Orange Softball

True to the makeup of a team that achieved success despite limited varsity experience, five Orange softball players were named to the All-Big 8 Conference team.

Most notably, three of the honorees had not played a full varsity schedule before this season.

Junior 2nd baseman/3rd baseman Mary Moss Wirt, junior catcher Lauren Jackson, sophomore shortstop Carson Bradsher, sophomore centerfielder Serenity McPherson and freshman right fielder/pitcher Caden Robinson were all named to the first-team following a poll of the Big 8 Conference’s coaches.

In addition, Orange’s Gracie Walker was named Big 8 Pitcher of the Year.

Orange finished the regular season 12-0 and lost to Southwestern Randolph in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs last Monday. It was the first Orange softball team to ever finish the regular season undefeated.

Wirt, who committed to Elon University before the season started, hit .457 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. She hit home runs in Orange’s opening games against East Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge, which was the beginning of a season’s worth of domination for Orange. While Wirt’s offensive contributions were impressive enough, her biggest value came on defense. During a three-game stretch where 3rd baseman Emma Puckett was out of the lineup, Wirt took over her spot while freshman Delaney Shaffer played second. Wirt had a team-high five assists in Orange’s 11-9 win over Cedar Ridge in nine innings on April 15, a classic game where the Red Wolves scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning after trailing 9-2. Wirt made two huge defensive plays during Cedar Ridge’s rally. The first came after Cedar Ridge’s ShiLi Quade laid down a gorgeous bunt towards third with runners at first and second. Wirt, realizing that discretion was the better part of valor, opted to hold the ball and surrender the hit instead of potentially throwing it into right field.

After Cedar Ridge tied the game 9-9, the Red Wolves had the bases loaded with two out when Wirt fielded a grounder hit by Emma-Rae Sharp. Instead of going to first, Wirt threw to Jackson at the plate to retire Marlee Rakouskas, the potential winning run, and send the game into extra innings. Wirt scored the game-winning run and recorded the final out.

Jackson, a junior, hit .526 in her third year as a varsity starter. She led the team with five home runs and was tied for second with 17 RBIs. She hit four home runs in Orange’s last three games, including two against Northern Durham in a 12-0 win, which concluded the regular season. Against the Knights, she went 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Jackson hit safely in eleven of Orange’s 12 games, and it would have been 12, but she was walked and hit by a pitch against Southern Durham in her only two plate appearances. Against Vance County, Jackson had a two-run double in the fourth inning for a victory that officially clinched the conference championship.

In her first full season at the varsity level, Bradsher led Orange in nine offensive categories. She hit .700 with 28 hits, 20 RBIs, 24 runs scored, seven doubles, four triples, 16 stolen bases, a 1.075 slugging percentage, and a .739 on-base percentage. McPherson and Bradsher occupied the top two batting slots in Coach Johnny Barefoot’s batting order in almost every game. The combination triggered an offense that outscored opponents 172-23. In her season debut against Cedar Ridge, Bradsher went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Against Northwood on April 23, Bradsher went 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs and three runs scored. Stretching back to her freshman year, limited to four games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradsher has hit safely in 15 of 16 career games. The only exception was a 22-0 win over Chapel Hill, where she was walked three times.

McPherson hit .533 with 24 hits and 22 runs scored. She was second on the team in all of those categories. McPherson also was fourth on the team with 16 RBIs. In Orange’s first meeting with Northern Durham, McPherson started the game with a triple and scored off a sacrifice fly by Bradsher. The following inning, McPherson laced a three-run homer to centerfield to put the Lady Panthers ahead 5-2. In the fifth inning, she threw out Northern shortstop Macey Ellis at the plate trying to score, which secured an Orange win that guaranteed a playoff spot.

Robinson, who usually hit third in Orange’s order, finished with a .429 batting average. She was second on the team with 17 RBIs. Robinson was also the backup pitcher to starter Gracie Walker. In the circle, Robinson was 5-0 in ten appearances with four starts. She had a 0.70 ERA with 34 strikeouts and three walks. In her first varsity game, Robinson went 4-for-4 with a double and a triple against East Chapel Hill. The following week against Cedar Ridge, she went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, including two doubles. She hit safely in all of Orange’s regular season games. Against Northwood on March 25, Robinson had four RBIs during a 12-run second inning. She started with a 2-run double, then drilled a two-run homer to centerfield.

