Cedar Ridge High School

After being the best competitor for the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team last fall, Naomi Dyreng has become joined a group of impressive Red Wolves to win a regional championship in track and field.

On Friday, Dyreng won three championships at the 3A Mideast Regionals at Franklinton High School. Dyreng claimed the individual title in the 1,600 meters in 5:24.35, beating out Central Carolina Conference rival Catherine Parker of Eastern Alamance, who came in second at 5:27.48.

In the 3,200 meters, there were two Red Wolves who finished in the top three. Dyreng finished first at 12:01.11, six seconds ahead of Natalia Serre of Carrboro. Cedar Ridge’s Abigail Klaitman finished 3rd at 12:13.46.

Klaitman, another sophomore, also finished  fourth in the 1,600 meters at 5:35.47.

Dyreng and Klaitman both qualified for the 3A State Championships, which will be held on Friday at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro.

In addition, Cedar Ridge’s 4×800 relay team, which is comprised of Dyreng, Klaitman, Serena Summers and Eliza Klaitman, pulled away with a strong anchor leg to win the regional title. The Red Wolves finished at 10:25.02. Union Pines finished 2nd at 10:39.02.

Cedar Ridge junior Typhany Cheek also qualified for the state championships in the long jump. Cheek had a leap of 16 feet, 3.50 inches, good enough for a third-place finish. Shamari Allen of Durham School of the Arts took the gold medal at 17-feet, three-inches.

Orange sophomore Iyauna Justice earned a spot in the state championships in the shot put. Justice finished fourth in regionals with a toss of 34-feet, seven inches. It will be Justice’s first appearance at the state championships.

In November, Dyreng finished 23rd in the 3A State Cross Country Championships at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. She finished 2nd in the Central Carolina Conference Cross Country Championships at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington. Her regional championships are the first she has ever won in cross country. In her freshman year, Dyreng played tennis but opted to focus on cross country and long distance running for her sophomore season.

Dyreng and the 4×800 relay team will attempt to bring Cedar Ridge another individual state championship in track and field. Last May, senior Caroline Fowlkes won the 3A State Championship in the pole vault in thrilling fashion. Fowlkes took the gold medal after a jump-off against West Carteret’s Alyssa Cooley when each competitor failed to clear 11-feet. Fowlkes is now on the Appalachian State track & field team.

There were other regional competitors for Orange and Cedar Ridge in the 3A Mideast Regionals. Dyreshia Farrish finished 12th in the 100 meter hurdle preliminaries  with a time of 18.72 seconds.

Summers finished 8th in the 3,200 meters at 13:23.42. Eliza Klaitman, a freshman, finished ninth in the 1,600 meters at 6:15.03.

In the 800 meter finals, Orange sophomore Sophia Schultz finished seventh at 2:40.71.

There have been eight female state champions in track & field for Cedar Ridge. The last Red Wolf female to win a state title in a running competition was Lindsay Fuller, who won three gold medals at the 2A State Championships in 2009. Fuller won the the 100 meter dash at 12.44 seconds. She also claimed the 4×100 meter relay championships and the 4×200 meter relay in 2009.

Overall for her career, Fuller won five state championships for Cedar Ridge. She won the 100 meter dash state championship three times. As a sophomore, she won in 2007 at 12.27 seconds. The following year, Fuller finished first crossing the finish line at 12.44 seconds.

In 2003, Cedar Ridge’s Italie Murphy became the first female athlete from a Hillsborough high school to win a state championship. She won the 400 meters in the 2A State Championships. It was the first of three consecutive state championships for Murphy in the event.

Orange has never had a state champion in women’s track and field.

BURLINGTON–The most decorated tennis player in Cedar Ridge history will return to the 3A State Tournament one more time.

On Saturday, senior Josh Mayhew reached the final of the Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center. It was the third straight year that Mayhew reached a regional final. In the semifinals on Saturday morning, Mayhew defeated Jayden Pham of Terry Sanford 6-1, 6-2 to reach the final.

In the opening round on Friday afternoon, Mayhew defeated Bryce Pittman of Northern Nash 6-1, 6-0. In the second round with a spot at the state championships on the line, Mayhew upended Zac Blizzard of the Durham School of the Arts 6-1, 6-0.

