Cedar Ridge High School

With every passing week of the Big 8 Conference baseball season, it’s clear that the race for the league’s four state playoff spots may not be decided until the final day of the season.

That would appear to be good news for Cedar Ridge, who has the toughest part of its schedule in the rear view mirror.

On Friday, the Red Wolves completed a two-game sweep of Northern Durham with a 9-1 win at Knights Stadium. Cedar Ridge starter Phil Berger earned the win, throwing his 2nd complete game of the season to improve to 4-2. Berger is 3-1 in Big 8 starts this season and is the only pitcher in the league to beat Chapel Hill in 2018.

Berger also homered in the first inning. In the third, Berger put Cedar Ridge ahead 2-0 after an RBI double to center that scored Matthew Kahn.

After the Knights scored its only run in the 2nd, Cedar Ridge responded with three in the 4th. Chris Cox hit a leadoff infield single, went to second on a balk by Northern pitcher Jordan Snow, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cooper Lamb.

After Kahn doubled to center, Adam Chnupa ripped a two-run home run over the left field wall. It was Chnupa’s 2nd home run of the season.

Cedar Ridge put the game on ice in the seventh inning with four runs. Jake DeFranco led off with a walk and scored on a sacrifice fly by his younger brother Dante DeFranco. Sailor Ramos and Cox hit back-to-back singles, followed by a walk by Lamb. With Eric Zehnder at bat, Ramos scored on a passed ball. Zehnder then singled to plate Cox and advance Cox to third. Kahn hit an infield single to score Kahn.

Cedar Ridge is now 8-5, 5-3 in the Big 8 with a critical two-game series against East Chapel Hill starting Tuesday. The Red Wolves travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams on Monday, then head to Wildcat Stadium to face the Wildcats on Tuesday.

Going into the East Chapel Hill series, Cedar Ridge is tied for 3rd in the Big 8 with Orange at 5-3. After sweeping Hillside last week, East Chapel Hill is tied with Chapel Hill for 1st place at 7-1. Northwood is tied with Northern Durham for 5th at 4-4. Those two teams start their. Own two-game series on Thursday in Pittsboro.

In a stretch of three games in four days, the Cedar Ridge softball team hasn’t shown any signs of relenting from its dominant ways.

On Friday, the Red Wolves defeated Northern Durham 5-1 to remain atop the Big 8 Conference with a 5-1 win over the Knights in Durham. Cedar Ridge, now 8-1 overall and 7-0 in the Big 8. The Red Wolves are tied with East Chapel Hill for first place with a showdown series against the Wildcats set for next week, starting Tuesday at East.

Once again, Cedar Ridge senior pitcher Rivers Andrews overwhelmed batters over the course of a sweep of Northern Durham and a victory over 15-0 Chapel Hill on Wednesday.

In Tuesday’s 11-1 win over Northern, Andrews threw her second no-hitter of the season, striking out eight. Junior shortstop Tionna Carter laced two doubles, racking up two RBIs. Sophomore Tori Dalehite, hitting leadoff, went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. Junior Taylor Ruhl set the pace with a home run in the first inning, her first dinger of the season.

Catcher Kymberlie Thacker ripped two triples and had two RBIs.

On Wednesday against Chapel Hill, Thacker belted two home runs, each two-run blasts. Dalehite scored three times, while Ruhl added another triple in a game shortened to three innings.

Friday’s 5-1 win over Northern was the closest anyone in the Big 8 has come to beating the Red Wolves. But Andrews was the common denominator, striking out 18 and throwing a two-hitter.

In the first, Dalehite drew a leadoff walk, and circled the bases during an at-bat by Ruhl. Dalehite stole 2nd, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a passed ball.

Carter followed with a triple to center, and scored on another passed ball as Andrews was at the plate. Northern came back in the bottom of the first with a solo homer from McKenzie McCullen, the first home run Andrews has surrendered this season.

The Red Wolves scored the final five runs of the game, starting in the third inning. After Dalehite drew a leadoff walk, Carter was hit by a pitch. With Andrews hitting, Dalehite and Carter each moved up a base after a passed ball. On the next pitch, Dalehite scored off another passed ball. With two out, Thacker plated Carter with an RBI double to put Cedar Ridge ahead 4-1.

