Orange Baseball

Orange baseball’s Josiah Gibbs & Wyatt Hedrick discuss playoff win over Eastern Alamance

After a stunning win over Cedar Ridge in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs last week, the Orange baseball team didn’t have any time for drama against Eastern Alamance in the second round. The Panthers scored seven runs in the opening inning and rolled to a 19-1 win over the Eagles on Friday night to advance to the third round of the state playoffs for the third straight year. Senior third baseman Wyatt Hedrick drove in a career-high seven runs as he finished 4-for-4. That included a two-run single to left field in the third and a high fly ball that bounced off the 2008 2A State Championship banner in right field that plated Ryan Honeycutt and Henry Hoffman. Senior pitcher Josiah Gibbs earned his 18th career win, throwing five innings to improve to 8-0 on the season. Gibbs struck out three and finished the night with 68 pitches. The Panthers now have to win their way back into another home game. They will venture to Fayetteville on Wednesday night to face the Terry Sanford Bulldogs, the co-champions of the All-Americans Conference. The Bulldogs have only one loss since the end of March, which happened against 4A power D.H. Conley. The winner of Orange-Terry Sanford will move into the state quarterfinals.

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A New Life–Gibbs earns 18th career win, Hedrick drives in 7 runs to help Orange baseball rout Eastern Alamance 19-1 in state playoffs

For most of Tuesday night, some of the Orange baseball seniors didn’t think they would reach the second round of the state playoffs, much less host another home game.

After a miraculous rally against Cedar Ridge, the Panthers didn’t leave drama against Eastern Alamance on Friday night.

The Panthers exploded for seven runs in the first inning, keyed by a two-run single by Wyatt Hedrick, and easily defeated the Eagles 19-1 in five innings to advance to the Round of 16 in the 3A State Playoffs on Friday night. Orange (19-5) will travel to Terry Sanford for the third round on Tuesday. The Bulldogs hammered Walter Williams 19-3 in Fayetteville Friday night.

Senior pitcher Josiah Gibbs tossed a five-inning complete game, surrendering only two hits for his 18th career win. Gibbs improved to 8-0 with a 2.07 ERA.

It was Orange’s third run-rule win of the season, its second against the Eagles in ten days. Last week, Orange beat the Eagles 11-0 where Cross Clayton won his 20th career game.

“Gibbs commanded the strike zone well,” said Orange coach Jason Knapp. When you put seven runs in the bottom of the first, you know that a kid is going to pitch to contract. He’s not going to give up a bunch of walks.”

On the drama scale, it was the polar opposite of Orange’s playoff opener against Cedar Ridge on Tuesday. The Panthers were down four runs in the seventh inning with the bases empty and two outs before pulling off a stunning rally capped by Ryan Honeycutt’s three-run homer to win 7-4.

“I told the team it was like a batter who pops a ball up in foul ground, and the fielder drops it,” Knapp said. “Then that batter gets a new life. That’s what we got. We got a new life after that rally on Tuesday. We know that and we’re playing with house money. So the guys were a lot looser tonight. They’re not scared of the end.”

Facing Eastern Alamance (9-16) starter Conner Horner, Orange’s first six batters reached base and eventually scored. With the bases loaded, Ryan Horton blooped a curveball that fell down between three fielders, bringing in Cameron Guentensberger. Oliver Van Tiem tapped a fastball in front of the plate where Horner slipped on the wet grass that had been soaked from a pregame shower, delaying the game for 40 minutes.  Kayden Bradsher came in to score.

Wyatt Hedrick drove in two runs when he sent a high fly ball off the 2008 2A State Championship banner in right field to score Honeycutt and Henry Hoffman, running for Horton. Cross Clayton drove a fastball to the 395-foot ally in right centerfield to score Van Tiem. Elijah Santos lined a single up the middle to score Hedrick. In his second plate appearance of the inning, Guentensberger plated Clayton off a sacrifice fly to Tyler Westbrooks.

Eastern catcher Kasen McGinnis whacked a solo home run to left field to start the second inning, scoring the Eagles only run.

Hedrick blooped a double down the left field line to score Hoffman in the second to increase Orange’s lead to 8-1. In the third, Hedrick knocked in Honeycutt and Van Tiem with a line drive to left field.