In the regional final match on Saturday, Drew Hedgecoe of Terry Sanford defeated Mayhew 6-0, 6-1. It was the second straight year that Hedgecoe and Mayhew met in the regional final. Hedgecoe, the defending 3A State Champion, also met Mayhew in the 3A State Championship match last May in the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center in Greensboro.

Mayhew is the first Cedar Ridge tennis player in history to reach the state tournament three different times. He is only the second player in school history to reach the state singles final. In 2010, Jerry Newburg reached the 2A final, where he lost to Ethan Caudell of St. Pauls 7-5, 6-0.

After losing virtually his entire freshman season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayhew quickly broke new ground for men’s tennis at Cedar Ridge. With his father Steve Mayhew, a former Orange High tennis player, as head coach, Mayhew reached the Mideast Regional final after beating Chapel Hill’s Eddy Ferreira 6-2, 6-2. In his sophomore season, Mayhew went 15-3. All three of his losses came against the same player, Chapel Hill’s Dennis Perumov. Mayhew became the first Cedar Ridge player to reach the state singles final of a 3A event, where he faced Perumov. In the state semifinals, Mayhew bounced Marvin Ridge’s Soham Pradhan 6-2, 6-4.

As a junior, Mayhew was the Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year. He led the Red Wolves to the CCC Conference Championship, where they face Carrboro in the 3A State Dual Team Tournament in the opening round. Mayhew reached the final of the 3A Mideast Regionals. In the opening round of the 2022 regionals, Mayhew defeated Luke O’Donnell of Franklinton 6-1, 6-0. In the quarterfinals, Mayhew defeated Pham 6-2, 6-2. In the semifinals, Mayhew rolled past Jacob Womble of Lee County to reach the finals.

In the 2022 3A State Tournament in Greensboro, Mayhew won over Ajay Swisher of St. Stephens 6-0, 6-1. In the opening round of the 3A State Tournament, Mayhew knocked off J.J. Werner of First Flight 6-0, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Mayhew advanced beating Shiv Patel of South Point 6-0, 6-2.

Mayhew is only the third player ever from Hillsborough to play for a state singles championship. He is the first one to do it multiple times. The only player from Orange High to ever accomplish that feat was Britton Webb in the 2006 2A final. Will Rollinson of Cardinal Gibbons defeated Webb 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Last week, Mayhew was named the Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Last fall, he officially signed to play at Belmont-Abbey College in Belmont. He will start next fall.

Last summer, Mayhew was named Best Tennis Player at the HighSchoolOT.com Honors in Raleigh. He is up for that same honor once again this year.

Next weekend, Mayhew will have one more trip to the 3A State Tournament, which is slated to be played at the Burlington Tennis Center once again. He will start in the round of 16. The semifinals and the championship match are scheduled for Saturday.

Mayhew’s sister, Cameron, also plays at Cedar Ridge. Josh is a regular at her matches during the fall whenever he’s away from his relentless training schedule.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team captured its sixth straight Southern Conference championship with a win over Western Carolina on Saturday at UNCG Softball Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Catamounts 8-0 in six innings on Saturday. Dalehite entered the game as a pinch runner and had an at-bat as a designated player. Dalehite started in right field in the Spartans 3-0 loss to Charlotte on Wednesday. Dalehite started in right field in both games of a doubleheader against Mercer on April 29 at Sikes Field in Macon, GA. The Spartans swept the doubleheader. Against Chattanooga on April 23, Dalehite went 1-for-4 with a double in a 10-2 Spartans win. Dalehite went 1-for-2 with a double in a 1-0 win over the Mocs in Greensboro. UNCG will be the top-seed in next week’s Southern Conference Tournament at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, TN starting Wednesday.

