quade reached on a bunt to first to score Matthew. Junior Ava Lowry came up with a three-run double to clear the bases. Aitkin, in her second at-bat in the inning, double to left to score Lowry and tie the game at 11-11.

Northwood took the lead back with a run in the fifth when Caroline Dorshimer scored off a groundout by Garner.

The Chargers led 14-11 when Cedar Ridge scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning. Carter hit a leadoff single, followed by the obligatory Nichols walk. Quade loaded the bases with another bunt single. Lowry’s sacrifice fly to left scored Carter. Aitkin hit another sacrifice fly to plate Nichols. Senior Reagan Rhul doubled to left center to score Quade and Lowry and give Cedar Ridge a 15-14 lead. Hayley King legged out an infield single to bring in Ruhl and Cedar Ridge extended its led to two runs.

Northwood forced extra innings when Zoe Hatzidakis doubled down the left field line, leading to a run from Carlee Harris. With two outs, Sarah Warfford reached on an error, leading to Hatzidakis tying the game.

Quade, now playing catcher, went 4-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Aitkin finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and 4 RBIs. Ruhl was 2-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs. Lowry finished 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs, two doubles and three runs scored.

Cedar Ridge will host Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon at 5:30. That game can be heard on Hillsboroughsports.com.

HILLSBOROUGH-Johnny Barefoot’s debut as the coach of the Orange softball team didn’t have very much drama. But there was plenty of hitting and even better pitching.

Orange rolled past East Chapel Hill 14-1 in five innings at Panther Softball Field on Wednesday afternoon. It was the season opener for both teams.

Junior Gracie Walker earned the victory in the circle. She threw three innings and finished with seven strikeouts. Walker surrendered two hits, one runs with one walk. Freshman Kaden Robinson and junior Courtney Watkins finished out the final two innings in mop up duty.

The Lady Panthers amassed eleven hits with every player in the starting lineup getting aboard. In her first varsity game, Robinson finished 4-for-4, nearly hitting for the cycle. She had a double and a triple.

Junior Mary Moss Wirt, who has committed to play at Elon, went 2-for-3 with two doubles and 2 RBIs. Senior Emma Puckett went 1-for-3 with a double.

Orange (1-0) had a game scheduled against Vance County on Thursday but it was rained out. The Lady Panthers will host Cedar Ridge on Tuesday in what will be the only game between the crosstown rivals that will count in the Big 8 standings.

“The worst softball field there is is one with nobody on it.”

That’s what Cedar Ridge coach Allen Byrd said last March, a week after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association suspended the spring sports season.

The thing about a baseball or a softball coach is that they never stop being coaches. Even during a pandemic.

Last spring, in the weeks after Cedar Ridge’s season suddenly stopped after just four games, Byrd would travel down the empty roads through Hillsborough to Red Wolves Softball Stadium several times a week. He knew there would be no games or practices. With the outside world sparsely populated, Byrd kept himself busy with his side job. The outfield grass needed a trim every few days. The infield had to be dragged. Byrd and his assistant, Brian Rhew, even put up a new scoreboard in left field. It was just as well, since third baseman Takia Nichols hit a home run off the old scoreboard in a game against West Johnston just before the season abruptly ended. (Nichols was intentionally walked in her subsequent three plate appearances that night).

While every senior class at every school felt like something was robbed from them last spring, the Cedar Ridge Class of 2020 wasn’t just another group. They were responsible for the most successful softball run in school history.

Just after Orange won the 2017 3A State Championship, Cedar Ridge started a run of dominance in the Big 8 Conference. In 2018, behind pitcher Rivers Andrews, Dalehite, catcher Kymberlie Thacker and 1st baseman Kara Wagoner, the Red Wolves romped their way to the first softball conference title in school history with a 17-1 overall record. They finished a perfect 14-0 in the Big 8, outscoring opposition 163-7. The Red Wolves advanced to the 3rd round of the state playoffs, where they lost a 9-inning heartbreaker to West Brunswick in Shallotte. Byrd was so uncertain the wrong team won, he reported to his job the following morning at the Mebane Police Department bleary eyed after a sleepless night.

Cedar Ridge and Orange tied for the Big 8 title in 2019, but Cedar Ridge won a tiebreaker against the Lady Panthers to take the top overall seed in the Big 8. Again, Cedar Ridge reached the third round of the state playoffs, only to lose to eventual state champion Eastern Alamance in Mebane.