Orange sent 14 batters to the plate in the fourth inning, where they scored nine runs. It included Hedrick driving in two more runs with a liner to right and a three-run home run by Clayton to left field.

Hedrick finished 4-for-4 with seven RBIs and two runs scored. Horton was 4-for-4, allowing Hoffman to score three times. Clayton was 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Guentensberger scored three runs and was 2-for-3. Every Panther in the starting lineup scored a run.

Another miracle—Honeycutt’s walkoff homer ends 7-run 7th for Orange, stuns Cedar Ridge 7-4 in state playoffs

By this point, it shouldn’t be shocking when Orange baseball rallies past Cedar Ridge.

Except on Tuesday night, it was shocking. Because Cedar Ridge had played so well, by the time the seventh inning had rolled around, it felt like their night, finally.

They had not beaten Orange at Panther Field since 2012. They hadn’t beaten its crosstown rivals at all since 2018, a span of ten games.

But the Red Wolves’ performance on Tuesday night had been so crisp, flawless and balanced, even a few of Orange’s coaches were ready to admit its season was over in the first round of the 3A state playoffs.

It was baseball, after all, the sport where the better team doesn’t always win. But on this night, Cedar Ridge was clearly the better team.

Throughout the course of winning nine conference championships in everything from volleyball to women’s track & field this year, Orange baseball coach Jason Knapp has received several congratulatory phone calls from his counterpart at Cedar Ridge, Andy Simmons.

On Tuesday night, Knapp stood helplessly in his third base coach’s box as Cedar Ridge second baseman Grant McGuffey easily handled a soft pop-up lofted by Oliver Van Tiem. That made it two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning with Cedar Ridge leading 4-0. The bases were empty.

With Simmons standing and watching in the Cedar Ridge dugout as the Red Wolves were one out away from its first playoff win in six years, Knapp figured it was only appropriate that he walk over and congratulate him on his team’s upcoming playoff win.

And Knapp would do that after Cedar Ridge got one more out.

History has shown that the last out is always the hardest for Cedar Ridge against Orange, but even on this night it didn’t feel like the light at the end of the tunnel would be a freight train.

On April 2 against Orange, Cedar Ridge starter Quinn Finnegan had been perfect through four innings. Through six innings on Tuesday night, he wasn’t perfect, just more efficient. He had allowed only three singles and one walk. Not one Panther touched third base in the first six innings.

Following Van Tiem’s pop-out, Wyatt Hedrick rolled a grounder over to McGuffey, who bobbled the ball into right field. Designated hitter Garrett Sawyer became the first Panther to come down to his final strike when he grounded a 1-2 pitch to shortstop Nick Aitkin, who ran down the ball before it could reach left field and threw a dart across his body to second.

It appeared to be a perfect throw to end a perfect Cedar Ridge night.

Except the throw was dropped and Hedrick slid in safely.

That was the spark that ignited an inferno.

Finnegan had a 3-2 count to senior Cross Clayton, who was hitting to keep his career going. With the Red Wolves again one strike away, Clayton unleashed a laser to the left field gap, Orange’s first extra base hit of the game. Hedrick scored and Sawyer advanced to third.

At the time, all Orange had accomplished was simply avoiding getting shutout for the first time this year. Cedar Ridge head coach Bryson Massey replaced Finnegan, who had thrown 96 pitches (pitchers are allowed 105 pitches by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association). It appeared that Finnegan tried to talk his coach into letting him finish out the game. Instead, Massey went with Ian McGuffey.

For the third time, Orange was down to its last strike when Elijah Santos fouled off a 3-1 fastball. McGuffey went with a breaking ball that barely dipped below the strike zone. Santos loaded the bases with a walk.

Cameron Guentensberger sent a bouncer over to Hudson Kelly at third base. Playing two steps in front of the bag, Kelly looked back as Clayton ran across from second. Instead of backtracking, Kelly opted for first base. The throw one-hopped Mason Cates. Guentensberger beat it out to score Sawyer and cut the Red Wolf lead to 4-2.

By this point, the Cedar Ridge fans were two-thirds of the way through a movie they had seen before—and hated.

