Orange Football

Bryse Wilson started the next chapter of his Major League career with the very team he defeated in his first big league outing.

On Monday night, Wilson made his Pittsburgh Pirates debut only three days after being traded by the Atlanta Braves. Pitching in American Family Field, the Milwaukee Brewers defeated Pittsburgh 6-2. Despite surrendering only one run, Wilson suffered the loss.

Wilson conceded only two hits and two walks over five innings. He retired the Brewers in order in the first frame. Wilson walked Eduardo Escobar to leadoff the second inning, but set down Avisail Garcia, Rowdy Tellez and Tyrone Taylor to retire the side.

Milwaukee’s only run off Wilson came in the third inning when Lorenzo Cain scored off a sacrifice fly by Kolten Wong. Cain reached on an infield single to third to leadoff the inning, then stole second. Milwaukee pitcher Eric Lauer moved Cain over to third on a bunt single.

In the fourth, Wilson walked Escobar, but Garcia grounded into a double play. Wilson set the Brewers down in order in the fifth to end his stint.

“Team obviously wants you, so you want to come out and make a good first impression,” Wilson said afterwards. “There were a little bit of butterflies there. End of the day I wanted to come out and throw the way I can. Will now get some consistency.”

On Friday, Wilson and Ricky DeVito were sent to Pittsburgh in exchange for first baseman Richard Rodriguez.

Shortly after the trade, the Pirates activated Wilson.

“I thought the fastball played better,” said Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton. “Sometimes you see it on video & you don’t know what the action is going to be. Watching it from the side & talking to Stallings. The two-seamer really played & was very effective. Definitely a positive impression.”

The trade ended Wilson’s five-year stint with Atlanta that started when he was selected in fourth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft, 109th overall, and received a $1.2 million signing bonus just days after graduating from Orange High School.

Only a month ago, Wilson was named the Triple-A East Pitcher of the Week with the Gwinnett Stripers. Against Durham on June 30, Wilson had a seven-inning scoreless stint, where he gave up just three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in a no decision.

Dating back to July 21, 2019, Wilson was 11-2 with Gwinnett.

In his final appearance with the Braves, Wilson threw the opening game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Over three shutout innings, he held New York to four hits. He walked one and struck out two.

In 2018, Wilson had a dramatic rise through the Braves system, where he went from the Florida Fire Frogs of the Florida State League all the way up to Atlanta in a span of four months. In 23 minor league games with Florida, the Mississippi Braves of the Southern League and the Gwinnett Stripers of the International League, Wilson went 8-5 with a 3.23 ERA.

He made his Major League debut against Pittsburgh at PNC Field on August 20, 2018. Wilson threw five innings and earned the win in a 1-0 Braves victory. At 20 years old, he became the youngest pitcher in National League history to win his debut by that score.

Over the past two years, Wilson has been dominant with Gwinnett in Triple-A East only to have occasional starts with Atlanta. Last October was the zenith of his career when he defeated Clayton Kershaw in game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Wilson, technically still a rookie making just the eighth start of his Major League career, surrendered just one hit over six innings as Atlanta won 10-2 to take a 3-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series.

In his Atlanta career, Wilson was 5-4 with a 5.35 ERA.

After Monday’s loss to Milwaukee, Pittsburgh is 40-66, 23.5 games behind Milwaukee for first place in the National League Central. The Brewers are currently the hottest team in baseball having won eight of its last ten.

Landon Riley: The Liberty Flames were upset in the Atlantic Sun Tournament championship game by Jacksonville 7-3 on Saturday at Harmon Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Riley threw one inning of scoreless inning against the Dolphins with one walk and one strikeout. Liberty defeated North Florida 5-2 in Friday’s semifinal game. On Thursday, Jacksonville defeated the Flames 2-1, Liberty’s first loss in the tournament. On Friday morning, Liberty shut out Kennesaw State 6-0. The Flames now await for the NCAA Selection Show at noon on Memorial Day to learn if their season will continue. Projections from Baseball America and D1baseball.com both have Liberty receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. The Flames have two wins over North Carolina, as well as victories over Virginia and Virginia Tech. Liberty, which won the Atlantic Sun regular season championship, are 39-14. In 18 pitching appearances this season, Riley had a 2-0 record with a 4.08 ERA and five saves. In 17-and-two-thirds innings, Riley had 19 strikeouts and nine walks.

