Orange Baseball

Photo by Abigail Pfeiffenberger 

Orange baseball has spent the first three weeks of this season trying to rebuild its pitching staff, which lost its top two starters, its top middle relievers and closer from 2024.

On Friday night, Coach Jason Knapp’s rebuilding project got strong results when three pitchers combined for a no-hitter against the defending DC6 Conference champions.

Oliver Van Tiem earned his second win by striking out a career-high 12 batters while Mason Grooms earned his first career save as Orange defeated Jordan 6-2 at Panther Field. Van Tiem also drove in two runs as the Panthers won its final nonconfernece game before its Central Conference opener against Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Jordan scored two runs off seven walks and two Panther errors. Of Van Tiem’s 83 pitches, 47 were strikes. Grooms inherited the bases-loaded in the seventh inning as he replaced Garrett Sawyer with Orange leading 6-1. Grooms struck out C.J. Carrow. All the Falcons could muster was an RBI groundout from Bode Hickey that brought in Harris Mangum. Peyton Jones flew out to Sawyer in centerfield for the final out.

Orange put runners in motion to break open a scoreless game in the third. Sophomore Kayden Bradsher, who has hit safely in seven of Orange’s eight games, stole third after drawing a walk. Henry Hoffman, hitting cleanup, blooped a fly ball into centerfield to score the opening run. With Van Tiem at the plate, Hoffman stole second, then advanced to third after an errant throw from Hickey, the catcher. Van Tiem sent a 1-2 pitch into left field to score Hoffman and put Orange ahead 2-0.

Orange’s Cam Brown reached on a bunt single in the fourth and also swiped second base, then took third on a wild pitch. Brown eventually scored off a throwing error by Hickey to increase the Panther lead to three runs.

Bradsher led off the fifth inning with a triple to Scoreboard Alley in right centerfield. Hoffman drove in his second run with a line drive to center, bringing in Bradsher. Van Tiem would drive in Garrett Sawyer and Hoffman with a grounder up the middle to put the Panthers ahead 6-0.

Softball: 

Game 1: Orange 15, Walter Williams 0

Game 2: Orange 15, Walter Williams 0 

The Orange softball team remains atop the Central Conference following a doubleheader sweep of Walter Williams on Friday night in Hillsborough.

Freshman Lexi Bowes earned her first wins at the varsity level, needing just three innings of work in each outing. In the opening game, she struck out five and allowed just one hit.

In the opening game, Orange scored nine runs in the first inning. Senior Sadie Cecil notch the first run off a passed ball. Rhiley Crabtree sent an RBI single to centerfield to score courtesy runner Evelyn George, who just finished her senior season in women’s basketball. Junior Hayleigh Hammond scored twice in the opening inning. She touched the plate off a wild pitch for the second Orange run. Later, she lifted a single to left field to bring in Molly Kate Ollis. Freshman Kylee Allen drilled a triple to left field to score Cecil and Hammond.

Hammond would hit an inside the park home run in the third and final inning. George delivered an RBI single to score Allie Carden. George closed out the game when she came home on a passed ball.

In the second game, Allen delivered a two-run homer in the third inning. Allen finished with 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Ollis went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. George started in centerfield and finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored.

Allie Carden finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Orange will travel to Cedar Ridge on Tuesday in what will be a key matchup in the Central Conference. The Red Wolves haven’t defeated Orange since 2019 in a special game to determine the #1 seed for the then-Big 8 Conference.

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The Orange baseball team is off to a 3-1 start. Last week, the Panthers earned its first win of the season with a 9-5 victory over Chapel Hill at Panther Field. Orange scored four runs in the first inning, starting with a single by sophomore Kayden Bradsher, who later scored off a base hit by Oliver Van Tiem. Bradsher would finish 3-for-4 with three runs scored. It’s the second year in a row that Bradsher has been at the top of the Panther line-up following a solid freshman season in 2024, when Orange won a share of the Central Conference championship and reached the third round of the 3A State Playoffs. Senior Garrett Sawyer earned his first win of the year. In his first career start, Sawyer struck out four over four innings. After a shaky first inning, Sawyer didn’t allow another run in his final three innings of work. Sawyer also helped his own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double. Sawyer had an RBI single in the fourth inning to score Van Tiem as the Panthers added four more runs in the frame. Van Tiem, a sophomore, finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Orange will face Millbrook in Hillsborough on Friday night. Last year, the Wildcats defeated the Panthers in Raleigh.

Orange baseball’s Kayden Bradsher and Garrett Sawyer discuss win over Chapel Hill

The Orange baseball team is off to a 3-1 start. Last week, the Panthers earned its first win of the season with a 9-5 victory over Chapel Hill at Panther Field. Orange scored four runs in the first inning, starting with a single by sophomore Kayden Bradsher, who later scored off a base hit by Oliver Van Tiem.

From the moment he made his debut as a varsity member of the Orange baseball team, Garrett Sawyer has understood what pressure is. In 2023, he stepped up to the plate with the bases-loaded and Triton leading Orange 8-4 in the bottom of the 10th inning. Sawyer drew a walk, leading to a run scoring. It was his first varsity at-bat. The Panthers would go on to win 9-8 in an improbable comeback. On Wednesday night, Sawyer formally signed with Ferrum College with his stepfather Andrew, his mother Ashley and brother Silas. Sawyer has been a member of the varsity for two years on the baseball team. He hit .297 in his junior season. On the mound, he made 12 appearances and earned a win in relief over Topsail. Sawyer finished with a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 31 strikeouts and 15 walks. Sawyer also played football for two seasons. In the season-opener last year, he threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Kingston Purefoy-Farrington against Southeast Alamance. Swayer made 76 tackles with three sacks in 2024. In his junior season, he finished with 48 tackles with four sacks and an interception. Sawyer will join former Orange wrestlers Braden Homsey and Braden Crawford in going to Ferrum, which is in the process of transitioning from Division III to Division II. They will join Conference Carolinas.