Freshman Kayden Bradsher, who was Orange’s player of the game, grounded a single dead up the middle. Santos and Guentensbergber each scored without a throw to the plate to tie the game at 4-4 in front of an exhilarated group of Orange fans whose season had new life.

Bradsher, who had shown up to school before first period on Tuesday to help Knapp prepare the field, finished 3-for-4, the only Panther with multiple hits.

“That was a huge at-bat for a freshman,” Knapp said. “Stepping up in that moment to tie that ballgame speaks volumes. It was a huge at-bat. I’m glad he’s going to be around for the next three years.”

There was still a chance for Cedar Ridge to reach extra innings. Ryan Honeycutt had fouled off two pitches. Then McGuffey went with a fastball where Honeycutt launched it to deep right field. Carter Warren backed up to the fence and tried to reach over it. But the ball cleared his glove and fell just short the scoreboard.

It was the first home run this year at Orange High Field that went over the right field wall.

Bedlam ensued in the Orange dugout. When the inning started, Honeycutt felt like his career was about to end. Not only had he just extended it, but he would get another playoff home game this Friday night. Across the county line in Graham, Eastern Alamance had stunned 5th-seeded Southern Alamance 13-8.

But in a crosstown rivalry game that ends so dramatically, the natural question is how did the other team feel?

Cedar Ridge seniors Landon Dalehite, Mason Cates, Kevin Jones, Joel Davis and Rayshawn Page held a group hug down the left field line. Obviously, there were tears in player’s eyes, a unwanted but familiar feeling. Several Cedar Ridge coaches stared at the ground in dejection. What could be said?

The Red Wolves spent the entire night dominating their archrival–and it all came apart in five batters.

Cates, in particular, was a man on a mission in his final game against Orange. In the second inning, after Nick Aitkin reached on a throwing error, Cates blasted a fastball from Cross Clayton over the centerfield fence. Cedar Ridge led 2-0 and stayed ahead for almost the entire night.

Finnegan cut through the Orange lineup without putting many miles on his odometer. He allowed just one hit through the first three innings on 29 pitches. When Bradsher became the first Orange leadoff man to reach off a line drive to centerfield in the fourth, Finnegan promptly shut down the threat when Horton grounded into a 1-6-3 double play.

Freshman John Grove led off the fourth with a walk. After Caden Thompson replaced him on the base paths, Cates blooped a single that fell between Honeycutt, Santos and Henry Hoffman, sending Thompson to third. After Cates stole second, Grant McGuffey stroked a line drive to left that buzzed over Bradsher’s outstretched glove and rolled to the fence. Thompson and Cates scored easily to give Cedar Ridge a 4-0 lead.

Cates, who has committed to play at Catawba Valley Community College, finished 3-for-3 in his final game.

Even the plays that Cedar Ridge would ordinarily have a hard time making against Orange were handled with ease. Van Tiem became the first Panther to reach second base in the fifth inning after he drew a walk and advanced on a groundout to Finnegan by Hedrick. Sawyer lofted a dangerous floater to McGuffey, who made an over-the-shoulder catch before it could reach centerfield. Finnegan struck out Clayton to end the frame and keep Orange fans in stunned silence.

In hindsight, what turned out to be a crucial call came back to haunt the Red Wolves in the seventh. Finnegan was hit by a pitch from Sawyer, who had relieved Clayton. Finnegan was so pumped with joy, he gave a double thumbs up to his teammates before trotting to first. Landon Dalehite reached on an error at first base, Orange’s third error. Finnegan stole third before he was replaced by Dominic Sena. After Grove walked with one out, Aitkin sent a ground ball to Van Tiem, who threw to Clayton to retire Thompson (on as a courtesy runner again) at second. Sena appeared to have scored to put the Red Wolves ahead 5-0, but after an appeal by Knapp, it was ruled that Thompson slid past second base and interfered with Clayton’s attempt for a double play, thus Aitkin was out and the inning was over. It nullified a precious insurance run.

Orange (18-5) won a state playoff game for the third straight year. They will host Eastern Alamance, the 28th seed, on Friday night. Last week, the Panthers swept a two-games series from the Eagles.