Takia Nichols: The North Carolina Central softball team concluded the regular season by splitting a doubleheader against Western Carolina at Catamount Softball Complex in Cullowhee. Western Carolina won the opening game 9-2. Nichols went 2-for-4 with a double. In the second game, the Eagles won 7-5, which included Nichols hitting a solo homer in the second inning. It was her team-high seventh home run of the season. Nichols finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs in her final regular season game of her freshman season. She ends the regular season with a .336 batting average, which is second on the team. She leads the team with seven home runs and 28 RBIs. She also has a team-high 23 walks. Central finished the regular season 15-32, 12-7 in the MEAC. The Eagles will be the #3 seed in the MEAC Tournament. They will open against Maryland Eastern Shore on Wednesday morning at 9AM at Norfolk State.

Mary Moss Wirt: The Elon softball team completed its regular season this weekend by sweeping North Carolina A&t in Greensboro. Wirt played as a pinch-hitter in the final game of a doubleheader on Saturday, which the Phoenix won 12-4. Wirt also played as a reserve catcher in the opening game of the twinbill, a 9-0 Elon win. She played as a pinch-hitter and drew a walk in Elon’s 8-0 win over the College of Charleston on April 29 at Hunt Softball Park in Elon. Elon is 22-24 overall, 15-7 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix are the #4 seed in the CAA Tournament and will open play on Wednesday against either Towson or North Carolina A&T in Hempsted, NY.

Lauren Jackson: The Lenoir-Rhyne softball team was eliminated by Lincoln Memorial in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament in Hickory last weekend. The Bears defeated Catawba 11-5. Jackson went 1-for-4 with an RBI groundout in the first inning. In the second game, Lincoln Memorial won 4-1. Jackson scored the Bears’ only run with a solo homer in the sixth. Lenoir-Rhyne will now await to see if they make the NCAA Division II Tournament. Jackson, a freshman, hit .343 in 40 games this season. She started 33. She hit two home runs and 22 RBIs.

Jaden Hurdle: The Catawba Indians softball team had its season end with the loss to Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC Tournament. In her first season with Catawba, Hurdle played in three games. The Indians finished 26-19.

Ava Lowry: The Division III North Carolina Wesleyan softball team ended its season in the USA South Conference Tournament with a 4-3 loss to Mary Baldwin in Greensboro. Methodist defeated the Battlin’ Bishops 1-0 in an elimination game. Against the Monarchs, Lowry went 2-for-3. North Carolina Wesleyan finished 27-15. Lowry hit .351 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in her freshman season.

Olivia Aitkin: Playing at Division III Amherst University, Aitkin played right field in the Mammoths 1-0 win over Colby College in the opening game of a doubleheader in Waterville, ME on Saturday. Aitkin also was a pinch-runner in an 8-4 win over Hamilton College at Amherst Softball Field on April 22. Amherst is 24-12, 12-6 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. The Mammoths will start their conference tournament on Friday in Medford, MA.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team reached the championship game of the Region X Tournament at Louisburg College. On Saturday, Louisburg defeated the Red Hawks 9-0. Earlier in the day, Catawba Valley defeated Cleveland Community College 3-1 in another elimination game. To open the Region X Tournament, Catawba Valley swept a best-of-three series from Fayetteville Technical Community College. In an 12-1 win on Monday in game one, Andrews started as catcher and went 0-for-1 with a walk. Catawba Valley ends the year 44-8. Andrews, in her third season at Catawba Valley, played in 48 games this season. She hit .413 with one home run and 26 RBIs.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore soccer striker Fleury Nicholson This season, Nicholson was the leading scorer for the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team. She amassed eleven goals and eight assists. Nicholson started the season with a hat trick against Northern Durham on February 27 at James Armstrong Stadium, where the Red Wolves came away with a 5-0 win. Nicholson scored the game-winning goal against Voyager Academy on March 6, a 2-1 victory for Cedar Ridge. In the Red Wolves’ first-ever game against Eno River Academy, Nicholson scored a goal as Cedar Ridge emerged with a 3-1 win at Red Wolves Stadium on April 5. In 34 career games for Cedar Ridge, Nicholson has scored 23 goals and 56 points. As a freshman, Nicholson scored 12 goals. In just her second varsity game, Nicholson had a hat trick in a win over Clover Garden School. In her first varsity game, she scored two goals in Cedar Ridge’s 5-0 win over South Granville. Cedar Ridge ended its regular season on Wednesday night with a 3-0 loss to Walter Williams in Burlington. Cedar Ridge is on the bubble to make the 3A State Playoffs. Regardless, Nicholson will continue to lead Cedar Ridge as she goes on with her career.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Fleury Nicholson

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore soccer striker Fleury Nicholson This season, Nicholson was the leading scorer for the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team. She amassed eleven goals and eight assists. Nicholson started the season with a hat trick against Northern Durham on February 27 at James Armstrong Stadium, where the Red Wolves came away with a 5-0 win.