Orange baseball’s Garrett Sawyer formally signs with Ferrum College baseball

From the moment he made his debut as a varsity member of the Orange baseball team, Garrett Sawyer has understood what pressure is. In 2023, he stepped up to the plate with the bases-loaded and Triton leading Orange 8-4 in the bottom of the 10th inning.

DURHAM–In the dead cold of an early Monday afternoon, Orange sophomore Kayden Bradsher delivered a shot of lightning.

On the first pitch of the game, Bradsher jolted a fastball to the centerfield fence at the new Northern Durham baseball field. While the dimensions aren’t posted, Bradsher nearly lifted it over the deepest part of the young park for a stand-up triple, easily the hardest hit ball on a day that lacked fireworks.

From there, Orange’s young but promising pitching staff did the rest.

Bradsher would score off a passed ball, which would be all the offense the Panthers needed. In his second start, Ryan Sawyer struck out eight in just three innings as Orange blanked Northern Durham 6-0.

Sawyer improved to 2-0 as the Panthers won its third straight to improve to 3-1.

It was just the second game at Northern’s new campus ballpark. Last week, the Knights defeated Roxboro Community School 10-0 in its long-awaited debut on its own field that was delayed over a year. Last spring, the Knights had to play games at its longtime location along Latta Road.

Garrett Sawyer, starting in right field, scored two runs. In the opening frame, following Bradsher’s triple, Sawyer walked, then stole second. Following the passed ball, Sawyer took third. Dominic O’Keefe sent a grounded into the faded grass along Northern’s infield that hasn’t been wetted due to the lack of sprinklers. O’Keefe legged out an infield single to score Garrett Sawyer.

Of Northern’s nine outs in the opening three innings, Ryan Sawyer struck out eight of them. Northern loaded the bases in the opening inning behind singles from J.P. Rodio and Liam Hawkes, followed by a walk from Mason Wilkins. Sawyer struck out J.D. Williams swinging to shut down the Knights only threat while the margin was close.

Orange sent nine batters to the plate in the third inning. Camryn Raspberry stroked an RBI single to right field to score Garrett Sawyer, who drew a one-out walk. Henry Hoffman, who also walked, came home after a dropped ball at second base hit by Mason Bullard. Hunter Albert, who just finished indoor track & field season, sent an RBI single to right field to bring in Raspberry.

Orange is scheduled to face Grimsley at First National Bank Field in Greensboro, the home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, on Wednesday night at 6.

Cedar Ridge 11, South Granville 1, six innings: Ian McGuffey attacked South Granville on the mound and at the plate in the Red Wolves first win of the season on Friday night in Hillsborough.

McGuffey finished 3-for-3 with a double. He also earned the win by striking out five over five innings as the Red Wolves earned a run-rule victory over the Vikings. Cedar Ridge improved to 1-2.

McGuffey doubles in the opening inning, then created his own run. He stole third and took home after a wild pitch while Walker Holmes was at-bat.

Cedar Ridge scored five runs in the third to bust the game open. Sophomore John Grove reached on an error. Grant McGuffey sent a double down the left field line to bring in Noah Heckman, a courtesy runner for Grove. McGuffey stole third and Aidan Ryan stoked a RBI single to left field. Hudson Kelly lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield, allowing Ryan to score. Quinn Finnegan sent a cue shot up the line which the catcher threw away. After Finnegan advanced to second, Ian McGuffey lined a single to centerfield to score Finnegan.

Finnegan would hit his first home run of the season over the deep centerfield fence at Red Wolf Stadium.

On Monday night, Wake Forest defeated Cedar Ridge 12-1. The Red Wolves are scheduled to travel to Chatham Central on Wednesday in Bear Creek. On Thursday, Cedar Ridge will host East Wake Academy.

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Last week, Orange baseball’s Dominic O’Keefe managed to pull off a rare feat. He united the Orange and Cedar Ridge baseball communities for his signing ceremony at Orange High Library. O’Keefe formally signed with Lenoir Community College, which plays in the National Junior College Athletic Association. O’Keefe has grown to be close with both Orange Panthers and Cedar Ridge Red Wolves over his years in Hillsborough. He played with players from both teams on the Hillsborough Hawks travel team. There were also members of the Orange football team on hand, as well as Panthers head football coach DeVante Pettiford. Four years ago when O’Keefe expressed interest in football, he hardly had the size to compete at the varsity level. So he started waking up early for weight training. To prepare for the demands of baseball, he would wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning during Christmas vacation for workouts. His dedication has led to him reaching the next level in baseball. O’Keefe was a starting defensive back for Orange football last season. Joining O’Keefe for his ceremony last week was his father Ryan, who is the public address announcer for Orange baseball, along with his mother Wendy and his brother Bentley. O’Keefe will start his senior season when Orange faces West Johnston on opening day February 24 in Hillsbrough.

Orange’s Dominic O’Keefe discusses signing with Lenoir Community College baseball

Last week, Orange baseball’s Dominic O’Keefe managed to pull off a rare feat. He united the Orange and Cedar Ridge baseball communities for his signing ceremony at Orange High Library. O’Keefe formally signed with Lenoir Community College, which plays in the National Junior College Athletic Association.