Walker and Kelsey Tackett were named honorable mention. As Orange’s top pitcher, Walker went 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA. She had 37 strikeouts and eleven walks. Walker, who also played right field, hit .407.

Tackett, as a designated player, hit .462. Of her 12 hits, five were doubles.

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.

Savannah Wynne broke her nose in the first inning of Orange’s playoff game on Monday night. She wanted to stay in anyway.

A passing thunderstorm that cut through Hillsborough hours before the first pitch between the Lady Panthers and Southwestern Randolph had created a bumpy outfield, despite the best efforts of Orange softball’s coaching staff that worked on the field right up past game time. Randolph’s Alley Lowe lined a 3-2 fastball through to the outfield, which took a sudden, violent hop off the grass and into Wynne’s face.

Immediately, blood started coming out of her nose, which was covered with a towel by Orange trainer Emily Gaddy right away. It was only after lobbying from Gaddy that Wynne agreed to be replaced by freshman Delaney Shaffer. But she told Gaddy “I’m going back in.”

And she did. In the fifth inning, Wynne was back in left field. Most players who return from injury in the middle of the game aren’t effective. Wynne, however, lined a double to right field to drive in Emma Puckett to continue building an Orange rally after Southwestern Randolph jumped ahead 6-0. The Cougars would hold on to win 7-5.

Afterwards, Wynne’s mother drove her to UNC Primary Care, where she walked in still wearing her uniform. Doctors had to glue the top of her nasal cavity back together. But she had to go back in the game because, well, as her mother says, “softball is in her heart.”

Chances are several Cedar Ridge players would have done the same thing.

In its final year in the Big 8 Conference, Orange rolled to the league title. They scored at least eleven runs in every game. Only one team came within nine runs of beating the Lady Panthers during the regular season.

Naturally, that team was Cedar Ridge. On April 15, it appeared Orange won on its way to its eighth straight win in dominant fashion. They led 9-2 going into the bottom of the seventh behind three runs scored by Carson Bradsher and two more from Serenity McPherson.

Then Cedar Ridge came up with a rally for the ages. They scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. For context, Orange had not surrendered four runs in a game yet, and they still didn’t until this past Monday night.

Cedar Ridge would have won if it wasn’t for the defensive reliability of Mary Moss Wirt, normally a second baseman who played third against the Red Wolves because Puckett was out of the lineup. Forgotten in the avalanche of runs that Cedar Ridge scored in the seventh was Wirt making the final out on a short grounder hit by Emma-Rae Sharp. Wirt, two steps in front of third base, fired to catcher Lauren Jackson, who retired Marlee Rakouskas.

The talk after the game among Cedar Ridge coaches, among other subjects, was “What if we played in a smaller ballpark?” For a brief moment, Red Wolf shortstop Ava Lowry appeared to win the game for Cedar Ridge with a long fly ball to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning. The only problem was she hit it to right center, which extends to 227 feet–the longest part of the stadium. The ball landed two feet shy of the wall and Lowry settled for a triple. Carson Bradsher made the final out of the inning to extend the game into the ninth, which led to another reminder of how bright the future of Hillsborough softball truly is.

Shaffer, a freshman who made just her second start, had the game-winning hit when she drove in Wirt in the ninth inning. Shaffer finished 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs. After her heroics at the plate, Shaffer made the game’s biggest defensive play in the bottom of the ninth when she caught a sinking popup off the bat of Alexandria Matthews at second base, then threw to first for a double play.

Years ago, Cedar Ridge 2nd baseman Tori Dalehite and Orange 1st baseman Jaden Hurdle started a tradition where they would pose together for a picture after every game they played against each other, regardless of who won. In 2017, Orange dominated the Red Wolves en route to the 3A State Title. In 2018, Cedar Ridge swept Orange on its way to the first softball conference championship in school history. Each time, the following morning, Dalehite and Hurdle would be on their mother’s Facebook feed, smiling with softballs in their hands and their arms around each other.