At the beginning of Tuesday night, the Cedar Ridge softball team wasn’t in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament, which had been narrowed down to four teams.

By the end of the night, they were in the tournament, thanks largely to sophomore pitcher Charlotte Lowry.

With its game against Person tied 2-2, Lowry lifted a two-run homer to deep centerfield for the game-winning runs. Lowry, the Red Wolves pitcher, then protected the lead that she had provided her team by throwing a clean seventh inning to lift Cedar Ridge past Person 4-2 at Red Wolves Field.

Cedar Ridge officially surpassed Person for fourth place in the Central Carolina Conference and earned a spot in the league tournament. On Wednesday night, the Red Wolves will face CCC regular season champion Western Alamance in Elon.

Lowry threw a two-hitter to earn her sixth win of the season. She struck out six over seven innings. It was her seventh complete game of 2023.

Cedar Ridge catcher Reagan Simmons hit her seventh home run of the season to tie the game in the sixth inning. Grace Young reached on an error to begin the frame on a dropped ball at second base. Simmons drove a 1-1 fastball over the fence in centerfield, which is no small task at Cedar Ridge softball park where the centerfield fence is 228 feet, deeper than many college stadiums.

The runs had barely been posted to Cedar Ridge’s left field scoreboard before senior Anaya Carter stroked a triple to right centerfield with one out. That led to Lowry’s game-winning homer.

Person (9-9, 4-7), who lost 1-0 to Western Alamance last week, took the lead in the top of the fifth. Allie Carden led off with an infield single. Carden stole second, then advanced to third on an error. She scored when Camryn Clarke grounded to Carter at shortstop. Carter threw to the plate, but Carden beat it out. Clarke scored when Lindsey Melton laid down a squeeze play. Tori Carden threw to Kimber Shambley to retire Melton. Josey Harris, who reached earlier on a walk, was thrown out when Shambley threw to Carter, who was covering third for a double play.

The game was a defensive struggle most until the fifth inning. Lowry retired Person in order in two of the first three innings. Simmons’ leadoff single in the fourth was the Red Wolves only hit through the first five innings.

Orange 9, Eastern Alamance 4

As a prelude to their matchup in the CCC Tournament, Orange sophomore Sadie Cecil hit her first career home run to propel the Lady Panthers past the defending 3A State Champions.

With the win, Orange ties Eastern Alamance for second place to conclude the regular season. Tonight (Wednesday), the Lady Panthers will travel to Mebane to face the Eagles again for the semifinals of the CCC Tournament.

Senior Brianne “Breezy” Foster earned the win, throwing the final four innings in place of junior Caden Robinson. Foster allowed only two runs off five hits.

On April 4, Eastern Alamance pitcher Delani Straughan held Orange to five hits over seven innings as the Eagles defeated the Lady Panthers 10-3 in Mebane. On Tuesday, Orange connected for 12 hits off Sraughan in seven innings.

Orange struck for two runs in the third when Carson Bradsher lined a single to centerfield. Robinson stroked a liner to left for a double, easily scoring the speedy Bradsher. Freshman Katie Carden hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to bring in Robinson.

Eastern Alamance freshman Rachel Byrd blasted a solo homer to left field to cut the Orange lead in half in the top of the fourth. Destiny Carriero tied the game with another homer that went over the centerfield wall.

Serenity McPherson put Orange ahead for good when she led off the bottom of the fifth with a single. With Cecil at bat, McPherson stole second. Bradsher slapped a single to center to bring in McPherson and put Orange ahead 3-2. Robinson followed with a grounder to left field, plating Bradsher. Following another hit by Katie Carden, Savannah Wynne lined a double to centerfield, bringing in Carden and Robinson.

