Orange Baseball

The Orange baseball team’s season ended last Tuesday after falling to J.H. Rose in the 3A State Playoffs. It was also the end of Joey Berini’s third varsity season. This year, Berini led the Panthers with a .541 batting average. He also led the team with 33 hits, including 12 doubles. This year, Orange finished with a 14-6 record, their best season since 2016, when they captured the Big 8 Championship. Next season, Berini will be a senior and will aim to lead Orange back to the top of the Big 8 Conference. This interview with Joey was taped on April 23 after a win at Northern Durham.

Balls were flying out of Orange High baseball field on Friday night in the Panthers’ win over Northwood, which officially ended the regular season. Tucker Joseph, Dayne Watkins and Joey Berini all homered as Orange defeated Northwood 15-4 to clinch 2nd place in the Big 8 Conference. Joseph has been the starter at catcher for Orange this season from the very beginning of the season against Ragsdale in early March. On Friday night, in possibly his final game in Hillsborough, Joseph went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Going into the state playoffs, Joseph is hitting .340 with five extra base hits. Orange starts play in the 3A State Tournament on Tuesday. The team and location will be announced on Monday morning.

The Orange baseball team is now officially the #2 seed from the Big 8 Conference after beating Northwood 15-4 in six innings on Friday night in Hillsborough. Once again, Orange used the longball to its advantage. Dayne Watkins launched a three-run homer in the first inning. Tucker Joseph and Joey Berini also homered. It was Watkins 1st varsity home run, and his teammates didn’t let him forget about it in postgame. Orange completed the regular season 14-5 after lacing 17 hits against the Chargers. The Panthers will start play in the 3A state playoffs on Tuesday at a time and location to be determined.

The Orange baseball team will play for the Big 8 Championship on Monday night. The Panthers completed a three-win week on Thursday night by beating Chapel Hill 10-1, its first win at Tiger Field since 2015. Cooper Hench, in his first start of the season, earned a complete game win by allowing just three hits, striking out seven. Plus, Hench went 3-for-5 with a double. The Panthers pounded out 14 hits, eight of them doubles to improve to 13-4, 11-2 in the Big 8 Conference. Orange will host East Chapel Hill on Monday night. If Orange wins, they will take its first Big 8 Conference Championship since 2016.

Dante DeFranco didn’t have a home run in the first 14 games of the season entering Tuesday night. Then against Northern Durham, he slammed two home runs in his first two at-bats. DeFranco went 4-for-4 with 2 RBIs as the Panthers defeated the Knights 9-6 at Knights Field. On Wednesday night, DeFranco went 2-for-3 with another home run to push Orange past Northern Durham 9-6 in Hillsborough. The Panthers remain in 2nd place in the Big 8 Conference, one game behind East Chapel Hill. The Panthers and the Wildcats play in Hillsborough on Monday.

Orange centerfielder Cooper Porter’s home run on Tuesday night was the hardest he’s ever hit a ball. The second he touched it, he flipped his bat and strode around the bases in the 6th inning as Orange defeated Northern Durham 9-6 at Knights Field. In addition, Porter came in from centefield to record a four-out save, the first of his Orange career. The following night, Porter earned another save in another 9-6 win over Northern. Porter will look to continue the momentum going into Monday night’s game against East Chapel Hill, which may determine the Big 8 Championship.