Orange 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. 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.

Bryse Wilson: After two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Wilson officially signed with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Wilson agreed to a one-year, $1.05 million contract. In November, Milwaukee outrighted Wilson, who elected to become a free agent. Wilson, who reached the Major Leagues in 2018 with the Atlanta Braves, signed with an American League team for the first time in his career. He also had a stint with Pittsburgh. In seven Major League seasons, Wilson had appeared in 143 games, including 52 starts. He has a lifetime 4.61 ERA with 305 strikeouts over 413 innings. Last season with Milwaukee, Wilson had 34 appearances with 82 strikeouts over 104.2 innings with a 4.04 ERA. Though the Brewers won the National League Central Division championship for the second straight year, Wilson wasn’t included on the postseason roster.

Payton Wilson: Bryse’s younger brother scored his first professional touchdown as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 44-38 at Paycor Stadium. Wilson returned a fumble 21 yards with 11:06 remaining in the fourth quarter, which turned out to be the game-winning touchdowns. Wilson finished with three tackles. Following a loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, the Steelers are 10-4, leading the AFC North by one game over the Baltimore Ravens. They have already clinched a playoff spot. Against the Eagles, Wilson had six tackles and broke up a pass. The Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium.

Emerson Talley: The college career of Cedar Ridge women’s soccer’s all-time leading scorer came to an end in the NCAA Division II Tournament last month. Lander defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 3-2 in overtime at the Moretz Sports Complex in Hickory on November 22nd. In her final game, Talley scored the opening goal in the 44th minute. This season, Talley started all 19 games for a Lenoir-Rhyne team that won the South Atlantic Conference regular season and conference tournament. She was named to the third-team All-SAC squad. Talley scored the game-winning goal against Mars Hill on October 16. She ends her college career with five goals and five assists.

Katie Belle Sikes: On November 1, Sikes notched her first collegiate win when Georgia faced Florida. Sikes finished first in the 50 yard freestyle, the event where she won three state championships at Orange. She touched the wall at 22.95 seconds. The #12 Georgia women’s swim team faced the #1 team in the country, Texas, on Tuesday at Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Sikes finished first in the B-Cut of the 50-meter freestyle 22.57 seconds. Sikes teamed with Eboni McCarthy, Charlotte Headland and Helena Jones to finish 3rd in the 200 yard medley relay with a time of 1:38.35.

Trenton Gill: Following its game against the Carolina Panthers on December 1, Gill was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gill played in eight games for Tampa Bay after being released by the Denver Broncos in the preseason. Earlier this week, Gill worked out with the Washington Commanders.

Ivy Garner: The former Cedar Ridge forward was named to the All-Conference USA first-team after the Liberty women’s soccer team finished 2nd in the league this fall. Garner finished second on the team with nine goals. She led the conference with eight assists as the Flames reached the CUSA Championship game following a 1-0 victory over New Mexico State. Garner was also named to the United State Coaches All-South Region first-team for the second year in a row. Liberty ended the year 15-2-4, falling to Florida International in the CUSA Championship game.

Ryan Moss: After four years with the Orange men’s basketball team, Moss is now with the Division III Waynesburg Jackets in Waynesburg, PA. The Jackets are 4-6 and defeated Westminster on Monday in its final game before Christmas.

Amiyah Ware: After playing at Cedar Ridge in her junior and senior seasons, Ware is now on the roster for Division II North Greenville. The Trailblazers are 2-9 overall, 2-3 in Conference Carolinas.

Fernando Martinez: After graduating from Cedar Ridge in 2023, Martinez is now a redshirt freshman with Division II UNC Pembroke. Last year, Martinez redshirted for the Braves.

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Bryse Wilson: For the third time in his Major League career, Wilson will be going to the Major League Baseball postseason. On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Brewers clinched its third straight National League Central division championship when the Oakland A’s defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-3 at Wrigley Field. It’s the first time in 42 years that the Brewers have won consecutive division championships. Wilson landed on the injured list on September 3 with a strained oblique muscle. Last week, Wilson threw a bullpen session and has a chance to return before the end of the regular season. This season, Wilson is 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA. He has appeared in 34 games, starting nine for the Brewers. He has 82 strikeouts with 31 walks.

Payton Wilson: Last week, Bryse’s younger brother became the first Orange Panther to play in an NFL game since Alvis Whitted played for the Oakland Raiders in 2006. Payton suited up for the Pittsburgh Steelers in its season opener. Wilson, a linebacker, finished with three tackles as the Steelers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 18-10 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Wilson also played regularly for the Steelers in its 13-6 victory over the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. Wilson will play in his first regular season game at Acrisure Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Trenton Gill: Despite having the largest punting average in the NFL preseason, Gill was released by the Denver Broncos last month. Gill averaged 48.6 yards per punt, the highest among all punters before getting released. Gill has reportedly worked out for the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns over the past two weeks.