A year later, the day after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association decided to suspend the spring sports season (initially until April 6, 2020, ultimately canceled outright), Cedar Ridge lost to West Johnston. The following night, the Red Wolves were supposed to face Chapel Hill in a doubleheader, but it was canceled.

“It was uncharted waters for everyone involved,” said Byrd.

Five Cedar Ridge seniors never played together again. Going into the year, the biggest part of Cedar Ridge’s senior class was already lost for the season. Tori Dalehite, the 2018 Big 8 Hitter of the Year, suffered a torn ACL in a basketball game just weeks before the softball practice started. The rest of the 2020 Class of Rachel Serre, Emma Roby, Alyssa Serre, and Cailyn Thornton still wanted a chance to win a third straight Big 8 championship.

Dalehite is still on the diamond as a freshman at UNC Greensboro, but the rest of her classmates had their softball careers come to a sudden end.

For a group that help build Cedar Ridge softball into a local power, they deserved better.

“None of those girls were going to the next level to play,” Byrd said. “From a softball standpoint, the pandemic was the end of the road for them. Our goal was to win the conference again, then make a run in the playoffs. They didn’t get a chance to experience that. Several of them would have been All-Conference. They wanted to play Orange and go against kids they had grown up playing against. It was all taken away from them.”

The good news for Cedar Ridge is, starting tonight, there will be players on the field again. They’ll start the Big 8 Conference season against Northwood in Pittsboro.

As was the case with volleyball and basketball, the Big 8 Athletic Directors have voted to count only the initial meetings between conference rivals into the conference standings. That makes tonight’s game extra important.

Nichols returns for her junior season. A freshman sensation from the first game, Nichols hit eight home runs as a rookie. In only four games in 2020, she still hit five home runs. If Nichols had a full sophomore season, its possible she could have approached the North Carolina career home run record held by former Orange catcher Mia Davidson, now at Mississippi State.

Also returning is junior Olivia Aitkin, who started several games at pitcher. Another option inside the circle is senior Alexandria Matthews. Junior Ava Lowry will return and could play first base.

The Red Wolves open with Northwood, then face Chapel Hill on Friday. Next week, they travel to Orange for a huge early season matchup.

Competition will come hot and heavy early for Cedar Ridge, but part of the allure for Byrd will be that the fields will no longer be empty.

Braden Homsey: Now a junior for the Ferrum College wrestling team, Homsey competed in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Championships at Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa on Friday. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Homsey opened with a 16-1 technical fall victory over Greensboro College’s Khalil Belk. In the round of 16, Homsey dominated Scott Anderson of Elmhurst 12-2. In the quarterfinals, Cody Baldridge edged Homsey 3-2. In the consolation round, Logan Hagerbaumer of Millikin University defeated Homsey 13-9. Ferrum’s schedule was greatly impacted by the pandemic with only two dual matches. On February 6, Homsey won his senior night match against Shenandoah via forfeit. Homsey ended the year 6-2.

Adam Chnupa: After nearly upsetting the #1 ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision on March 6, the Elon football team had a disappointing 38-14 loss to Richmond at Rhodes Stadium on Saturday. Chnupa had a tackle for the Phoenix, who fell to 1-3, 0-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Bryse Wilson: In his second spring training outing for the Atlanta Braves, Wilson threw three innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates last Tuesday at CoolToday Park in Sarasota, FL. He surrendered two runs, both earned, on four hits. Wilson struck out four and walked one in a no decision. Pittsburgh took a 10-1 win.

Phillip Berger: The winningest pitcher in Cedar Ridge history started for Division III William Peace in a 3-2 loss to Brevard in the second game of a doubleheader on Friday. He faced 18 batters over four innings with six strikeouts. He surrendered two runs off four hits in a no decision. Peace is 8-7 at will open play in the USA South Athletic Conference against Pfeiffer on Thursday.

Cooper Porter: The former Orange High utility man continues to play for the Pensacola State Pirates. In a doubleheader against Delgado Community College on March 6, Porter went 1-for-4 in a 9-2 loss for the Pirates. Porter started at 2nd base in the nightcap, which Pensacola won 2-1. Porter went 0-for-2. Porter has played in six games for Pensacola State.

Mia Davidson: Ole Miss took both games against #23 Mississippi State at the Ole Miss Softball Complex in Oxford, Mississippi over the weekend. In the Rebels 4-1 win on Sunday, Davidson went 2-for-3. On Saturday, where Ole Miss won 6-0, Davidson went 0-2.