Cecil hit a deep fly to centerfield in the sixth inning for a solo home run. Foster retired the Eagles in order in the sixth inning.

In addition to tying Eastern Alamance for second place, Orange also helped its RPI in the 3A East Region. Going into Tuesday night, Orange was #10 while Eastern Alamance was #11.

Phillip Berger: The Division III William Peace baseball team swept a three-game series from Brevard last weekend at Coleman Field in Cary. On Sunday, the Pacers defeated the Tornadoes 4-2. Berger earned his fourth win of the season striking out seven over seven innings. He surrendered only two runs off seven hits and one walk. Berger threw eight innings in a 3-2 loss to Pfeiffer on April 15 at Joe Ferebee Field in Misenheimer. Berger struck out six over eight-and-one-thirds innings. He allowed three runs, just one earned, off nine hits. Berger is 4-4 with a 3.86 ERA. He leads the team with 52 strikeouts. The Pacers are 20-17 overall, 11-7 in the USA South Conference.

Bryse Wilson:  The Milwaukee Brewers continue its strong start to the season. On Wednesday, the Brewers defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-2 at Miller Park. Wilson, coming out of the bullpen, earned his first hold of the season. He threw two-thirds of an inning and allowed one hit with one strikeout. On Monday, the Tigers defeated the Brewers 4-2. Wilson threw two innings and surrendered just one hit with four strikeouts.

Joey Berini: The #12 East Carolina baseball team is continue to grind for another American Athletic Conference championship. On Tuesday, N.C. State defeated the Pirates 4-3 at Doak Field in Raleigh. Berini went 1-for-4 with a RBI groundout. Last week, Wichita State swept ECU in a three-game series. In the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, the Shockers defeated the Pirates 8-3. Berini went 2-for-4 with an RBI single. Last week, Berini faced off with a former Orange High teammate when the Pirates faced the Charlotte 49ers. Dante DeFranco, who played three years at Cedar Ridge before transferring to Orange, played left field for Charlotte. The Pirates won 6-2 at Truist Field in uptown Charlotte. Berini 1-for-4 with two RBIs. He had a two-run single in the fifth that put the Pirates ahead 6-1. Berini is hitting .308 in 38 games, including 36 starts. He has four home runs and 22 RBIs.

Dante DeFranco: The Charlotte 49ers baseball team swept a three-game series from UAB at Hayes Stadium in Charlotte. DeFranco played in the opening game as a reserve in centerfield. Charlotte won 4-1. DeFranco went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the 49ers 11-6 win on Saturday. He started in left field. On Sunday, the 49ers won 2-0, where DeFranco started in left field again. On Tuesday, Winthrop defeated Charlotte 5-2 in Rock Hill, S.C. DeFranco went 0-for-1 with a run scored. Charlotte is 22-18, 12-5 in Conference USA.

Will Walker: The Pitt Community College Bulldogs defeated Lenoir Community College 6-4 at the Minges-Overton Complex on Tuesday. Walker, a sophomore, went 2-for-2 with an RBI single, scoring the opening run of the game. Fayetteville Tech swept a doubleheader from Pitt CC. In the opening game, Walker went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. Walker had a two-run homer in the third. Walker is hitting .324 with three home runs and 26 RBIs in 31 games. Pitt Community College is 24-13 overall, 18-10 in Region X.

Davis Horton: Rockingham Community College is 12-28. On Tuesday, the Eagles defeated the William Peace junior varsity team 4-2. Horton, who started at catcher after several games at first base, went 1-for-1 with a triple. Paul D. Camp Community College swept a three-game series from Rockingham over the weekend. On Saturday, Horton hit a solo homer. The Hurricanes defeated the Eagles 21-11. Horton went 1-for-5 with an RBI as Camp won the series opener 6-4. Through 34 games, Horton leads the team with 24 RBIs. He’s hitting .267 with one home run.

Jamar Davis: After he placed first in the triple jump at the Raleigh Relays for the N.C. State men’s track and field team, Davis finished fifth in the triple jump at the Virginia Challenge at Lannigan Field in Charlottesville, VA on April 21. His best leap was 15.48 meters. Salif Mane of Fairleigh Dickinson finished first at 16.54 meters.