Darius Satterfield: The former Orange High punter boomed a 69-yard punt for Elizabeth City State against Chowan on September 7. Overall, Satterfield averaged 46 yards on four punts as the Vikings defeated Chowan 12-7 at Roebuck Stadium in Elizabeth City. He also had a 54-yard punt in the second quarter. One punt was downed inside the 20-yard line. Last Saturday, ECSU shutout Erskine 20-0 at J.W. Babb Stadium in Greenwood, SC. Satterfield averaged 36 yards over five punts with a long of 52 yards. Two punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. The Vikings are 2-1.

Ivy Garner: For the first time ever, the Liberty women’s soccer team is nationally ranked at #24 in the country. The Flames are 8-0-2 overall. Last week, Liberty defeated George Mason 6-0 at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, VA. Garner scored his second goal of the season in the 8th minute. She also assisted on a goal by Avenley Monteith. On September 8, the Flames played to a 1-1 tie with West Virginia. Garner, who played her freshman year at Cedar Ridge, played 61 minutes as a forward. Liberty defeated #21 Virginia Tech 2-1 on September 5 at Thompson Field in Blacksburg, VA. Garner assisted on the game-winning goals in the 51st minute scored by Halle Engle. Overall, Garner has started all ten of Liberty’s games. She has scored two goals with three assists. She is second on the team with 27 shots.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team is off to a 2-0-2 start. Talley scored on a penalty kick in the Bears’ 3-2 win over #24 Florida Tech at the Moretz Sports-Athletic Complex in Hickory on Tuesday. Talley started at forward and played all 90 minutes. Lenoir-Rhyne played to a 1-1 tie against Lincoln Memorial in Harrogate, TN on Saturday. Talley played 69 minutes and had one shot on goal. On September 12, the Bears played to another 1-1 tie against Lee University in Cleveland, TN. Talley, the all-time leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge history, played 69 minutes and fired two shots. Lenoir-Rhyne opened its season with a 4-1 win over UNC Pembroke at Lumbee River EMC Stadium in Pembroke on September 8. Talley had her first career two-goal game, including the opener in the 19th minute. Talley also scored in the 49th minute off an assist from Nicole Auger. Lenoir-Rhyne will host Emory & Henry on Saturday night.

After being a mainstay in the Orange baseball pitching rotation for three years, Cross Clayton earned an accolade attained only for the elite hurlers in school history.

A Conference Pitcher of the Year award.

Like Bryse Wilson and Ryan Hench before him, Clayton was named the Central Conference Pitcher of the Year following a vote of the league’s coaches. Clayton, who graduated last month, led the Panthers to its fourth consecutive conference title this season after Orange tied Southern Alamance with a 9-3 record. In the 3A State Playoffs, the Panthers would have the deepest run of any Central team, reaching the third round after an incredible comeback win over Cedar Ridge and a rout of Eastern Alamance.

Clayton became the first pitcher since Bryse Wilson to win 20 career games. He reached the milestone against Eastern Alamance on April 30 in Hillsborough. Clayton is only the third pitcher from Hillsborough in the past decade to reach 20 career wins. Cedar Ridge’s Phillip Berger, who graduated in 2019, holds the school record with 21 games. Berger went on to pitch four years at Division III William Peace University.

In his senior season, Clayton finished 6-2 with a 1.49 ERA. He led the team with 79 strikeouts with just nine walks. Through his career, getting ahead in the count became Clayton’s trademark. In a 4-1 win over Person on April 16, 80% of Clayton’s first pitches went for strikes. He finished with eleven strikeouts in a 4-1 win.

Clayton’s best performance of the year came against Walter Williams on April 9, when he threw a three-hit shoutout with seven strikeouts on just 78 pitches. In that game. his first pitch strike percentage was 69%.

For his career, Clayton had 173 strikeouts with 22 walks. He could have easily reached 20 wins earlier in his career, but he battled injuries throughout his junior season which became the theme for the entire Orange team for the 2023 season. He was limited to 29 innings but still had 43 strikeout in six pitching appearances. He finished with a 5-0 record and a 1.19 ERA. That included a compete game win over Lee County on April 12, 2023, where he struck out eight in a 4-1 win. Clayton needed only 88 pitches to earn the win. Clayton threw six shutout innings against Person on April 25, 2023, striking out a career-best 13 batters. He allowed just three hits in a 3-0 Orange win.

After spending his freshman year on the junior varsity team, Clayton earned a spot in the rotation on the varsity squad his sophomore year in Wilson during a 13-0 loss to Perquimans, a game that Orange coaches now look back on and laugh because it represented a turning point for the 2022 squad. Perquimans went on to win the 1A State Championship. A month after that loss, Clayton threw a five-inning perfect game against Cedar Ridge, a 16-0 Orange win that ensured the Central Conference championship. Clayton struck out four Red Wolves and got a Gatorade bath afterwards.

Clayton was also a reliable bat when he wasn’t pitching. In his final at-bat at Orange High Field, Clayton hit a three-run homer in a 19-1 win over Eastern Alamance in the second round of the state playoffs. In his last game in Hillsborough, Clayton went 3-for-3 with four RBIs with a double.