Montana Davidson: Montana started both games at third base for Mississippi State against Ole Miss. She went hitless on both days. The Bulldogs are 15-7, 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team opened Southern Conference action by taking the series against the College of Charleston at UNC Greensboro Softball Stadium over the weekend. Dalehite was a pinch runner in the opening game of Saturday’s doubleheader, a 9-1 Spartan victory. UNCG has now won 10 of its last 11.

Grace Andrews: Once again, Andrews faced her former Orange High teammate Jaden Hurdle when Andrews’ Catawba Valley Community College Red Hawks faced Patrick Henry Community College at Highland Recreation Center in Hickory on Sunday. Catawba Valley swept the doubleheader. In the second game, Andrews drilled a two-run homer to left center in the second inning, her fourth dinger of the year. Andrews opened the game with a sacrifice fly RBI to score leadoff batter Ashlyn Parsons. Andrews went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs and two runs scored in a 17-8 win. The Red Hawks also took the opener 6-5, where Andrews went 0-for-3, r-3, but she knocked in Parons on another sacrifice fly in the 5th inning to put the Red Hawks ahead 3-2.

On Saturday, Catawba Valley swept Surry County Community College 5-1 and 11-3 in six innings in Hickory. In the opener, Andrews went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the third inning. Andrews also doubled in the first inning. In the nightcap, Andrews finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. In the first inning, Andrews singled to third to score Alleigh Himes. After she reached on a fielder’s choice in the third inning, Andrews scored on an error. In the fifth, Andrews singled to left. Catawba Valley has won six in a row and is 12-5 overall, 5-2 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Jaden Hurdle: Hurdle started at first base for Patrick Henry Community College in the opener against Catawba Valley on Sunday.

Dylan Boyer: The Division II Queen’s University men’s lacrosse team dominated Mars Hill 20-12 at Mears Stadium in Mars Hill on Saturday. Boyer assisted on three goals for the Royals, who have beaten the Lions five straight times. Boyer also had two shots, both on net. Queens improves to 3-2, 3-0 in the South Atlantic Conference.

Phillip Berger: Berger, who won 21 games in his Cedar Ridge pitching career, captured the victory in relief as Division III William Peace defeated the University of Lynchburg 4-3 at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary on Saturday. Berger threw two-and-a-half innings of perfect baseball with three strikeouts. It was his first win of the season. It helped the Pacers sweep the doubleheader from the Hornets.

On February 21, Berger made his season debut against Roanoke College. Berger started and threw five innings in a no decision. He struck out three while conceding six hits, two runs and four walks. The Maroons defeated the Pacers 6-5. Peace is 5-1 and travels to Averett University on Tuesday.

Landon Riley: #10 TCU swept the Liberty Flames baseball team at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth, TX over the weekend. On Sunday, Riley finished the game on the hill for the Flames. Riley threw one shutout inning with two strikeouts and one walk. Liberty, 2-5, returns home to host Radford in Lynchburg, VA on Tuesday.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team competed in the Lone Star State Invitational across three different cities over the weekend. On Friday, the Bulldogs split a doubleheader against Texas State at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos, TX. They dropped the opener to the Bobcats 4-3, but captured the nightcap 6-2. Mia Davidson, a 2016 Orange High graduate, combined to go 3-for-6 in the doubleheader. In the second game, she hit a three-run homer to left center in the 4th inning. In the opener, she singled for the first hit of the game and scored off a double from Fa Leilua. On Saturday at the University of Texas in Austin, TX, Mississippi State defeated Houston 3-0, but lost to Texas 8-7. Against the Longhorns, Davidson went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run, scoring twice. At that point in the Invitational, Davidson was 7-for-13. In the win over the Cougars, Davidson went 1-for-3 with a double.

On Sunday, Baylor defeated Mississippi State 10-6. Davidson hit her 57th career home run, extending her hitting streak to seven games. She recorded a hit in all of the Bulldogs’ games last week and hit .471 in the Invitational, including three home runs.

Montana Davidson: In her senior season, Montana Davidson leads Mississippi State with a .421 batting average through 12 games. Montana went 2-for-4 against Texas, her fifth multi-hit game of the year. She also went 2-for-4 against Baylor. Mississippi State is 8-4. They will start Southeastern Conference action against Alabama on Wednesday in Tuscaloosa.

Tori Dalehite: The 2018 Big 8 Conference Hitter of the Year at Cedar Ridge made her college debut for UNC Greensboro over the weekend. Dalehite entered the game as a pinch runner as the Spartans defeated North Carolina A&T 11-2 in the second game of a doubleheader. Dalehite scored off a home run hit by Jordan Gontram. UNCG swept the three games against the Aggies to improve to 4-4.