Last month, Cedar Ridge pitcher Hayley King and Orange’s Carson Bradsher continued the tradition.

For King, it’s been a tough 2021. In January, she lost her grandmother to COVID-19. Sherry Carter never missed any of Haley’s games. Not during the sweltering heat of summer travel ball, which usually included a new town every weekend. Not during the early games of a regular, non-pandemic season when the spectators are often bundled up amidst blustery weather like they’re at Lambeau Field, except it’s a softball diamond.

Against Orange, Haley’s grandfather brought along a t-shirt that Sherry wore to many of Haley’s games. Hayley kept that in her back pocket during games for the rest of the season. She rubbed it whenever she needed inspiration.

As the Cedar Ridge seniors gathered together on Friday night after its doubleheader sweep of Southern Durham, ShiLi Quade, Rakouskas, Matthews, Sharp, Reagan Ruhl, and Lajoan Stuart hoped that wouldn’t be the end. The Red Wolves ended the season with four straight wins, but the following day their hopes of a state playoff spot was dashed.

Cedar Ridge Coach Allen Byrd didn’t want to talk like it was the end on Friday night, but started to reflect on a group that help bring two Big 8 Conference championships and a 50-11 record since 2017 to the program.

“Those six kids devoted their lives to this program,” Byrd said. “They helped build this program. We played a little down this year. We’ve lost a lot over the last few years but they never gave up. It’s said it ended for them.”

The future is bright for both programs. Next season, Cedar Ridge third baseman Takia Nichols will be a senior, but her name is firmly embedded in the Red Wolf record books for generations to come. She’s already the all-time home run hitter, softball or baseball, in school history with 26 dingers after 42 career games. Her teammate, shortstop Ava Lowry, has already committed to play at North Carolina Wesleyan and will also return.

Orange only loses two seniors in first baseman Gracie Colley and third baseman Emma Puckett. Of Orange’s ten starters on Monday night, half of them were either freshmen or sophomores.

Combined with the fact that Orange, Cedar Ridge and Northwood will join a new league that includes defending 3A State Champion Eastern Alamance, powerful Western Alamance and longtime contender Person, 2022 may make this spring’s thrill ride look like a merry-go-round.

When you’re used to winning, the end of the season feels sudden.

For Orange softball, losing in the first round of the 3A State Playoffs was one thing. How it happened was another.

For a fleeting moment in the 7th inning, it appeared Panther designated player Kelsey Tackett would bring the tying run to bat with a sharply hit line drive to right field. It would have been her second hit of the game.

Southwestern Randolph second baseman Carleigh Whitson, with the reflexes of a cat, stood in the way.

Well, dove in the way.

With her body parallel to the ground, Whitson lunged on a diving catch for the final out. In an instant, Orange’s 12-game winning streak was over. So was its season.

Whitson’s defensive gem was an appropriate finale. The Lady Panthers romped through the Big 8 Conference by forcing opposing defenses into mistakes and racked up one unearned run after another until they captured the league championship.

The message that Orange sent to opposing teams was “prove you can play defense on us.” It worked until Monday night, when Southwestern Randolph showed it was the best defensive team the Lady Panthers had faced.

The Cougars (9-4) defeated Orange 7-5 at Orange Softball Field in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. Southwestern Randolph, who tied Southern Alamance for the Mid-Piedmont Conference championship, will travel to Clayton for the second round on Wednesday night.

Orange ends the season 12-1 after winning the Big 8 Championship outright. It was the first time all year that the Lady Panthers were held below eleven runs in a game.

Orange pitcher Gracie Walker, who injured her quad while running to first on a single in the 6th inning against Northern Durham last Thursday, was pulled in the second inning after she surrendered four runs on three hits and two walks. Freshman Caden Robinson pitched the rest of the way. In five-and-two-thirds innings, she conceded five hits and three runs, with six strikeouts.

“I don’t know if we were tight to begin the game,” Orange Coach Johnny Barefoot said. “We knew what we had to do. We might have thought it was do or die early. But they settled down and I’m very proud of them.”