Joey Berini: #11 East Carolina was eliminated by UCF on Saturday in the American Athletic Conference Tournament at BayCare Park in Clearwater, Florida. Berini entered the game as a pinch hitter for the Pirates in the eighth inning and hit a two-out single to centerfield. It was Berini’s third hit of the season. Berini also played Wednesday at East Carolina defeated Cincinnati 13-9 in an elimination game. He went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter. East Carolina is 41-15 and will wind up with a spot in the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced later today. Berini has played in eleven games this year.

Brandon Andrews: The Jacksonville State baseball team ended the year with consecutive wins over Eastern Illinois. It was not enough for the Gamecocks to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. They finished 26-27, 10-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Andrews pitched in one game for Jacksonville State after he transferred from Nicholls State. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Bryse Wilson: After his win over the Toronto Blue Jays last Friday, Bryse Wilson was optioned back to the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East. On Friday night, Wilson earned the win as the Stripers defeated the Memphis Redbirds 8-2 in a rain-shortened six innings. It was the first complete game by a Gwinnett starter this year. He struck out five over six innings and surrendered only two runs. He also had a bunt hit in the third inning and scored off a home run by Jason Kipnis. In his last nine starts with the Stipers, Wilson is 8-0 with a 1.58 ERA dating back to July 21, 2019.

Marvin Jones: Jones competed for North Carolina Central at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Regional Preliminary Championships at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. Jones finished tied for 37th place in the high jump with a 2.06-meter leap. During his senior season, Jones had five top-5 finishes with three wins. He won the gold medal at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Olivia Ward: The former Cedar Ridge women’s tennis player ended the year on a strong note for Division III Methodist. On April 25, Ward defeated Chandler Brice of North Carolina Wesleyan 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in the opening round of the USA South Women’s Tennis Tournament. North Carolina Wesleyan won the match 6-3 at the Slick Family Tennis Center in Rocky Mount. Ward ended the year with wins in six consecutive matches. Methodist end the year 8-14, but finished 2nd in the USA South Conference with a 5-1 record.

Brad Debo: Though he didn’t play for N.C. State this season, Debo was still honored during the Wolfpack’s home game against Florida State on May 22 at Doak Field in Raleigh. Debo didn’t have a senior day game during his senior year in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Debo played in eight games in 2020 for the Wolfpack as a catcher and designated hitter. He hit .263 with one double. For his Wolfpack career, Debo hit .284 with nine home runs and 96 RBIs. He has started work as an organizational instructor for catchers at North Carolina Development Baseball out of Durham.

The Orange wrestling team captured the Big 8 Championship on Tuesday night. The Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 45-22 at Tiger Gymnasium on Tuesday night to finish 7-0 in the Big 8. Orange senior Hayden Horne had the most exciting match of the night. Competing at 220 pounds, Horne defeated Bryan Ramirez in sudden victory 8-7. Later in the night, Horne pinned Jordan’s Pablo Araujo Cruz in 2:57 to improve to 8-0 on the season. He has two pins. Horne was a starting right tackle for the Orange football team and was named All-Big 8 Conference earlier this month. In a new look double wing offense installed at the beginning of the second week of the season, Horne anchored the offensive line that relied heavily on the run throughout the season. He helped Orange gain 250 rushing yards against Vance County, 270 yards against Cedar Ridge and a season-best 373 yards in the season-finale at Chapel Hill. Horne will graduate next month and attend East Carolina this August. Horne will return to action on Tuesday for the Orange wrestling team in a tri-meet against Bartlett-Yancey and Walter Williams.