Grace Andrews: Another series, another home run for the 2020 Orange High graduate. On Thursday against the Montreat JV team, Catawba Valley Community College swept a doubleheader on scores of 3-0 and 6-2 at the Highland Park Community Center in Hickory. In the opener, Andrews went 1-for-3. In the nightcap, Andrews hit a solo homer in the 3rd inning, her second of the season. Andrews finished 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs. She added a double in the bottom of the fifth inning. Catawba Valley had doubleheaders scheduled against Camp Community College and Bryant & Stratton College in Virginia over the weekend, but they were all rained out.

Catawba Valley is 7-3. Andrews has played in all ten games. She’s the top hitter on the team with a .533 batting average and a team-high 16 hits. Andrews is tied for the team lead with ten runs scored. She also has nine RBIs.

Adam Chnupa: The #24 Elon football team fell to Gardner-Webb 42-20 at Spangler Stadium in Boiling Springs on Saturday. Chnupa played linebacker and recorded two tackles for the Phoenix, including one-half tackle for loss. Elon opens its Colonial Athletic Association schedule against James Madison next Saturday at Rhodes Stadium.

Dylan Boyer: The former Orange High men’s lacrosse star assisted on a goal as Queens University of Charlotte defeated Newberry 12-10 at Setzler Field in Newberry, S.C. on Saturday. Boyer assisted on the Royals’ final goal of the first half, scored by Tyler Ewen that put Queens ahead 6-3 with 4:00 remaining in the second quarter. Boyer also had two shots, one of which was on net. It was the first win of the year for Queen’s.

Josh Mauer: Mauer, who took the drive-thru graduated from Orange last June, is now a midfielder for the Division II Mount Olive men’s lacrosse team, which is ranked #9 in the country. On February 16, Mauer made his college debut for the Trojans in a 10-8 victory over Coker. Mauer had two ground balls against the Cobras. He also played in a 12-3 win over Catawba on February 16.

Jaylin Jones: Southern Virginia defeated the Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team 22-19 at Knight Stadium in Buena Vista, VA on Wednesday. Jalin Jones, a former Orange High star, scooper up two ground balls for the Falcons in the loss. Pfeiffer (1-1) travels to Ferrum on Sunday.

Marvin Jones: The former Cedar Ridge star captured the high jump championship in this weekend’s Camel City Invite in Winston-Salem. Jones’ jump of 2.10 meters, two inches better than runner-up Tony Jones of Wake Forest. Jones matches his career-best leap. In four indoor events this season, Jones has now won the high jump twice and finished second twice. At the JDL January Kickoff in Winston-Salem, Jones had a jump of 2.06 meters, good enough for 1st place. UNC Pembroke’s Bradley Thompson finished second at 1.96 meters.

Jamar Davis: The 2018 Orange High graduate has started his junior season with the N.C. State track and field team. On January 16, Davis opened the indoor campaign with a fifth-place finish in the long jump at the Gamecock Opener at the University of South Carolina. His best jump was 23-feet, 7.25 inches. At the Hokie Invitational at Virginia Tech, Davis finished 6th with a leap of 7.08 meters.

Mia Davidson: As she starts her senior season at Mississippi State, Mia Davidson has been named a 2nd-team All-American by Justin’s World of Softball. A 2019 All-American, Davidson is a lifetime .369 hitter in Starkville. he holds Mississippi State’s career leading for home runs with 52, and slugging percentage at .789. In 2019, Davidson set the school and Southeastern Conference record with 26 home runs on her way to a school-record .882 slugging percentage.

Her junior season was limited to 21 games because of the pandemic. She hit .330 with a .659 slugging percentage.

Montana Davidson: Montana, Mia’s older sister, will return for her senior season with the Bulldogs. Mississippi State starts its season with a doubleheader against Miami (Ohio) on Friday.

Tori Dalehite: The former Big 8 Hitter of the Year will start her freshman season at UNC Greensboro on February 12. The Spartans face North Carolina at the Carolina Classic at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. During the three-day event, UNC-G will also face Louisville and South Carolina.

