Orange Baseball

Two years of being a quality utility player has paid off for Orange senior Caige Clayton, who signed with Division II Barton College last week. This season, Clayton leads Orange with 18 RBIs. He’s second on the team with a .361 average. In addition to playing 3rd base, Clayton is also a relief pitcher for the Panthers. He earned the first save of his career last week in Orange’s 4-3 win over defending Big 8 Champion Northwood. In 2017, Clayton joined the varsity team and hit .224 with two homes runs, 17 RBIs and five doubles. Clayton was a starter on an Orange team that went to the 3rd round of the 3A state playoffs.

Orange 3rd Baseman Caige Clayton Signs With Barton College

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A starter at 2nd base since his sophomore year, Orange’s Jason Slaughter signed with Division II Belmont Abbey last week. Slaughter hit .292 in his sophomore season with 19 hits and 12 RBI. Also in his sophomore season, Slaughter went 2-for-3 against South Johnston in the 3rd round of the state playoffs. Slaughter will play for the Crusaders, which won 27 of its last 32 games in 2017 and plays in Conference Carolinas.

Orange 2nd Baseman Jason Slaughter Signs with Belmont Abbey

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In a rivalry game, usually the more desperate team wins.

On Friday, the Northwood Chargers were coming off a 4-3 loss to Orange that put them in sixth place in the Big 8 Conference at 3-4, ahead of only Southern Durham and Hillside. Only the top four finishers in the Big 8 are assured spots in the state playoffs.

It’s a long fall for a Northwood team that returned six starters, including its top pitcher, from a squad that won the Big 8 Championship and advanced to the 3A state quarterfinals in 2017.

Needless to say, Northwood was the more desperate team Friday night. And they won despite being held to four hits and just one run batted in.

The Chargers defeated Orange 5-2 at Ronald Horton Baseball Complex in Pittsboro. Northwood starter Tyler Johnson, who threw the final two-and-two-thirds innings on Tuesday night against Orange, earned the win going four-and-two-third innings, allowing one earned runs and four hits.

Orange (7-9 overall) falls into a tie for third place in the Big 8 with Cedar Ridge at 5-3. East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill remain tied for first at 7–1 after sweeping Hillside and Southern Durham, respectively, this week.

Since losing to Cedar Ridge on March 19, the Tigers have won nine in a row. They host Orange on Tuesday night to start a huge two-game set next week.

The Panthers lack of hits with runners in scoring position was again a problem on Friday night. After going 0-for-9 with RISP last Friday against First Colonial in a 2-0 loss, Orange as 2-for-9 against the Chargers.

Yet Northwood was only 1-of-10 in the same category. But the Chargers scored four runs in the third inning off an assortment of Orange miscues.

Shortstop Bryce Davis, batting ninth, and Max Hundley drew walks to open the inning against Orange starter Dalton Brown. Catcher Jake McNeil sent a 1-2 grounder to shortstop Joey Berini that appeared to be a double play ball. After Hundley was retired at second, the relay throw got past first baseman Drew Clayton and went up the steep hill behind first base, allowing Davis to score and sending McNeil to third. Third baseman Trey Romel reached on an infield hit to second, pushing Northwood’s lead to 2-0 as McNeil scored.

Romel moved to second following a walk to left fielder Duece Powell, advanced to third on a fielder choice’s grounder by 1st baseman Davis Palermo, then scored on a wild pitch, sending Palermo to third. Palermo scored the final run of the inning off a balk by Brown.

Orange got on the board in the 5h inning after right fielder Colin Guentensberger opened with a walk. Guentensberger stole second and scored off an RBI single to right by Jason Slaughter. Johnson was replaced by Johnny Mazurek, but Orange sent the tying run to the plate after Caige Clayton and Cooper Porter loaded the bases. Mazurek got a strikeout to end the inning.

Orange left 12 men on base in the game.

In the 7th, Slaughter scored off a sacrifice fly to center by Mark Willms.

Orange had a chance to score first in the top of the 2nd inning. Porter doubled down the left field line in the 2nd, which was followed by Brown singling to right, sending Naz Powell (running for Porter) to third with one out. Johnson got out of the inning with a strikeout and a groundout to 2nd baseman Michael Posse.

Orange head coach Dean Dease is now at 498 career varsity victories.