Cy Horner: In what may have been a first, two former Orange High lacrosse players faced off against each other in a college game last week when Methodist took on Pfeiffer. Horner, a midfielder for Methodist, went against Jaylin Jones of the Falcons. Pfeiffer won 18-9 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. Horner had five shots, three of them on goal, and two ground balls. The Monarchs defeated Brevard 26-3 on April 15 at Monarch Stadium in Fayetteville. Horner scored a goal and was credited with two assists. Methodist is 5-9 overall, 3-4 in the USA South.

Jaylin Jones: Jones scored a goal in Pfeiffer’s win over LaGrange 24-8 last weekend in Lefko Field. Jones also had two ground balls as the Falcons improved to 14-1, 7-1 in the USA South.

Chase Finley: Finley continues his career at the goalkeeper for the Division II Shorter University men’s lacrosse team. He started in net last week as Lander University defeated Shorter 23-3. He made 26 saves.

Baseball: Cedar Ridge 10, Roxboro Community School 9: There’s something about Cedar Ridge baseball in Roxboro that leads to drama.

Last month, the Red Wolves trailed Person 10-7 going into the sixth inning before they rallied with four unanswered runs, triggered by a go-ahead squeeze play by Ian McGuffey to score B.J. Thornton, for an 11-10 Cedar Ridge win.

On Wednesday night, Cedar Ridge topped themselves at Optimist Park against Roxboro Community School,.

Trailing 8-1 at the end of the fourth inning, the Red Wolves rallied for five runs in the seventh to beat the Bulldogs 10-9. Senior Will Tippin drove in the game-winning run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Grant McGuffey tied it up when he scored on a passed ball.

Mason Cates silenced the Bulldog bats and earned the win, throwing three scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts to end the game. Cates is 3-1 with a save since he became a regular part of the Red Wolves starting rotation last month.

Cates also started the 7th inning rally with a one-out single to centerfield. After Cates stole second, Quinn Finnegan sent a frozen rope to left field to trim RCS’ lead to 9-6. Caden Thompson replaced Finnegan as a pinch-runner. Thornton and Grant McGuffey walked to load the bases. Landon Dalehite smoked a 0-2 fastball to centerfield to bring in Thompson and keep the bases loaded. Ian McGuffey drew a walk to put the Red Wolves within a run. Grant McGuffey tied the game when he scored on a passed ball.

Cates retired the Bulldogs in order in the seventh, ending with consecutive strikeouts of Blake Vernon and Jordan Beneroso.

Roxboro Community came into the game 11-3.

Trailing 9-1, the Red Wolves put a dent into the Bulldogs lead with five runs in the fifth. Tippin, Issac Anderson and Finnegan all walked. Thornton was hit by a pitch to score Tippin. Grant McGuffey had a Texas leaguer drop into centerfield for a two-run single. The Red Wolves used some trickery on the bases as Thornton scored on a double steal while McGuffey took off for second to cut the RCS lead to 9-5.

Cedar Ridge will return to action with a home game in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday.

Softball: Cedar Ridge 6, Northwood 0: Sophomore Charlotte Lowry threw a complete game shoutout to cement Cedar Ridge’s bid for the 3A State Playoffs with a win in Pittsboro.

Lowry surrendered only five hits over seven innings, striking out six. Anaya Carter broke open a scoreless game in the third inning with a doubled to centerfield. Mia Best, who drew a walk earlier, came in to score off an error by the centerfielder.

In the fourth, senior Hayley King led off with a walk. Kimber Shambley grounded into a fielder’s choice. Laci Sykes lined a single to left field. Shambley wound up scoring off a throwing error to push the Red Wolves lead to 2-0. Ciara Peach reached on an infield single to plate Sykes.

Sophomore Reagan Simmons put the cap on things with a two-run homer to centerfield, scoring Best. Simmons leads Cedar Ridge with six home runs. She also had a team-best .600 batting average.

Carter followed with a double to centerfield. Lowry helped her own cause with a sacrifice fly, bringing in Carter.

Cedar Ridge (10-9) is currently ranked #25 in the 3A East Region. That would safely put them in the 3A State Playoffs.