Southwestern Randolph struck for two runs in the first inning. Leadoff batter Alex Coleman, who came into the game hitting .733, walked. After Haley Epps moved her over on a sacrifice bunt, Walker struck out Molly Strider. Cougar catcher Gracie Ward stroked a single to centerfield to bring in Coleman.

Right fielder Ally Lowe lined a single to left that took a sharp bounce off the ground and struck left fielder Savannah Wynne in the face. The hit scored courtesy runner Lileigh Payne. Wynne suffered a broken nose and left the game–for two innings. She was taken to the hospital later, but remarkably finished the game.

In its first at-bat, Orange put Southwest Randolph to the test right away. Serenity McPherson lined the first pitch she saw off the leg of freshman Cougar pitcher Lindsey Beck, who remained in the game. Shortstop Carson Bradsher reached on an infield hit. Normally, McPherson and Bradsher each getting on board to start an inning is a recipe for disaster against opposing teams. Instead, the Cougars emerged unscathed when catcher Lauren Jackson grounded out to Strider at third base, then first baseman Lindsi Brown threw to Ward to tag out McPherson at the plate for the final out.

Centerfielder Caressa King walked to lead off the 2nd inning. After Beck delivered another sacrifice bunt, Brown lined a hard single off Emma Puckett’s leg at third base to score King. Robinson replaced Walker as pitcher, but Coleman drilled a double to the right field gap to plate Brown and increase Southwestern Randolph’s lead to 4-0.

Orange freshman Delaney Shaffer led off the third inning with a solid bunt to third. Against most teams in the Big 8 Conference, it would have been a much-needed leadoff hit. Against the Cougars, it was bare-handed by Strider, who fired to first for an out.

As the Lady Panthers’ offense struggled to get on track, the Cougars relied on the longball to pad its lead. King led off the fourth inning with a solo blast to centerfield. In the fifth, Strider stroked a first-pitch fastball over the centerfield wall to push the SWRHS advantage to 6-0.

Jackson put a long-awaited jolt into the Orange offense with a double to the right-centerfield wall to lead off the sixth inning Mary Moss Wirt lined a two-run homer over the left field wall, nearly hitting the scoreboard, for Orange’s first runs. But it wasn’t over.

Puckett sent a squibber off the end of her bat barely five feet from the plate for a single. Wynne, with a yet-to-be diagnosed broken nose, reentered the game and stroked a double to right field which scored Puckett. Walker, who moved to right field after being replaced as pitcher, lined a fastball to right field that was nearly caught by Ally Lowe. Puckett scored to cut the Cougar lead to 6-4.

This was the dream scenario for an Orange comeback. Walker at second with one out and the tying run at the plate. But Beck struck out McPherson, then Bradsher flew out to left field when Coleman made the catch despite the wind nearly blowing it over her head.

Coleman scored Southwestern Randolph’s final run. She reached off a perfect bunt right that inched down the third base line. She stole second and went to third after Epps reached on an error. Strider grounded out to Bradsher, which brought Coleman in.

Trailing 7-4, Orange got hope from Jackson, who lined a solo homer to left field. Jackson ended the year with four home runs in her final four games.

As Orange’s season ended, its stint in the Big 8 Conference is also over. They will move into a whole new world in a yet-to-be-named league that’s so full of softball powerhouses, the NCHSAA should just call it the Southeastern Conference Northern Division and be done with it.

There’s defending 3A State Champion Eastern Alamance. Perennial power Western Alamance. And familiar face Person, who hasn’t been a conference rival to Orange in over 20 years. That will change in August.

Monday’s battle featured teams that were mirror images of each other. Orange loses two seniors, Emma Puckett and Gracie Colley. The Cougars will lose just three. Both teams had freshman pitchers the vast majority of the game.

As Orange ventures into a new conference with stiffer competition, Barefoot isn’t about to forget his memorable first year at Orange that made history, even if the end came too soon.

“They battled,” Barefoot said. “Most teams when they were down 6-0 would have just hung their head. I told them the only difference between winning and losing is those that give up. They come to life and they played hard. I’m proud of them.”