Bryse Wilson: On Tuesday morning, Bryse Wilson was recalled by the Atlanta Braves from Gwinnett of Triple-A East. Wilson made his fourth start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays at Truist Park. Wilson worked effectively and threw five shutout innings. In the sixth, Wilson conceded a two-run homer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Wilson wound up with a no decision. He threw six innings and struck out five. Wilson gave up six hits, two runs and one walk. The Braves bullpen couldn’t hold on to a 3-2 lead and lost 5-3. On Wednesday morning, Wilson was reassigned back to Gwinnett. He could pitch for the Stripers this weekend against the Louisville Bats.

Kayla Hodges: A week after the Elon women’s soccer team’s season came to an end after reaching the NCAA Tournament, Hodges was named the winner of the Robert C. Browne Sportsmanship Award. The award is presented annually to the male and female student athletes who have best displayed exemplary qualities of sportsmanship. “Her strength, leadership and aerial ability has been unwavering this season,” Elon women’s soccer coach Neil Payne said in a statement. “Along with our entire defensive unit, she has shown tremendous resolve, grit and determination all year.” Hodges is a Human Services major who has also worked as a coach for youth soccer. She has also spent numerous hours with community organizations. Hodges participated in the Phoenix Leadership Academy. She helped Elon win its first Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship last month.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team continued its winning ways in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday. The Bulldogs defeated #23 Ole Miss 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals in Tuscaloosa, AL. Davidson drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning to score the first run of the afternoon. In the fifth inning, Davidson doubled to left field. She also tagged two runners out at the plate, including one in the fifth inning that was the subject of a lengthy replay review.

Montana Davidson: Montana started at third base and was in the nine spot in the batting order for Mississippi State. She walked twice. Mississippi State has won eight in a row. They will face top-seeded Florida, ranked #4 in the country, in the quarterfinals on Thursday morning at noon.

Jaden Hurdle: The Patrick Henry Community College softball team captured a best-of-three series against Southeastern Community College on Wednesday. The Patriots won the third and deciding game 3-1 in Martinsville, VA. Hurdle went 0-for-2 and drew a walk in the third game. Patrick Henry won the opening game 4-2 on Tuesday. Hurdle went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth inning, which proved to be a valuable insurance run. Before Hurdle’s RBI, the Rams had narrowed what was once a 3-0 deficit to 3-2. Southeastern captured game 2 of the series 6-2. Hurdle had an RBI single. She also relieved starting pitcher Brianna Taylor in the circle. Hurdle threw three-and-one-thirds innings and surrendered just two hits and one run. She struck out three. Patrick Henry will start play in the Region X Division II Tournament at Springwood Park in Burlington. The Patriots will face the fifth-seed, Florence-Darlington Tech, Friday morning at 10 o’clock. This will be a two-day, double elimination tournament.

We step back in the time machine for the retro Orange Panther of the Week. We journey back to the week of March 7, where the winner is senior wingback/linebacker Elliott Woods. On March 12, Woods scored Orange’s only touchdown in a 7-6 win over Northern Durham. On that touchdown drive, Woods had a crucial 12-yard catch on a 4th down, which enabled the Panthers to continue the drive. Woods also started on defense and made five tackles. This season, Woods was a co-captain for Van Smith’s Panthers. For the second year in a row, Woods led Orange with 65 tackles. He also had nine tackles for loss, which was second on the team. In 2019, Woods had 87 tackles. Right now, Woods is a part of Orange’s wrestling team, which will face Chapel Hill on Tuesday for the Big 8 Conference championship. After Woods graduates from Orange next month, he will attend N.C. State to focus on majoring in business. Orange will certainly miss Woods’ presence on defense, where he accounted for over 150 tackles, as well as rushing for 731 yards in 18 career varsity games.