The Red Wolves will wrap up its regular season against Person at Red Wolves Softball Stadium on Thursday afternoon at 7PM.

Wednesday’s game in Pittsboro was Cedar Ridge’s final trip to Northwood for a conference game for the near future. Northwood will move down to 2A starting in August. They have been conference rivals with Cedar Ridge since 2012.

From the beginning of this season, Cedar Ridge baseball coach Bryson Massey said the strength of his team would be on the mound.

Despite losing eight seniors and starting catcher Efrain Morales, an All-State player who transferred to the P27 Baseball Academy in Lexington, SC last summer, the Red Wolves have ended this regular season backing up Massey’s prediction.

Last Friday, junior Mason Cates allowed only two hits while driving in the game’s opening run with a double to centerfield as the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 9-2 in Elon.

Cedar Ridge (11-9. 7-5 in the Central Carolina Conference) is the first team in the CCC to finish conference play. They won its last four CCC contests and will host a game in the CCC Tournament next week.

Sophomore Quinn Finnegan stroked a three-run homer over the left field wall in the sixth inning to put the Red Wolves ahead 8-1. All three runs came after two outs were recorded. Senior Issac Anderson stroked a double to left field. The Warriors elected to intentionally walk Cates to get to Finnegan, who made them pay a steep price.

Finnegan finished with five RBIs. He also had a sacrifice fly in the first inning when he knocked in Cates on a sacrifice fly to right field. In the second, Finnegan walked with the bases loaded to score Nicholas Aitkin, who led off the inning with a single and moved over to second on an error.

Cates, who threw a complete game, didn’t become a permanent starter until midseason. After he limited Orange to only four hits in a close 3-1 loss to the Panthers on March 30, he’s been a part of Massey’s rotation ever since.

The victories over Western Alamance followed an up-and-down Hilltop Invitational for the Red Wolves, where they won their opening game after Union Pines, but lost to Chapel Hill and Lee County at home.

Last Tuesday, Cedar Ridge responded by beating Western Alamance 12-4 in the opening game of the two-game series in Hillsborough. The Warriors led 3-0 early, but the Red Wolves scored 12 unanswered runs, triggered by a two-run homer by Cates in the third inning.

“It was a real tough week towards the end last week,” Massey said. “But challenging the guys the way we did against two really good teams, Chapel Hill and Lee County, I think that prepared us for this week. We got down early on Tuesday night. We talked about that heavily last week. Getting down early and not giving up and being ready to fight. Obviously, it’s not the ideal situation, but the guys fought back and got it done.”

In the series opener against Western Alamance, Grant McGuffey evened things on a RBI single to left field, scoring B.J. Thornton. The Red Wolves took the lead for good in the fourth when Ian McGuffey was hit by a pitch. Aitkin drew a walk and Will Tippin singled to right field to load the bases.

With two out, Finnegan reached on an error by the shortstop to score Tippin and Aitkin to put the Red Wolves ahead 5-3. After Thornton walked, Grant McGuffey legged out an infield single to score Anderson.

On his senior night, Thornton earned the victory on the mound. He struck out nine over six innings, allowing only four hits and four runs, one of which was earned. Grant McGuffey finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Cates went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Finnegan added a triple.

It was also senior night for Anderson and Tippin.

Cedar Ridge will finish their regular season with a trip to Roxboro to face Roxboro Community School. The game will be played at Optimist Park on Wednesday night at 7 PM. Optimist Park was formerly the home of the North Carolina Semi-Pro Baseball Tournament and has hosted games with Person High School, as well.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is pitcher/first baseman B.J. Thornton. Last week, Thornton was honored on Cedar Ridge’s senior night, where the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 12-4. Thornton earned the win on the mound, striking out nine over six innings. Thornton has been a reliable presence for head coach Bryson Massey as Cedar Ridge finished 7-5 in the Central Carolina Conference this season. Against Eastern Alamance on April 4, Thornton drove in five runs, including a double, as the Red Wolves defeated the Eagles 11-5. Thornton also picked up the win on the mound, striking out ten over five-plus innings. When he isn’t pitching, Thornton plays three positions on the infield. After Cedar Ridge suffered heavy losses last season after the graduation of eight seniors and the loss of catcher Efrain Morales, the Red Wolves still bounced back and will reach the state playoffs for the second straight season. Against Northwood on March 21, Thornton struck out eleven in a 7-1 Red Wolves victory. Cedar Ridge will wrap up its regular season this week. They will travel to Roxboro Community at Optimist Park in Roxboro on Wednesday night.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: B.J. Thornton

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is pitcher/first baseman B.J. Thornton. Last week, Thornton was honored on Cedar Ridge’s senior night, where the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 12-4. Thornton earned the win on the mound, striking out nine over six innings.