In the top of the fourth, juniors Kara Wagoner and Taylor Barnes hit consecutive singles. Wagoner came in on a wild pitch.

After McCullen’s homer, Northern only had four batters reach base in the final six innings. The Knights had just one hit the rest of the way and no one touched third base.

Cedar Ridge plays at East Chapel Hill on Tuesday, then welcomes the Wildcats to Hillsborough on Friday. In addition, Cedar Ridge will play a nonconference game at Eastern Guilford on Wednesday.

The Cedar Ridge baseball team is in the hunt for a state playoff birth for the 2nd year in a row. Sailor Ramos is a big reason why. The senior centerfielder went 2-for-3 with a triple on Tuesday night in the Red Wolves’ 7-0 victory over Northern Durham. On Friday, Ramos went 2-for-3 in Cedar Ridge’s 5-3 win over Wake County HomeSchool in the Hillltop Invitational. On Thursday, Ramos went 3-for-3 with a home run against Jordan. Cedar Ridge is 7-5, 4-3 (tied for 4th in the Big 8) in the Big 8 Conference with a road trip to Northern Durham set for Friday. 

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Sailor Ramos

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Bryse Wilson: 2016 Orange graduate Bryse Wilson was assigned by the Atlanta Braves organization to the Florida Fire Frogs of the Class A Florida State League to start his 2nd full professional season. Wilson was supposed to make his Florida debut on Friday against the Daytona Tortugas, but the game was rained out. The Florida State League is High-A baseball in the minor league structure, a step up from the South Atlantic League, where Wilson played with the Rome Braves in 2017. Last year, Wilson went 11-8 with a 2.20 ERA through 32 starts. Wilson had 168 strikeouts with 45 walks.

Mia Davidson: In the last two weeks, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have faced #10 Texas A&M and #6 Georgia. MSU, ranked #22 as of last week, went combined for a 1-5 record against the Bulldogs and the Aggies. Davidson, a freshman catcher, hit .263 against Georgia and Texas A&M with two doubles and a home run. Davidson currently leads the SEC in slugging percentage (.843), is 2nd in home runs (13), 3rd in hits (52), 5th in runs scored (38), 5th in doubles (12), 9th in batting average (.409) and tied for 12th in RBIs (34). The Bulldogs are currently 29-11 with an 4-8 SEC record.

Mackenzie Cates: Lenoir-Rhyne swept a doubleheader against Mars Hill on Sunday, winning 6-5 and 10-1. It was the Bears Senior Day. Former Orange High catcher Mackenzie Cates combined to go 2-for-6 in the doubleheader with a double, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Cates is hitting .353 with nine home runs (3rd in the South Atlantic Conference) and 30 RBIs (9th in the SAC). The Bears are ranked #12 in Division II, has won ten in a row and is 20-0 at home this year. The Bears have also won 34 of their last 36 contests and maintained their four-game lead in the SAC.

Brad Debo: The former Orange catcher appeared as a pinch-hitter on Friday and Saturday in the Wolfpack’s series against Louisville. This season, Debo has played in 25 games and is hitting .264 with one home run and 13 RBIs. N.C. State, 25-6, has reached #2 in the country in the Baseball America, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball polls, matching the highest ranking in school history.

Brandon Andrews: The 2017 Cedar Ridge graduate threw an inning of mop up duty against #17 LSU on April 3rd, giving up only one hit. So far in his freshman season, Andrews has pitched in eight games, throwing nine innings with a 7.00 ERA. Andrews has struck out five and walked two.

Rachel Peel: The Meredith catcher went 1-for-3 against Ferrum in sweeping a first-round USA Conference Series on Friday. Meredith advanced to face Covenant on Friday. In 19 games this season, Peel has hit .280 with one home run and seven RBIs.

Stephen Tanner: The former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper earned the win on Sunday as Greensboro College defeated Randolph College 9-7. Tanner made nine saves. Tanner is 8-8 for the Pride this season. Tanner is third in the USA South Atlantic Conference (Division III) with 150 saves and is 5th with an 8.96 goals against average.