Mia Davidson: The inevitable finally happened this weekend as Mia Davidson became the all-time home run hitter in Mississippi State history. On Saturday, Davidson blasted a solo homer against Georgia for her 68th career home run. She surpassed Rafael Palmeiro for the most home runs in Mississippi State history, softball or baseball. The accolade included a congratulatory video from Palmeiro:

Davidson is now tied in Southeastern Conference softball history with Georgia’s Alyssa DiCarlo for second place on the all-time home run list. The career leader is Florida’s Lauren Haeger with 71. Davidson went 1-for-3 on Saturday. On Friday, Mia finished 0-for-2, but scored a run after she walked in the fourth inning. She was driven home off a single from Jackie McKenna. On Sunday, Davidson went 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs. She hit a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning to score Brylie St. Clair. In the first, Davidson had an RBI single.

Montana Davidson: Mississippi State concluded the regular season by sweeping the weekend series from Georgia. On Friday, Montana went 1-for-3 when she reached on a bunt single and stole a base in the third inning. It was her fourth stolen base of the season as Mississippi State won 4-2. On Saturday, Montana drew a bases-loaded walk in the 2nd inning. In the fourth inning, she scored off a fielder’s choice. In Sunday’s 4-3 win, Montana went 1-for-3. Mississippi State finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, which matches the 1999 team for the second-longest SEC winning streak in school history. The Bulldogs are 32-22, 8-15 in the SEC. They will open the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss on Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team has claimed the Southern Conference regular season championship. On Sunday, the Spartans completed a three-game sweep of Western Carolina at UNCG Softball Stadium and will host the Southern Conference Tournament this week. UNCG will start play against Mercer on Thursday.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team completed its first full season in the opening round of the Region X Tournament on Saturday. Top-seeded Louisburg swept a best-of-three series from the Red Hawks at Sheila Cotton Field in Louisburg. The Hurricanes won game one 24-5 in five innings and the final game 8-7. Andrews went a combined 0-for-5. It was the first time all year that Andrews went hitless in consecutive games and ended a seven-game hitting streak. In her freshman year at Catawba Valley, Andrews led the team with 41 RBIs and 53 hits. She finished with a .442 batting average (2nd on the team), with eight home runs (also 2nd on the team). Catawba Valley ends the season 23-13 overall, 12-8 in the Region X West Division.

Marvin Jones: Jones earned the gold medal in the high jump during the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro on Saturday. Jones, a senior who lettered at Cedar Ridge, leaped 2.09 meters for his first collegiate gold medal. It was his second career MEAC medal. He claimed a bronze in the 2020 MEAC Indoor Track c& Field Championships.

Jaylin Jones: For the first time in school history, the Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team is going to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Falcons defeated Piedmont 17-13 to win the USA South Conference Tournament at Lefko Field in Misenheimer on Sunday. Jones, who was named All-Conference as a defensive midfielder last week, had one ground ball for the Falcons. Pfeiffer will face Lynchburg College in Shellenberger Field for the opening round of the Division III Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

Bryse Wilson: After being optioned by the Atlanta Braves last week, Wilson made his first start for the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East on Thursday night. Wilson threw five scoreless innings to earn the victory as Gwinnett defeated the Charlotte Knights 4-0 at Truist Field. He became the first pitcher in Gwinnett history to win seven consecutive starts. Dating back to July 21, 2019, Wilson is 7-0 with a 0.80 ERA for Gwinnett. Against the Knights, Wilson scattered four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in his first Triple-A start of the season.

Cooper Porter: The Pensacola State baseball team had its season come to an end in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8 Tournament. The Pirates lost to Santa Fe College 10-0 on Friday night in Lakeland, FL. In the opening game last Wednesday, Pensacola State edged Seminole State College of Florida 4-3 in ten innings. Porter entered the game as a pinch hitter. In 18 games this season, Porter hit .256 with one home run and six RBIs. He also pitched in three games. In one-and-two-thirds innings, Porter gave up two hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Just weeks after ending the season with a classic game against Chapel Hill at Culton-Peerman Stadium, six Orange Panthers have been named to the All-Big 8 Conference squad for the 2021 season.