In his final game against Cedar Ridge, Clayton came to back with Orange down 4-0 in the seventh inning with two out. He lined an RBI double to the left field gap to score Wyatt Hedrick to score the first of seven runs in a 7-4 win.

Clayton hit .267 with six doubles and eleven runs scored. When he wasn’t on the mound, Clayton played second base with a few starts at shortstop.

Clayton will attend Gaston Community College to play baseball this fall. He will join his former teammate Jackson Berini, who just finished his freshman year.

FAYETTEVILLE–There was already enough going against Orange baseball before they even arrived in Cumberland County on Thursday night.

There was Mother Nature, which caused its third round state playoff game against Terry Sanford to be postponed twice. On Tuesday, the team had driven to Sanford when they got word to turn around because thunderstorms would prevent them from playing. Orange’s bus made it all the way to Fayetteville on Wednesday, only to find the tarp was already on the field with rain falling down. They had no choice but to drive back to Hillsborough and try again on Thursday.

Then again, the rain has been a problem for Orange since the regular season ended after clinching a share of the Central Conference regular season championship. The Panthers were supposed to face Southern Alamance in a one-game tiebreaker to determine the #1 seed from the Central at Southeast Alamance. If Orange had won, they would have earned the #2 seed in the East Region. That meant no trips to Fayetteville, or anyplace else, if they simply kept winning through the first four rounds.

But that playoff was rained out at Southeast Alamance High. The Patriots got the #1 seed because they swept third-place Williams while Orange split the two-game series with the Bulldogs. That handed Orange a #12 seed instead.

Once the game finally started on Thursday, Orange’s problems were Josh Hart and Brent Smith.

Hart, a junior, struck out eleven over six innings. Smith drove in two runs, including a solo bomb in the fourth inning as Terry Sanford (25-5) defeated Orange 4-0 to advance to the 3A State Quarterfinals.

It was the first time this season that Orange was shutout. The Panthers end the year 19-6.

There was immediately a sense of deja vu for an Orange team that went 15-1 at home this year, but was 4-5 on the road. In each of its road losses, the Panthers gave up runs in the first inning. Sanford’s Josh Mozingo and Ryan Seagroves each reached on infield singles, both hitting balls deep in the 5-6 hole where shortstop Oliver Van Tiem was put through the paces early on a busy night. Orange starter Cross Clayton uncorked a wild pitch to Mason Walker, moving each runner up 90 feet. Walker grounded out to second baseman Kayden Bradsher, scoring Mozingo.

Smith, a senior who has committed to Elon University, started a big night with an RBI single to left field, and the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead that they would sit on for most of the night.

Though Orange was blanked, they actually had more threats than Sanford. In the second, Orange loaded the bases when Van Tiem was hit by a pitch. Garrett Sawyer grounded a cue shot to third baseman Ethan Nobles, who threw it away, advancing Van Tiem to third. Clayton walked to load the bases, but Elijah Santos pop-up to shallow centerfield was caught by Smith at second base.

Senior Ryan Honeycutt, in his final Orange game, reached on an infield single with two out in the third. Ryan Horton stroked an opposite field liner that landed in front of Walker in right field. Horton and Henry Hoffman, running for Horton, advanced to second and third following a wild pitch. With two out, Hart got a strike out to end the threat.

After the bad start, Orange’s defense settled down. Clayton retired eight straight batters. A surprise bunt attempt by Mozingo to lead off the third was handled sublimely by third baseman Wyatt Hedrick, who threw him out at first. Sanford head coach Sam Guy was so impressed, he bumped fists with Hedrick while coaching third base.

It was Smith who almost single-handily added Sanford’s remaining insurance runs. He started the fourth by launching an 0-1 fastball over the left field wall, and over the adjacent team batting cage with an interlocking “TS” on the front, as well, to increase the Bulldogs lead to 3-0. In the sixth, Smith led off with a single, advanced to second on a groundout, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored off a sacrifice fly from catcher Willis Noon.

Orange had more opportunities. Horton singled to right field to lead off the sixth. Hedrick laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Hart threw the ball away. Hedrick, who collided with the first baseman, remained at first. With one out, Hart continued to hit the right corner of the strike zone like a punching bag, setting down Sawyer and Santos in order to squelch the threat.

Santos singled to left to open the seventh. Immediately, Guy replaced Hart with reliever Jack Reaves. Kayden Bradsher got aboard on an infield hit. Honeycutt sent a dangerous floater to the right that would have loaded the bases if it fell. But once again, Smith was there to chase it down. Horton’s flew out to Benny Whiteaker to end the game.

There were tears and hugs, as you would expect in the postgame in the Orange dugout. It was also the end of an prominent chapter of Orange baseball. Eight seniors who teamed together to win four consecutive conference championships played their final game together.

Cameron Guentensberger, the senior centerfielder, could even boast about being in the starting lineup when Orange beat Terry Sanford in the 2nd round of the state playoffs in 2022. It was head coach Jason Knapp’s most successful class of his six-year tenure.

Together, they dominated the Central Conference for the past three years and compiled a home record of 45-7.

It’s something that not even Mother Nature can take away from them.