Cedar Ridge (12-10), seeded 21st, suffered a new level of heartbreak that has extended well beyond the point of cruelty for the seniors for several years now. They can take pride in the fact that a Cedar Ridge team down the line will have their time of triumph come at some point. And when it does, it will make the sweet times sweeter.

Round 3: Cedar Ridge baseball faces Orange in State Playoffs on Tuesday

There wasn’t a Central Conference Baseball Tournament this year because the coaches didn’t want to wear out their pitcher’s arms going into the state playoffs.

It was just as well. Turns out, the opening two rounds of the 3A State Playoffs will essentially be a mini-Central Conference Tournament with the winner advancing to the round of 16. And the biggest grudge match imaginable will comprise one end of the bracket in Hillsborough.

On Monday, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association released the field of 64 in the 3A State Playoffs. Orange received a #12 seed and will face crosstown rival Cedar Ridge at Panther Field on Tuesday night. The winner will face either Southern Alamance, who received a #5 seed, or Eastern Alamance on Friday.

Orange, who claimed a share of the Central Conference championship with Southern Alamance after they each finished with a 9-3 league record, was supposed to face the Patriots on Saturday to determine the league’s #1 seed. Once both teams showed up to Southeast Alamance to play, the rain started coming down and didn’t really ease up. It was determined that Southern Alamance had earned the #1 seed after they swept a two-game series from Williams, who finished third in the conference. Orange split the series with Williams.

The loss to the Bulldogs on April 12 turned out to be costly. The Panthers finished #2 in the 3A East Region RPI, behind only J.H. Rose. Instead of a #2 seed in the East Region, Orange got a #12.

And they will face a Cedar Ridge team playing its best baseball of the season and craving a win over Orange. The Red Wolves have lost ten in a row to the Panthers. They haven’t won at Orange High Field since 2012.

That’s enough to make the matchup juicy as it is. Then there was the matter of the April 2nd game that Orange won 10-4 at Cedar Ridge that left plenty of hard feelings on both sides. It led to coaches from both teams being suspended, complaints by parents to the county administrative offices and more spice to a rivalry that already has plenty of animosity.

It may also be the last time that Cedar Ridge and Orange meet in the state playoffs in any sport. In August 2025, the NCHSAA will expand from four classifications to eight. If realignment is based on enrollment, it’s possible that Cedar Ridge and Orange will be in the same conference, but it looks unlikely they will be in the same classification.

Currently, Orange has 1,272 students. Cedar Ridge has 1,141.

That won’t be the only wrinkle of finality. It will almost certainly be the final home game for eight Orange seniors, including pitcher Cross Clayton, who earned his 20th career win last week. He became the first Panther with 20 wins since Bryse Wilson in 2016. Orange regularly starts six seniors, including centerfielder Cameron Guentensberger, who has become the team’s closer with four saves in its last six games. There’s also first baseman Ryan Honeycutt, who missed the first six games of the season after breaking his right thumb playing Cedar Ridge in basketball last February.

Cedar Ridge arrives into the state playoffs under head coach Bryson Massey with six straight wins. The Red Wolves started April with six straight losses, then started a rebound with a victory over Eastern Alamance in Mebane. Junior Quinn Finnegan has won his last two starts, including a 3-2 victory over Chapel Hill on April 24. Last week, Cedar Ridge senior Mason Cates earned the win in his final home game in an 8-2 victory over Knightsdale. The Red Wolves swept a two-game series from Western Alamance to conclude the regular season.

It’s the third straight year that Cedar Ridge has reached the state playoffs.

Cedar Ridge will go for its first postseason win since 2019, when they defeated Southern Alamance 10-2 in Hillsborough.

4-Runner: Gibbs strikes out 7 as Orange takes share of Central Conference title with a 5-2 win over E. Alamance; to face S. Alamance in one-game playoff Saturday

MEBANE–Orange baseball had to win Friday to get to Saturday.

Though it wasn’t overwhelming, Orange did precisely that to win a share of the Central Conference championship.

Senior Josiah Gibbs struck out seven to improve to 7-0 on the season as the Panthers held off Eastern Alamance 5-2 to close out the regular season at Eagles Field on Friday night. Cameron Guentensberger was called in from centerfield to get the final out, earning his fourth save in six games. The Panthers finished tied with Southern Alamance for first place in the Central at 9-3.