Linebacker/wingback Elliott Woods, wingback/cornerback Eric Brooks, offensive tackle Hayden Horne, linebacker/quarterback Jayce Hodges and cornerback/wingback J.J. Torres were all named to the first team. Also making the first team as punter was Darius Satterfield.

During a six-game regular season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Panthers finished 3-3. The record can’t begin to tell the tale of a team that had to reinvent itself offensively after the opening week of the season and was competitive with the Big 8’s best teams. It’s possible that Orange was two kicks away from making the state playoffs.

Woods led Orange with 65 tackles. Linebacker Jackson Wood was second on the team with 36 tackles. Against Northern Durham and Northwood, Woods scored Orange’s only touchdowns. He was also second on the team with 280 rushing yards.

The Panthers opened the year with a 20-0 loss to Southern Durham at Auman Stadium. In the ensuing week, quarterback Nigel Slanker left the team and transferred to Cedar Ridge, where he practiced but never played. Hodges became Orange’s starting quarterback and engineered a team that relied almost exclusively on the run for the remainder of the season.

After a crash course in the double wing the following week in practice, Hodges led Orange’s offense in a 7-6 upset of Northern Durham at Durham County Stadium. Woods scored the Panthers’ only touchdown early in the second quarter. He finished with 43 yards from scrimmage and five tackles. In addition to playing quarterback, Hodges started at linebacker, where he had six tackles, including two for a loss.

For the season, Hodges had 19 tackles and four tackles for loss. He also had an interception late in the first half against Vance County that set up a touchdown as the Panthers came from behind to beat the Vipers 22-8 on March 20.

Brooks, a senior, got better as the year went on in the new offense. In his final game at Orange, Brooks ran for a career-best 128 yards, his first-ever 100 yard games at the varsity level. Brooks scored a 2-point conversion with 24 seconds remaining to put the Panthers ahead of the Tigers 22-21. He led the Panthers with 309 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Against Vance County, Brooks scored three touchdowns. He also started at cornerback after starters Zahmir Watkins and Daniel Champion suffered injuries against Southern Durham.

With the greater reliance on an old-fashioned running game, Horne anchored the offensive line from his right tackle position. After a fumble-prone Orange offense was held to a measly 50 yards against Southern Durham, the Panthers had 151 yards the following week against a solid Northern Durham defense. Orange’s offense largely improved from that point forward. Horne and co-horts Brendon Worsham, Jaylen Partin, Jose Guzman and Dari’us Matkins helped the offense register 250 yards against Vance County, 270 yards against Cedar Ridge and a season-best 373 yards against Chapel Hill.

Torres started on offense and defense in several games. He rushed for 218 yards and scored one rushing touchdown against Cedar Ridge (his first came in the 2019 season opener against R.J. Reynolds). Torres had an interception against Northwood on the Chargers’ opening drive in their matchup on March 26 in Pittsboro.

In his first year as starting punter, Satterfield averaged 27.4 yard per punt. His longest punt was 53 yards and two of his kicks were downed inside the 20-yard line. Satterfield showed so much promise in his first season that, last week, he was invited to the Kicking World Kicking Camps National Showcase in Austin, Texas on December 4-5.

Making honorable mention All-Big 8 Conference from Orange was fullback/linebacker Jackson Wood, Trey Grizzle and Elijah Danley. Wood scored Orange’s last touchdown on the season against Chapel Hill. He also led the team with ten tackles for loss. Danley, a junior, had three interceptions on the season. Grizzle caught a touchdown pass in his final game for Orange agains the Tigers. He registered 19 tackles and six tackles for loss.

Orange was also honored with the sportsmanship award from the Big 8 Conference.

On Thursday, we’ll review the All-Big 8 Conference selections for Cedar Ridge and the rest of the Big 8 Conference awards.

Jaylin Jones: Former Orange lacrosse, football and track & field star Jaylin Jones had a special moment on a rainy day for the Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team on Saturday. Jones scored a goal for the Falcons, who defeated William Peace University 24-11 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. Jones, on his senior day, scored an unassisted goal during a 12-0 Falcon run in the second quarter. It was Jones’ first goal of the season. He also scooped up two ground balls. Pfeiffer set a school record with its ninth consecutive win. The Falcons finished the regular season 10-1, 8-0 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Next Saturday, Pfeiffer will host Greensboro College for the USA South Athletic Conference Eastern Division Championship.