Grace Andrews: Fate has a funny way of working in college sports. In Grace Andrews’ first softball game at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, she faced Patrick Henry Community College, featuring Andrews’ longtime teammate at Orange, Jaden Hurdle. In fact, Hurdle and Andrews comprised the right side of Orange’s infield when they defeated Piedmont to win the 2017 3A State Championship. So naturally, for Andrews first at-bat for the Red Hawks, the pitcher she faced was Hurdle–in the 8th inning of a tie game. Andrews lifted a sacrifice fly to score Lillie Pennington as the Red Hawks won 4-3 in the opening game of the Catawba Valley Clash in Hickory.

In the second game, Catawba Valley defeated Surry Community Center 7-0. Andrews, playing shortstop, went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and a run scored.

On January 30, the Montreat junior varsity defeated Catawba Valley 8-7 in eight innings in the opening day of a doubleheader. Andrews, starting at shortstop again, went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

In the second game, Catawba Valley shut out Cleveland Community College 9-0. Andrews went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Through four games, Andrews is hitting .500.

Wyatt Jones: The former Orange High midfielder and starting quarterback quietly made history over the weekend. Jones became the first Orange lacrosse player to play as a member of a Division I college team. The Mercer Bears defeated the Division II Lenoir-Rhyne Bears 17-4 at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia. Jones entered the game as a reserve in the fourth quarter. Jones was named to the All-State team as Orange ended the 2020 campaign ranked #3 before it abruptly ended because of the pandemic. He was also a member of the Carolina Hilltoppers summer travel team coached by Franklin and Chandler Zirkle. On Saturday, Jones will sorta come home when Mercer faces #1 Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham.

Dylan Boyer: During the summer, Boyer signed with Division II Queens University in Charlotte men’s lacrosse. Boyer, who graduated from Orange in June, is slated to start his college career on February 20 when Queens travels to Mount Olive.

Jaylin Jones: A former Orange High midfielder and safety, Jones will start his senior season at Division II Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse on Saturday when the Falcons host Centenary.

Luke Hernandez: A former defenseman at Cedar Ridge, Hernandez will start his junior season with the Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team, as well.

Aidan Poole: Last week, the Division III USA South Athletic Conference announced they will have a spring season, despite the pandemic. That means Poole, formerly of Cedar Ridge, will suit up for the Greensboro College Pride. Poole, a sophomore, played in seven games last season for Greensboro. He scored goals against Guilford and Chatham and recorded an assist against Hampton, which turned out to be the season-finale.

It’s the second edition of the Rodcast. Today, we’re joined by Cedar Ridge play-by-play man Tim Hackett and Cedar Ridge’s public address announcer Tim Hackett. This is a unique time in American history and for the sports landscape. On this edition, Jeff, Tim and Jon will discuss what this inactivity has felt like, the spring sports seniors that we feel bad for, and what we’ll remember from this season. Plus, overrated baseball films, Northwestern basketball and much more! Enjoy this edition of the Rodcast, presented by C&R Ski Outdoor in Hillsborough! We’ll be back on Friday with Bruce Mitchell, podcaster and writer for PWTorch.com to discuss pro wrestling, in particular the final edition of Nitro from March 2001!

Well, this whole “not have a game stuff” certainly puts it all into perspective, doesn’t it?

Too much perspective, if you ask me.

(Ed. note: in the interest of fairness, that quote is from “This is Spinal Tap.” I don’t have an ear for most modern pop culture references, and Spinal Tap is old but timeless)

The most amazing thing regarding the coronavirus pandemic is how quickly the spring sports landscape in Hillsborough, and everywhere else, went from rich to barren. On March 10, the Orange baseball team beat East Chapel Hill. The following day, they were taking batting practice preparing for the second game of the series on Friday.

No one had any idea that, in all likelihood, it would be their final practice together. Or that the North Carolina High School Athletic Association would suspend the spring sports season less than 24 hours later.

When you’re a senior in high school, things are never as final as they seem. Many of the students who will graduate in the Smith Center in June (if they’re allowed to) will eventually live in Orange County or somewhere near it. Many of them will continue to carry friendships with people they’ll turn the tassels with, hopefully closer than five feet apart.

Yet the Class of 2020 will hold a unique place in history, but locally and abroad. Especially those that play spring sports.

Hopefully all of them live a long, rich life. And when they get to my age, they can look back and talk about their incomplete senior year. Every other athlete in the history of Orange and Cedar Ridge had the chance to succeed or do otherwise, based on their own abilities.

With each passing day, it feels like the Class of 2020 won’t be able to even say that. Their chance was taken away by an invisible enemy that has shut down everyday life like nothing we’ve seen before it. And hopefully never will again.