The Patriots and the Panthers are slated to have a one-game playoff to determine the #1 seed from the Central Conference going into the 3A State Tournament on Saturday afternoon at 5 at Southeast Alamance High School in Haw River. It comes after the Panthers and the Patriots split its two-game series last week with the Patriots winning the opener in Graham.

A young Eastern Alamance team solely consisting of freshmen and sophomores committed six errors, which directly led to the opening three Panther runs that proved to be enough. Wyatt Hedrick, one of six Orange senior starters, lined a double off the right field fence to lead off the second. Designated hitter Garrett Sawyer stroked a grounder through the heart of the 5-6 hole for a single, moving Hedrick to third. With Cross Clayton at the plate, Eagles starter James Wellons picked off Sawyer trying to steal, but first baseman Conner Horner’s throw went off the back of Sawyer’s leg as he slid head-first into second. Hedrick scored the opening run as the ball rolled into right field.

Gibbs retired the first seven Eagles in order until Wellons singled to centerfield, the first hit of the two-game series for the Eagles.

Orange freshman Oliver Van Tiem was beaned to open the third inning and Hedrick laid down a bunt to get him over to second. After Sawyer walked, Cross Clayton sent a grounder that appeared to set up a double play, but the throw to second wound up in right field. Van Tiem scored off the error and Sawyer went to third as right fielder Jarrett Newell had trouble picking up the ball in foul territory. That extra base proved crucial as Elijah Santos lined a fastball to Newell, scoring Sawyer off a sacrifice fly to increase Orange’s lead to 3-0.

Eastern’s Zach Merchel provided the first Eagles run of the series solely from his legs. He beat out a throw by Van Tiem for an infield single, stole second, stole third, and scored off a wild pitch by Gibbs, the only run he conceded in five innings.

Clayton sent a fly ball to centerfield where a diving attempt by Tyler Westbrooks came up short and it one-hopped the fence for a double. Santos lined a fastball tight down the left field line to score Clayton. Santos would advance to third off a wild pitch. With Kayden Bradsher at the plate, Merchel uncorked another wild pitch, allowing Santos to score.

There were nervous moments for Orange late, where the final two innings felt like pulling teeth. Newell and Horner drew walks in the sixth, which paved the way for Sawyer to come in from the bullpen. After Kasen McGinnis reached on a fielder’s choice where Van Tiem threw out Newell at second, Horner walked. McGinnis would score from third after Tate Yount grounded out to Ryan Honeycutt at first to cut the Orange lead to 5-2.

In the seventh, the tying run got to first base for Eastern. Sawyer struck out pinch-hitter Christian Vieau, but Rett Page got plunked on the back on a 3-2 pitch. Sawyer struck out Westbrooks, which prompted Orange coach Jason Knapp to call in Guentensberger to close it out. Braxton Ballard sent a bouncer to Clayton at second, but the ball eluded Clayton. Newell loaded the bases after another infield single where Van Tiem did everything he could just to chase it down. McGinnis grounded out to Van Tiem to clinch Orange’s fourth straight conference title.

On Saturday, Orange and Southern Alamance will play in a game that will determine playoff seeding. If Orange wins, they will likely get the #2 seed in the East Region, which means every game will be at home as long as the Panthers keep winning until the Eastern Regional Championship series. If they lose, Orange will likely receive a #12 seed, which means a first-round home game against a more formidable opponent.

There are some things out of Orange’s hands, namely the weather. There’s a 30% chance of rain early Saturday night, which would put the tiebreaker game at Southeast Alamance in question.

But for now, Orange has taken care of what they can control.

They are conference champions. Again.