Wyatt Jones: Jones, the first Orange player to suit up for a Division I lacrosse team, returned to action for Mercer on Saturday. #14 Richmond defeated the Bears 21-8 at Five Star Stadium in Macon, GA. Jones entered the game and fired one shot on net. Mercer is 5-7 overall, 2-3 in the Southern Conference.

Bryse Wilson: In his second start with the Atlanta Braves this season, Wilson suffered a loss on Sunday. The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated Atlanta 5-0 in seven innings in the opening game of a doubleheader at Truist Park in Cumberland, GA. Wilson surrendered three runs and four hits in four innings. He struck out four and walked two. Wilson is 1-1. The Braves didn’t score a run in the doubleheader. They were no-hit in the second game by Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner in a 7-0 loss.

Landon Riley: The Liberty Flames defeated Coastal Carolina 6-4 on Sunday to clinch the series at Worthington Field in Lynchburg, VA. Riley worked the ninth inning for his fifth save of the season. Against five batters, Riley allowed two hits, but also struck out the side. The Flames are now 27-10 after taking two-out-of-three against the Chanticleers. They are 16-2 at home.

Joey Berini: In a weekend series against UCF, Berini entered two games for #9 East Carolina as a pinch hitter. In a 10-5 loss to the Knights on Friday, Berini picked up his second hit as a Pirate with a leadoff single the sixth inning. On Sunday, UCF defeated the Pirates 6-1. Berini struck out to end the game. East Carolina is 28-7, 10-2 in the American Athletic Conference.

Phillip Berger: The Division III William Peace baseball team had its season come to an end after losing to Greensboro College on Sunday. Berger started for the Pacers and suffered the loss. The Pride defeated the Pacers 5-4 at Ted Leonard Park in Greensboro. Berger started and threw four innings. He surrendered seven runs off eleven hits. Berger struck out three with zero walks. On Friday, Greensboro edged Peace 5-4 in the opening game of a doubleheader. Berger threw one inning of relief and surrendered two runs off two hits and two walks. He ends the year 5-4 with a 4.85 ERA. Berger recorded 39 strikeouts and 25 walks in his sophomore season.

Cooper Porter: Porter threw one-thirds of an inning for Pensacola State in its 12-3 win over Gulf Coast State College on Sunday in the opening game of a doubleheader. He struck out the only batter he faced. Pensacola State is 24-16. Porter has played 15 games for the Pirates this season. He is hitting .265 with one home run and six RBIs. He has two pitching appearances this year.

Mia Davidson: On Friday night, Davidson tweeted that she had been accepted to Graduate School. On Saturday, Davidson’s Mississippi State softball team won its first game against an Southeastern Conference opponent this year when they defeated Texas A&M 8-1 at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS. Davidson hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning, her 14th of the year. Davidson is now one home run shy of the all-time baseball and softball home run record in Mississippi State history, set by Rafael Palmeiro. Davidson has 66 career homers. On Saturday, she went 1-for-2 with 4 RBIs and a run scored. She also threw a runner out at third to end the fifth inning. Texas A&M defeated Mississippi State 7-5 on Friday. Davidson went 0-for-3. On Sunday, the Aggies clinched the series over the Bulldogs with an 8-1 win. Davidson finished 1-for-3 with the first single of the game.

Montana Davidson: On Sunday, Montana started at third base for Mississippi State and finished 1-for-2 with a walk. In Friday loss, Montana went 0-for-2. On Saturday, she finished 0-for-3. Mississippi State is 25-21 overall, 1-14 in the SEC. The Bulldogs travel to South Carolina next weekend.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team swept Samford in a three-game series this weekend at UNCG Softball Stadium. Dalehite entered the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, a 1-0 Spartan victory, as a pinch runner for designated player Kayleigh Willis. UNCG is 25-14 overall.