Last Saturday night, I received a DM from a friend who graduated with me from Orange in 1991. She asked if I was doing OK. Like many freelancers, I depend on games to make ends meet and the media paradigm isn’t as steady as it once was. I didn’t have a good answer for her because, after 30 years of covering sports, this is all so new to me.

As I’ve written before, high school sports has usually carried on through even the worst disasters, locally and nationally. Three days after 9/11, I was doing play-by-play for Northern Durham at J.F. Webb in Oxford. It may have been the most numb atmosphere for a game I’ve ever seen (especially since Northern won 67-0), but they still played. Well, at least Northern did.

The last thing anyone should do is feel bad for me.

But here’s who I do feel bad for:

Braden Thompson and Braxton Mergenthal: They’re senior lacrosse players at Cedar Ridge. When Thompson was a freshman, the Red Wolves defeated Chapel Hill 11-8 to win the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship. They became the first lacrosse team from Hillsborough to play for a state championship in lacrosse. Mergenthal was a defenseman who helped the Red Wolves shut out Roxboro Community School 16-0 in the season opener. It appeared Cedar Ridge was set to battle Orange for the Conference 9 Championship.

Wyatt Jones, Noah Davis and the rest of the seniors on the Orange lacrosse team: Orange tied the best start in school history last Friday at 6-0. Orange coach Chandler Zirkle approached the game with a sense of finality, which appears to be prescient. Jones is the first lacrosse player from Orange to commit to a Division I school. Hopefully next spring, Mercer won’t have its season interrupted like the rest of the spring sports teams, high school and college, did this year.

Cameron Hartley, Chris Pearce, Grant Fox and Fransisco Martinez: The Cedar Ridge baseball team is a young one, but Coach Bryson Massey got a win over The Burlington School on March 6. It wasn’t easy. It was a blustery night and Martinez got some big outs while wind gusts of 25-miles-per-hour swirled around him. I hope Martinez, Hartley, Fox and Pearce all get a chance to play again.

Joey Berini: Somehow, it would be prophetic if Joey Berini’s last game at Orange is the East Chapel Hill one from March 10. That would mean that Berini hit a grand slam in his last official at-bat. (He drew a walk in his final plate appearance in the sixth inning, but that doesn’t count as an at-bat.) Joey has started at Orange for four years at shortstop. I’ve interviewed him about eight times and he’s never cracked a smile once. He also isn’t known for long answers. Our last discussion was one minute and 37 seconds, mainly comprised of me filling up time with run-on sentences. Joey was always high on production even when he was low on words. Hopefully East Carolina beat writers will enjoy his production as much as Orange fans have.

Dayne Watkins: In Orange’s first game of the year, Dayne injured his hamstring running out a ground ball against Western Alamance. He was set to play again last week against East Chapel Hill, which never happened. Dayne also kindly asked me for a video interview despite not playing the past three games. Dayne, we’ll do that soon. What else am I going to do, watch March Madness?

Emma Roby: Taking the place of a three-year starter is not easy. Emma replaced Kymberlie Thacker as catcher for Cedar Ridge’s softball team and was off to a solid start. Thacker had a .370 career batting average with seven home runs and 57 RBIs. Roby went 2-for-4 in her first game against Cardinal Gibbons, an 11-7 Cedar Ridge win.

Cailyn Thornton: A starter for Cedar Ridge in right field, she opened the year 6-for-12 with five RBIs. Also made the state playoffs as a volleyball player last fall. She deserved a chance to win another Big 8 Conference Championship in softball.

Alyssa and Rachel Serre: Two more Cedar Ridge softball seniors who finally had a chance to start together for the first time at the varsity level.

Grace Andrews: As a freshman, she started at 2nd base for Orange’s 3A state championship team. Maybe Grace doesn’t need anyone weeping for her, after all. But she did deserve a chance to finish her career with a chance to win a conference title, one that Orange tied Cedar Ridge for last year. She already had two.

Maddy Bartlett and Rachel Tilley: Orange’s softball team was already dealt a tough hand with season-ending injuries to three infielders before practice started. Yet Bartlett and Tilley fought through all that to propel Orange past East Chapel Hill 10-8 on March 10, despite trailing 7-1. I know Maddy’s cousins, Mia and Montana Davidson, were proud in Starkville, MS.

And the list goes on and on. There are women’s soccer players. Men’s tennis players. Track & field athletes. All of whom are sidelined by something they can’t even envision.

Two weeks ago, I was out in the freezing cold at Cedar Ridge Softball Field to do play-by-play for Cedar Ridge vs. West Johnston. It was 49 degrees at first pitch and it only grew worse with 25-mile-per-hour winds. It was as if I had never left Appalachian State.