Cole Churchill: Now a junior defenseman with Randolph-Macon, Churchill has seen action in nine games. Last week, Churchill got the start in the Yellow Jackets’ 10-7 at Bridgewater, Virginia.

Bowen Collins: The former Orange High midfielder fired two shots as Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Lincoln Memorial 14-11 on Saturday. The Bears are now 12-1, ranked #3 in Division II. They lead the South Atlantic Conference with a 5-0 league mark. This season in eight games, Collins has scored four goals and two assists.

Zack Wright: The former Orange attacker started and got off two shots in Mars Hill’s 19-7 loss at Queens. This season, Wright has played in three games and scored two goals.

A day after throwing an inning against First Colonial, Cedar Ridge junior Phillip Berger earned his third win of the season by beating Wake County Homeschools 5-4 on Friday afternoon in the final game of the Hilltop Invitational. Berger came two out shy of a complete game, holding the Warriors to a tournament-low four runs. Berger will prepare for Northern Durham this week as the Big 8 Conference season resumes. The Red Wolves host the Knights Tuesday at 6, then travel to Durham on Friday.

Cedar Ridge Pitcher Phillip Berger Discusses Win over Wake County

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Jake DeFranco wasn’t even supposed to play in the final game of the Hilltop Invitational on Friday afternoon. But when Miguel Flores suffered an eye injury while taking infield 20 minutes before the game, DeFranco took his customary spot at 2nd base and the Red Wolves reaped the benefits. Jake went 3-for-4 with an RBI triple. At shortstop, Dante had his customary strong defensive game to help the Red Wolves come from behind and beat the Wake County Warriors 5-4.

Dante and Jake DeFranco Discuss Win over Wake County Warriors

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Normally, we at HillsboroughSports.com don’t like to repeat too many of the same winners for the athlete of the week in too short of a time frame. But a perfect game is a perfect game, which is what Rivers Andrews threw against Orange last week. She struck out 20. Orange batters when Cedar Ridge defeated Orange 4-0 on Wednesday. The next night, Andrews earned another win against the Lady Panthers, striking out eight. It was the first time that Cedar Ridge has swept Orange this decade. Through six games so far this season, Andrews is 5-1 with a whopping 78 strikeouts and just four walks.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Rivers Andrews

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It didn’t take Crash Davis to bust into a ballpark in the wee hours of the morning to create a rainout for the Hilltop Invitational’s planned tripleheader at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Saturday.

All that was needed was the latest forecast for rain—and more snow.

Originally, Orange and Cedar Ridge were supposed to conclude the Hilltop Invitational on Saturday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the famed home of the Durham Bulls during its days as the Carolina League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1980-1996. Those plans changed on Tuesday night when forecasts of wet snowflakes began circulating locally with predicted lows below freezing.

Instead of a three-day event, the annual Hilltop Invitational will be two days at Orange, Cedar Ridge, East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill High Schools.

On Thursday at Orange High School, Panther Creek will face Orange at 1 to start a tripleheader. East Chapel Hill meets Panther Creek in the sandwich game at 4. Orange faces Wake County HomeSchools in the nightcap at 7.

Chapel Hill will host the other tripleheader on Thursday. Starting at 1, Cedar Ridge faces Jordan. The Red Wolves turn right back around to face First Colonial (out of Virginia Beach, Virginia) at 4. Jordan takes on Chapel Hill in the nightcap at 7.

On Friday, play continues at three separate locations. Cedar Ridge, East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill all host doubleheaders.

At Cedar Ridge, Orange hosts First Colonial at 1. Wake County Homeschools faces Cedar Ridge at 5.

At East Chapel Hill, the Wildcats will play both ends of a twinbill: they face Wake County at 1, followed by Jordan.

At Chapel Hill, the Tigers will also play two consecutive games. They host First Colonial at 5, followed by a game with Panther Creek at 7.

Unlike other Easter tournaments around the state, the Hilltop doesn’t follow a standard knockout tournament format. It’s simply a way for teams to get three nonconference games in during the crunch of conference season.