Jaden Hurdle: The Patrick Henry Community College softball team swept a doubleheader from Florence-Darlington Technical College on Friday. The Patriots have won six of its last seven. In the nightcap, Hurdle earned the win in the pitching circle as PHCC prevailed 8-5. Hurdle replaced starter Brianna Taylor in the fifth inning. Hurdle tossed three innings of shutout ball. She conceded two hits and one walk with one strikeout. At the plate, Hurdle went 1-for-4. Patrick Henry won the opener 4-3 in ten innings. Hurdle finished 1-for-3 with two walks. Through 30 games, Hurdle is 3rd on the team in batting average (.369), RBIs (22), home runs (6) and hits (31). She’s second on the squad with 15 extra base hits.

In terms of pitching, Hurdle is now 4-1 with a 5.12 ERA. She has 26 strikeouts and ten walks.

Joey McMullin: Former Orange basketball guard Joey McMullin has announced his transfer to Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst. This winter, McMullin played at Bryn Athyn College, a Division III school in Philadelphia. McMullin scored over 1,000 points in his Orange career. He was a regular starter for Orange’s 2016-17 team that captured the Big 8 Regular Season Championship and advanced to the 3A State Quarterfinals. In his final win at Orange, McMullin rolled up 36 points against Northern Durham. Sandhills Community College plays in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. On Monday night, the Flyers advanced to the quarterfinals of the NJCAA National Championship with a win over John Wood Community College.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team swept a doubleheader over Jackson State on Tuesday. Davidson hit home runs in both games, bringing her career total to 65. She is now tied for fourth in Southeastern Conference history with 65 career home runs. In Mississippi State’s opening 8-0 win in five innings, Davidson went 1-for-3. In the second game, Davidson launched a solo blast in the 3rd inning. The Bulldogs captured the nightcap 10-3. Davidson went 1-for-4. Also in the second game, Davidson split time at second base and at first base. She has now played every infield position for her career at Mississippi State. 10 of Davidson’s last 12 hits have left the ballpark.

Montana Davidson: Montana came off the bench to play third base for Mississippi State in both ends of the doubleheader against the Tigers. She went 1-for-2 in the opener. In the nightcap, Montana scored off a single by Chloe Malau’ulu in the fourth inning. Montana also went 1-for-2 in the second game. Mississippi State is 23-19 and will host Texas A&M for a three-game series starting Friday in Starkville.

Grace Andrews: On Monday, the Catawba Valley Community College softball team split a doubleheader against Florence-Darlington Tech at Highland Recreation Center in Hickory. In the opening game, Florence-Darlington edged the Red Hawks 3-2. Andrews went 0-for-3, which ended her nine-game hitting streak. In the second game, Andrews rebounded in the second game, going 2-for-3 with her seventh home run of the season as the Red Hawks whitewashed the Stingers 6-0. Through 28 games, Andrews leads or is tied for the team lead in four offensive categories: a .478 batting average with 44 hits, seven home runs (tied with Alleigh Himes for the team lead) and 32 RBIs. Andrews is second on the team with ten doubles.

Landon Riley: It took two-thirds of the season, but Riley finally surrendered a run for the Liberty Flames–albeit an unearned run. Duke defeated the Flames 7-0 on Tuesday at Worthington Field. It was Liberty’s first home loss of the season. In the eighth inning, Riley faced four batters. He surrendered one run off two hits and one walk. LIberty is 5-2 against the ACC this year. The Flames are still in first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference with an 11-2 mark, one game ahead of Kennesaw State. Liberty hosts Coastal Carolina starting Friday for a three-game nonconfernece series.

Kayla Hodges: After winning the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Championship on Saturday, the Elon women’s soccer team will face Milwaukee to open the 48-team tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. The winner will face Florida State, the #1 overall national seed, on May 1. Hodges has started all nine of the Phoenix’s games this season and was named 2nd-team All-Colonial Athletic Association last week.