 

 

 

Orange pitcher Cross Clayton discusses 20th career win

It’s been eight years since an Orange pitcher won 20 games in his career. On Tuesday night, senior Cross Clayton became the first Panther hurler to do it since Bryse Wilson. Clayton made it an outing to remember, throwing a 5-inning no hitter as the Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 11-0 at Panther Field in its final regular season home game of the season. Clayton allowed just one baserunner to get onboard, off an error in the fourth inning. Up to that point, Clayton had retired the first eleven batters he faced. Clayton is the first pitcher from Hillsborough to earn 20 wins since Phillip Berger won 21 games for Cedar Ridge from 2016-2019. The victory over Eastern Alamance was Clayton’s second career no-hitter. In 2022, he threw a five-inning perfect game against Cedar Ridge, which clinched the regular season Central Conference championship. Clayton is now 14-1 lifetime against conference opponents. He needed just 49 pitches to finish five innings against the Eagles. Ryan Honeycutt hit a grand slam for the Panthers to complete a 10-run third inning. Clayton struck out six against the Eagles in his second career win against the Eagles. Orange will finish the regular season with a road trip to Mebane to face the Eagles on Friday night. With a win, they will clinch a share of the regular season championship. 

Orange senior Cross Clayton discuses 20th career win

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20th Century Cross: Clayton wins 20th career game in 5-inning no-hitter, Orange blanks Eastern Alamance 11-0

On March 1, 2022, Cross Clayton was one of several Orange baseball hopefuls trying to prove themselves as life returned to normal after the pandemic.

On a chilly, blustery day in Hillsborough, he entered a game against Northern Durham and threw a scoreless sixth inning to keep Orange’s deficit at 1-0. It would turn into Clayton’s first win when David Waitt stroked a two-run single to cap a three-run sixth.

Three years later, Clayton has become the winningest pitcher in Orange baseball since Bryse Wilson, who is now in his sixth Major League season with the Milwaukee Brewers.

On Tuesday night, Clayton earned his 20th career victory as Orange easily defeated Eastern Alamance 11-0 in five innings. In his final regular season start at Panther Field, Clayton threw a five-inning no-hitter. The only Eagle to reach, Jarrett Newell, got aboard off an error at second base with two out in the fourth inning after Clayton had retired the first eleven batters he faced.

Clayton ended the night with six strikeouts and no walks. He retired 15 out of the 16 batters he faced on only 49 pitches, 38 of which were strikes.

Clayton is just the third pitcher from Hillsborough in the last decade to win 20 career games. Cedar Ridge’s Phillip Berger won 21 from 2016-2019. He went on to pitch at Division III William Peace University. Wilson holds the Orange record with 33 career victories–and that came after he threw only three games his sophomore year because of an injured shoulder.

The Panthers (16-5, 8-3 in the Central Conference) remained tied for first in the loss column with Southern Alamance for first place in the Central Conference. Orange will travel to Eastern Alamance for its regular season finale on Friday night. With a win, Orange will take a share of the conference championship, which would be its fourth straight league title.

Southern Alamance’s game against Western Alamance was postponed on Tuesday night because a power line was cut hours before the first pitch in Graham. The game was rescheduled for Wednesday night at 5.

“He’s one of the best arms that I’ve had the pleasure and honor of coaching in my 24 years,” said Orange coach Jason Knapp. “That says a lot because I’ve been around some really good pitchers. He pounds the zone. He was a bad hop away from a perfect game.”

Orange was going against one of the hottest pitchers in the Central Conference in Eastern’s Jarrett Newell, who had allowed only five runs in his previous three starts. Orange’s Cameron Guentensberger sent a fly ball over the head of right fielder James Wellons in the first inning. The very next pitch to Kayden Bradsher was stroked into right field for an RBI single, which was all the run support that Clayton needed.

Turns out, he got more. Much more.

Guentensberger started a 10-run third inning by reaching on an error at third base. Bradsher laid down a sacrifice bunt, but the throw went to second base where Guentensberger beat out the throw. Orange loaded the bases when Ryan Honeycutt walked. Oliver Van Tiem drove in a run off a walk. Wyatt Hedrick dropped a bloop single into centerfield to score Bradsher. Designated hitter Garrett Sawyer lined a two-run single to left field to increase the Orange lead to 6-0. Hedrick would score off a wild pitch. With Guentensberger, Dominic O’Keefe and Elijah Santos on base, Honeycutt delivered his first career grand slam over the centerfield fence. Honeycutt now has four home runs, which leads the team. It was his first career grand slam.

After Van Tiem retired Merchel for the game’s final out, Clayton was presented with a poster created by Orange’s Baseball booster to commemorate is 20th career win.