But these are not inconsequential games for Orange and Cedar Ridge. After the two crosstown rivals split their series last week, Orange is 6-5 overall and 4-2 in the Big 8 Conference, tied for 3rd with Northern Durham. After playing three games in two days in the Hilltop, Orange faces defending Big 8 Champion Northwood in a two-game set next week, starting with a home game on Tuesday.

Cedar Ridge, after beating Orange 7-3 on Thursday, is 5-3 overall, 3-3 in the Big 8. The Red Wolves are tied with Northwood for 5th in the Big 8. The good news for Cedar Ridge is the most intense part of its conference schedule is over, having faced the top three teams from the Big 8 from 2017 last month.

Cedar Ridge returns to Big 8 play against Northern Durham on Tuesday at Red Wolves Territory. It’s the first time ever that the Red Wolves and the Knights have meet on the baseball diamond as conference rivals.

First Colonial comes into the Hilltop Invitational with a 3-1 mark. Wake County HomeSchools is 10-4 and already has wins over Lee County and New Bern. They lost to J.H. Rose 7-2 last week.

Panther Creek, from the 4-A Triangle 6 Conference that is essentially the remains of the old PAC-6 Conference, is 4-6. After dropping three of its previous four games, the Catamounts defeted Sanderson 9-4 last week for its first conference win of the season.

We’ll be broadcasting Orange’s doubleheader on Thursday live here on HillsboroughSports.com.

For a sophomore, Matthew Kahn has grown up quite quickly.

Two weeks ago in a vital Big 8 Conference game against Northwood, Kahn took over on the mound in the 7th inning for starting pitcher Eric Zehnder with the game tied 2-2. He got the final two outs before Cooper Lamb laced the game-winning hit in the bottom of the inning as the Red Wolves won 3-2, avenging an embarrassing 17-6 loss in the conference opener from three days beforehand.

On Friday night, Kahn’s challenge was even steeper.

He entered Thursday’s game against Orange with the Red Wolves down 3-1 in the bottom of the third with the bases loaded and two out. The night before at OHS, Orange dominated the Red Wolves 8-0 behind a three-hit shutout from senior ace Will White. Another conference loss would have put the Red Wolves conference record to 2-4 and left them in sixth place in the Big 8 going into Easter break.

In other words, their chances for the state playoffs would be iffy, at best.

Yet Kahn was undeterred. He struck out Dayne Watkins to end the inning and Cedar Ridge proceeded to take over the game quickly.

The Red Wolves (5-3, 3-3 in the Big 8) scored the final seven runs of the game to beat Orange 7-3. It was the second year in a row that Cedar Ridge defeated the Panthers at Red Wolves Territory. Kahn earned the win after he surrendered one hit in the final 4-and-a-third innings, walking two and striking out three.

Cedar Ridge shortstop Dante DeFranco started the rally by getting hit by a pitch to leadoff the 4th. After stealing 2nd, DeFranco scored on a wild pitch. Red Wolves left fielder Sailor Ramos looped a single to right field to score Chris Cox. Erik Zehnder gave the Red Wolves the lead with a two-run homer to left field to conclude a 4-run 4th inning.

Ramos came up huge again in the 5th inning, when Cedar Ridge struck for three more runs. Ramos laced a two-out double to left field to score Jake DeFranco and Phillip Berger, both of whom reached on walks.

Orange jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind two runs in the first inning. Shortstop Joey Berini ripped a double off the left field wall, which was followed by a two-run homer by Jason Slaughter, which hugged the third-base fair pole but faded well into the trees. The Panthers loaded the bases with one out after Slaughter’s homer after a single by pitcher Dalton Brown and walked to Caige Clayton and Cooper Porter, but Dante DeFranco started a 6-4-3 double play to get the Red Wolves off the field.

In the third inning, Berini hit a leadoff single to center and moved to second after a pickoff throwing error. Clayton smashed a RBI single down the left field line to give Orange a 3-0 lead.

Orange (6-5, 4-2) is now tied with Northern Durham for third place in the Big 8.

Both Orange and Cedar Ridge will start play in the Hilltop Invitational on Thursday. Orange will host Wake County Home School on Thursday night at 7. Cedar Ridge will host First Colonial, based out of Virginia Beach, VA, on Thursday afternoon at 4:30.