In the midst of all this, I though to myself “This is a weird way to make a living.”

Now, as I finish writing this in 70-degree temperatures on a calm night at the American Tobacco Campus, I can honestly say I can’t wait to feel that weird again.

What started out to be a promising spring sports season for athletes across the region ended suddenly on Thursday. The NCAA announced that national championships for all spring sports would be canceled because of the corona virus pandemic.

On Friday, the NCAA extended the eligibility of athletes on spring sports teams one year to make up for the season lost to the coronavirus. An athletics official at an East Coast school told The Associated Press that the NCAA Division I Council Coordination Committee sent an email notifying schools of the eligibility decision.

Most prominently, that will impact Brad Debo, the former Orange High catcher who was already underway with his senior season on the N.C. State baseball team.

Also, former Orange lacrosse player Bowen Collins will have another year of eligibility on the Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team. The Bears had already defeated Limestone and Adelphi, ranked #1 and #3, respectively, in Division II, when the season was canceled.

Mia Davidson: Davidson ended the year with a bang as Mississippi State softball defeated Southern Miss 7-2 at USM Softball Complex in Hattisburg, MS on Wednesday. Mia went 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. Davidson came up for her final at-bat needing a triple for the cycle, but hit another home run instead. It was the 41st multi-homer game in Mississippi State history.

Against UT-Martin, Davidson hit a home run to become the 23rd player in Southeastern Conference history to hit 50 home runs. She’s one of nine active players in Division I to reach that mark.

In the final weekend of the season, Mississippi State won the Bulldog Slamboree in Starkville. On March 6, the Bulldogs defeated Bryant 5-1, then shut out Mississippi Valley State 6-0. On Saturday, Mississippi State swept another doubleheader, beating Southeast Missouri State 2-0 and Mississippi Valley State 20-3 in five innings. On Sunday, the Bulldogs edged Southeast Missouri State 2-0.

In the second game against MVSU, Mia reached base in all four plate appearances, scoring three times. She finished 2-for-2 with a double and a single.

Mia ends the 2020 season with a .330 batting average in 28 games. She hit seven home runs and 21 RBIs, and a team-high two triples.

Montana Davidson: Montana started at 3rd base in all five games in the Bulldog Slamboree. She went 1-for-2 in the opening win over Bryant. Montana ends her junior season with a .224 batting average. She started in 27 of the Bulldogs’ 28 games. Mississippi State was supposed to open its SEC slate against Kentucky this weekend.

Brad Debo: The N.C. State designated hitter played in nine games with four starts. He hit .263 with one double. N.C. State finished with a 14-3 overall record, 1-2 in the ACC.

Phillip Berger: Berger played in Division III William Peace University’s final game of the season, a 13-9 win over Dean College at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. Berger threw two-thirds-of-an-inning, striking out one batter. On March 7, Berger started against Piedmont. He threw six-and-one-thirds-innings, and allowed five runs on eight hits. He took a no-decision as Peace won in the 9th inning 6-5 in Cary. Berger was named the USA South Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week after his victory over Mary Washington on February 23. In that victory, he threw seven shutout innings and allowed three hits. Berger appeared in seven games this season. He finished 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA with 20 strikeouts and four walks.

We’ll have a look at lacrosse, wrestling and basketball players coming up on Monday.

After the corona virus pandemic cratered the sports scene across the U.S. and around the world, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has taken steps to keep students, staff and coaches safe.

On Thursday afternoon, the NCHSAA mandated that the spring sports season will be suspended starting at 11:59PM on Friday night until Monday, April 6.

Schools may not participate in games, practices, workout or skill development.

“As much as we would like this opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches, and their communities, we know that ultimately any decision we make must err on the side of caution,” said NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker in a statement.

Right now, that’s everything that everyone associated with Orange and Cedar Ridge High Schools knows about the next three weeks.

Cedar Ridge and Orange’s baseball teams both had games scheduled for Friday, but they were both postponed. Orange was suppose to travel to East Chapel Hill for the second game of its two-game set on Friday afternoon. Orange won the first game on Tuesday night 9-4.

Cedar Ridge was supposed to host Northwood in Hillsborough, but that was also delayed. The Chargers threw a 15-out perfect game from Tyler Johnson to win 15-0 on Tuesday night in Pittsboro.

The only games on the slate for Friday will be lacrosse games. Cedar Ridge will host J.F. Webb in the Red Wolves third game this week. Orange will play its Conference 9 opener against Roxboro Community School in Person County.