Men’s Tennis: Cedar Ridge 5, Orange 4: The first matchup between Cedar Ridge and Orange on March 13 boiled down to one doubles match, which Orange captured.

On April 13, the Red Wolves turned the tables.

Walker Richards-Baker and Lev Bearman won the match at #2 doubles for the Red Wolves that clinched a 5-4 victory over Orange. Richards-Baker and Bearman teamed to win 8-3.

It was Cedar Ridge’s fifth win in a dual match over Orange in their last six meetings.

Cedar Ridge’s Josh Mayhew, who played for the 3A singles Regional Championship each of the last two years, won both of his matches. He captured a victory at #1 singles 6-1, 6-0. At #1 doubles, Mayhew teamed with Bowen Wood to win 8-3.

The two teams split the six singles matches. In addition to Mayhew, Bearman prevailed at #2 singles 6-1, 6-1. At #3 singles, Richards-Baker defeated Nathan Lavalonis 6-2, 6-2.

Orange sophomore Cameron Foster defeated Wood at #4 6-2, 6-0. The Panthers’ Brendon Kassler defeated Colin Fulcher 6-4, 6-1. And Panther freshman Quincy Stanley captured the longest singles match of the day, holding off Landon Rogers 6-4, 7-5.

At #3 doubles, Kassler and Stanley won 8-6.

Cedar Ridge 6, Walter Williams 3: Cedar Ridge won four of its six singles matches to complete a season sweep of the Bulldogs in Burlington on Monday.

Mayhew, who is 12-1 in singles this year, defeated Ty Lagana 6-0, 6-1. Mayhew also teamed with Bowen Wood to win at #1 doubles over Lagana and Andrew Brasington 8-3, which clinched the match for Cedar Ridge.

Landon Rogers and.Colin Fulcher each won two matches. Rogers defeated Aydin Shibata 6-4, 6-1 at #6 singles. Fulcer won at #5 over Res Sharpe 6-4, 6-3. At #3 doubles, Rogers and Fulcher teamed to defeat Sharpe and Shibata 8-2.

Lev Bearman defeated Alex Brown 6-2, 7-5 at #2 singles.

Carrboro 8, Cedar Ridge 1: On Wednesday, the Jaguars defeated the Red Wolves. Mayhew won at #1 singles for Cedar Ridge. He defeated Jonathan Baddour 6-4, 6-3. Cedar Ridge is 5-8, 4-5 in the Central Carolina Conference.

Western Alamance 8, Orange 1: In Elon, Orange’s #3 doubles team of Quincy Stanley and Ryan Jouannet defeated Zane Van Fleet and Keith Johnson 8-4. The Panthers are 6-10, 1-7 in the CCC.

Men’s Golf: On Thursday, the Orange golf team finished third in the sixth CCC meet of the year. Orange senior Thomas Loch had the lowest score of the day for the Panthers with 40 strokes through nine holes. Josh Roberts finished with a 43. Cooper Zinn carded a 44 and Orange finished with 178 strokes. Walter Williams finished first with 171 strokes , just one stroke ahead of Western Alamance.

Connor McMurtry had a 51 for Orange. Logan Scarantino and R.J. Roemmich also participated for Orange.

Cedar Ridge finished in fourth place with 181 strokes. Dylan Froehling had the lowest score for the Red Wolves with a 41. Rowan Parker followed with a 46 for the Red Wolves. Brad Monschein, Ward Mann and Drew Langevin each finished with a 47. Eric Swanson had a 51.

Northwood finished with 191 strokes. Person was sixth with 193 while Eastern Alamance collective carded a 198.