Kate Burgess: The UNC Rowing team competed at Lake Hartwell, South Carolina last Saturday. The Tar Heels competed against Clemson and Oklahoma. The Tigers won with 81 points, while the Sooners finished with 70 points. The Tar Heels registered 65. Burgess was on UNC’s 2V4 crew, which defeated Clemson’s third and fourth boats with a time of 8:11.0.

Jaylin Jones: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team won its eighth straight game on Sunday, rolling past Methodist 27-12 at Monarch Stadium in Fayetteville. Jaylin Jones, a former Orange High star, scooped up one ground ball for the Falcons. Pfeiffer’s eight consecutive home wins matches the school record set by the 1994 team. The Falcons host William Peace to wrap up the regular season on Friday.

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A four home run first-inning turned out to be more than enough for Bryse Wilson to earn his fourth Major League victory.

On a weekend where the notorious Chicago wind blew out of Wrigley Field, Wilson calmed down after a shaky start to help the Atlanta Braves rout the Chicago Cubs 13-4 on Sunday night.

Wilson actually had a plate appearance before he threw his first pitch. That’s because the Braves hit four home runs in the first inning. All of the dingers came off of Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks, who came the first pitcher in the 145-year history of the franchise to surrender four home runs in the first inning. Freddie Freeman, Travis d’Arnaud, Ehire Adrianza and Guillermo Heredia all hit dingers in the first inning.

It was the first time the Braves hit four home runs in the first inning since May 28, 2003 against Cincinnati.

Wilson allowed three runs over five innings, including two homers to Anthony Rizzo. The five home runs in the first inning was the most in a Major League game since a Houston-Baltimore game on August 19, 2016.

“Bryse kept it together and righted himself after a shaky first inning,” said Atlanta Manager Brian Snitker, a member of the Durham Bulls during its Carolina League days in the mid-1980s. “He throws the ball really well.”

After Rizzo’s homer, Chicago’s Kris Bryant scored after a throwing error by Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley to narrow Atlanta’s lead to 6-2.

Wilson required 31 pitches to get out of the first inning, but he needed just 38 pitches over the next four innings to earn the win.

In the second inning, Wilson allowed a leadoff double to Chicago’s David Bote, who was immediately thrown out at third after Hendricks attempted a sacrifice bunt. Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman retired Bote. Ian Happ flew out to Heredia and Willson Contreas grounded out to Riley to end the inning.

Rizzo hit his second homer of the game to lead off the third and cut Atlanta’s lead to 6-3. Wilson retired the rest of the Cubs’ order in just seven pitches, striking out Javier Baez on three tosses to end the inning.

Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a lower abdominal injury as he slid into first base during a pickoff attempt in the fourth inning. Acuna eventually scored off a sacrifice fly from d’Arnaud to extend the Braves lead to 7-3, but left the game shortly afterwards.

Wilson retired the Cubs in order in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, Contreras reached on an infield single, but Rizzo lined into an unassisted double play by Freeman, who doubled Contreras off first. It turned out to be the final pitch of Wilson’s night.

In the top of the sixth, Heredia put the game on ice with a grand slam to center to vault the Braves into a 13-3 lead. Wilson got another at-bat before he was replaced in the bottom of the inning. He struck out swinging.

It was Wilson’s first start since Game 4 of the 2020 National League Championship Series, where he outdueled Los Angeles Dodgers Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw to win 10-2 and bring the Braves on the brink of its first National League Championship since 1999.

Wilson’s background in football at Orange High was a constant source of discussion for ESPN play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian and colorman Alex Rodriguez during Sunday night’s broadcast. Vasgersian mentioned that Wilson originally committed to play baseball at UNC before opting to sign with the Braves organization straight out of Orange High, where he led the Panthers to four consecutive Big 8 Conference Baseball Championships. He was also a member of Orange’s varsity football team from 2013-2016, where he was a linebacker, running back, wide receiver and backup quarterback under head coach Pat Moser.