The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team dropped a disappointing game to Southern Alamance by one goal in Graham. The Red Wolves fell to Eastern Alamance 14-11 in Hillsborough on Monday after taking a 10-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

Zachary Holmes had four goals for the Red Wolves against the Eagles. James Clayton had a goal and two assists.

On Thursday night, West Johnston softball handed Cedar Ridge its first loss of the season 13-3 in five innings. The Wildcats avenged a loss to the Red Wolves last Friday in Hillsborough, which Cedar Ridge won 21-16. The Wildcats scored nine runs in the fourth inning. Cedar Ridge had a doubleheader scheduled against Chapel Hill for Friday, but that was also postponed.

The Orange softball team also suffered a non-conference loss in its final game before the three-week break. Person defeated the Lady Panthers 12-6 at Panther Softball Field. Orange led 4-1 at the end of the second inning. Freshman Serenity McPherson singled in each of her first two at-bats. Each time, she knocked in classmate Carson Bradsher. In the first, Bradsher reached on a leadoff single and eventually scored to tie the game. Sophomore catcher Lauren Jackson gave Orange the lead with a single to second. McPherson, who stole third during Jackson’s plate appearance, touched the plate off the hit.

Orange added two more in the second. McPherson knocked in Bradsher again. After Maddie Bartlett reached on an error, Emma Puckett hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Bartlett to score.

It was all Person from that point forward. The Rockets scored eleven consecutive runs. Person pitcher Taylor Sullivan, who replaced starter Delaney Glover in the 3rd, threw four-and-two-thirds innings for the win. She gave up two runs, both in the 7th inning, off five hits.

Person’s Emma Bowes went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs.

Photo by Pam Scism

The power supply for the Cedar Ridge softball team has started on high voltage to begin the 2020 season.

If there was any sign the Red Wolves will contend for its third consecutive Big 8 Conference Championship, it came Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

In its conference opener, the Red Wolves pounded out 15 hits against Northwood in a 20-0 victory. It was Cedar Ridge’s first mercy rule win of the season.

Cedar Ridge sophomore third baseman Takia Nichols hit her fourth homer of the season with a three-run blast to left field in the first inning, bringing in Anaya Carter and Emma Roby. It started a 10-run inning.

Olivia Aitkin, who singled after Nichols’ home run, scored on a wild pitch. After Reagan Ruhl walked, ShiLi Quade singled to third base. With Cailyn Thornton at bat, Aitkin scored on a passed ball. Thornton reached on a grounder that found its way to left field and scored Ruhl to make it 5-0.

Quade scored on a passed ball with Carter at the plate. Carter eventually singled to center to score Thornton. Ava Lowry knocked in Carter with a bloop to center field. Aitkin earned her second hit of the inning with a grounder that popped over second base, who was intentionally walked.

Nichols has homers in each of Cedar Ridge’s three games this season. She had two in the season opener against Cardinal Gibbons. It’s also led to Nichols being intentionally walked more often. After she smashed a two-run homer off the scoreboard in the second inning against West Johnston on Friday, Nichols was intentionally walked four times.

After the leadoff homer against the Chargers, she was walked twice.

Cedar Ridge added ten more runs in the 3rd inning. After Nichols was walked, she scored off a double by Aitkin to centerfield. Aitkin scored off a grounder to center by Rhul, who finished 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Aitkin went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Carter, a freshman, finished 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs and two runs scored. Quade, who hit an inside-the-park grand slam against West Johnston, finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Thornton went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Lowry went 2-for-3 with a triple and 3 RBIs.

Away from the impressive offensive numbers was Cedar Ridge’s starting pitcher. Junior Alexandria Matthews earned her first victory at the varsity level, throwing five shutout innings. She scattered only three hits and four walks, striking out two.

It was the first game this year that Aitkin didn’t pitch. Instead, Aitkin played right field.

In its first three games, Cedar Ridge has 52 runs off 45 hits. That total could grow on Thursday when the Red Wolves travel to Chapel Hill for a doubleheader. Each game is slated to be five innings.

Cedar Ridge has now won ten straight Big 8 Conference games. The Red Wolves will host Orange on Tuesday.

Last season, Cedar Ridge and Orange tied for the Big 8 Championship after they split the season series. Each team ran the table agains the rest of the Big 8. Cedar Ridge won a special tiebreaker in Hillsborough 8-3 to receive the top seed from the conference going into the 3A State Tournament.