Some would define replacing Orange starting pitcher Will White on a moment’s notice as “unenviable,” but Caige Clayton stood up to the challenge on Tuesday night. Clayton struck out four in the final two innings, earning his first career save as Orange defeated Northwood 4-3 in a vital Big 8 Conference game. Earlier, Clayton had a two-run single, which turned out to be the game-winning hit as the Panthers ended a four-game losing streak. Orange is now in sole possession of 3rd place in the Big 8, behind Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill, who are tied for 1st. 

Orange 3rd Baseman/Pitcher Caige Clayton Talks Clutch Performance in Northwood Win

Some would define replacing Orange starting pitcher Will White on a moment’s notice as “unenviable,” but Caige Clayton stood up to the challenge on Tuesday night. Clayton struck out four in the final two innings, earning his first career save as Orange defeated Northwood 4-3 in a vital Big 8 Conference game.

Defining moments can happen suddenly in high school baseball.

In college, the minor and major leagues, a reliever has an ample amount of time to prepare for a save that can decide a team’s fate.

On Tuesday night, Caige Clayton had all of one minute to prepare to save the Orange Panthers’ season.

Panthers starter Will White was cruising along, leading Northwood 4-0 in the sixth inning. He had scattered only three hits through five shutout innings, striking out four.

Then he felt something pop in his right shoulder blade while throwing to Chargers catcher Jake McNeil, who doubled to right. White thought the pain would wither away with time, only to have Trey Romel double in the next at-bat to end the shutout. White motioned for head coach Dean Dease to come out of the dugout. He had to leave the game.

The dilemma was multifold. Dease had no one warming up to replace White. As the infield gathered around Dease at the pitcher’s mound, the coach pointed to Clayton, who had been playing third base.

The stakes were huge. Northwood is the defending Big 8 Champions who made the 3A state quarterfinals in 2017. Orange had lost four straight and dropped all three of its games in last week’s Hilltop Invitational, the only team in the field to go winless. A win would put Orange in a logjammed Big 8. A loss would put them at 4-3, putting the Panthers in a three-way tied for 4th in a league that has only four guaranteed playoff spots.

Northwood’s Decue Powell laced a triple to right to bring in Romel, and Powell would later score off a single by UNC-commitment Davis Palermo to bring the Chargers within a run at 4-3 But Clayton struck out Tyler Johnson and Zizzy Newell. Northwood shortstop Bryce Davis flew out to end the sixth.

In the seventh, Clayton finished the game with consecutive strikeouts of Romel and Powell to earn his first career save and preserve a 4-3 Orange win.

The Panthers defeated the Chargers for the fifth straight time in Hillsborough in a rivalry that has grown with time. The tension at game’s end continued into the postgame handshake where several players had to be separated after exchanging words, which wasn’t a first-time occurrence between the two sides.

In the early innings, it appeared Orange would continue falling into the same trap that’s hampered them throughout this season. After going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position in a 2-0 loss to First Colonial (VA) on Friday, the Panthers loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning, only to have Palermo strike out three consecutive Panthers to escape the inning.

Orange finally broke through in the third, but not before more adversity. Senior 2nd baseman Jason Slaughter singled to left. Clayton laced a 2-1 fastball to the right field power alley. Slaughter tried to score from first, but was tagged out at the plate by a great cutoff throw from Northwood 2nd baseman Michael Posse. Cooper Porter, who became the 4th Orange player to start at catcher this season, scored Clayton with a single to center. It was Porter’s 2nd RBI of the season.

Orange broke through for three runs in the fourth. Trey Clayton looped a single to centerfield, followed by a walk from right fielder Colin Guentensberger. Naz Powell replaced Clayton as a pinch-runner and advanced to third following a wild pitch from Palermo. After Jaydin Poteat walked to load the bases with one out, sophomore Joey Berini grounded an RBI fielder’s choice to Davis. After Poteat was forced out at second, Berini barely beat out the double play throw to first, scoring Powell.

Orange increased its lead to 4-0 when Clayton laced a two-run single to left center to bring in Berini and Guentensberger. Porter nearly had another RBI single, but Slaughter was tagged out at the plate on a gorgeous throw from centerfielder Max Hundley.

Orange travels to Northwood on Friday night at 6. That game will be broadcast on Hillsboroughsports.com.

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.