Jaylin Jones: Jones was named to the Division III USA South Athletic Conference first-team as a short-stick defensive midfielder over the weekend. Jones, who played lacrosse and football at Orange, also was named to the USA South All-East Division first-team. On Saturday, Pfeiffer captured the USA South East Division championship with a 13-11 win over Greensboro College at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. It was Pfeiffer’s tenth consecutive victory, a school record. Jones had two ground balls and created two turnovers. Next weekend, Pfeiffer will face Piedmont College for the USA South Conference championship at Lefko Field. The winner advances to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Montana Davidson: On Friday, the former Orange High shortstop hit two home runs for the Mississippi State softball team in an 8-7 loss to South Carolina at Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia, S.C. In the second inning, Montana drilled a two-run homer to centerfield. In the fourth, Davidson hit a solo blast to left field. Montana finished 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Mississippi State bounced back with wins on Saturday and Sunday to take the series. On Saturday, Montana had an RBI off a fielder’s choice to wrap up a 6-run 1st inning as the Bulldogs won 6-2. Davidson went 2-for-3 with an RBI double as Mississippi State won 7-1. For the weekend, Montana hit .400 with a team-high 6 RBIs.

Mia Davidson: Mia tied a Mississippi State record with her 67th career home run in Sunday’s win over the Gamecocks. Davidson hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to tie Rafael Palmeiro for the most home runs in Mississippi State history, baseball or softball. Mia is now in 3rd place in Southeastern Conference softball history for career home runs behind Florida’s Lauren Haeger (71) and Georgia’s Alyssa DiCarlo (69). Davidson also drew a walk with the bases loaded against the Gamecocks in the sixth inning. On Saturday, Mia drove in the Bulldogs’ opening run with another bases loaded walk. She finished 1-for-3. On Friday, she went 0-for-3. Mississippi State is now 27-22, 3-15 in the SEC.

Tori Dalehite: On Saturday, Mercer defeated UNC Greensboro softball 2-1 in the opening game of a doubleheader at Sikes Field in Macon, GA. Dalehite entered the game as a pinch runner. The Spartans rebounded to win the final two games of the series and are now 28-15 overall, 11-4 in the Southern Conference.

Jaden Hurdle: On the weekend she celebrated her 19th birthday, Hurdle had several strong performances for the Patrick Henry Community College softball team. On Sunday, Patrick Henry swept a doubleheader from Surry Community College in Martinsville, VA. In the opening 4-3 win, Hurdle earned the save as she threw the final two-thirds of an inning. She surrendered one hit. At the plate, Hurdle went 0-for-3. The Patriots won the nightcap 4-0. Hurdle hit her ninth home run of the season. She also had an RBI double and finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. On Friday, Florence-Darlington Technical College swept a doubleheader from Patrick Henry by identical 5-2 scores. In the opener, Hurdle went 1-for-3 with a double. Patrick Henry finished the regular season 19-17 overall, 13-7 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Patriots finished 3rd in the Region X West Division, only one game behind first-place Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. In 34 games, Hurdle hit .356 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. On May 14, Patrick Henry will be in the Region 10 Tournament at Springwood Park in Burlington.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team split a doubleheader with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute at Highland Recreation Center in Hickory on Saturday. Catawba Valley took the opener 9-2. Andrews, starting a shortstop, went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in the first inning. Andrews later scored off a double by Lillie Pennington. CCTI took the second game 14-7. Andrews went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the 3rd inning. Catawba Valley finished the regular season 23-11, 12- 8 in Region X. Andrews played in all of the Red Hawks’ games and was second on the team with a .461 batting average (10th in Region X). She led the team with 53 hits (4th in Region X) and 41 RBIs (tied for 4th in Region X). Andrews also scored 35 runs (3rd on the team), hit eleven doubles (2nd on the team), and eight home runs (2nd). She goes into the Region X Tournament on a 7-game hitting streak.

Landon Riley: Riley earned his second win of the season for the Liberty baseball team in a 9-8 victory over Bellarmine on Sunday. In one-third of an inning, Riley surrendered three runs off three hits. It was only the second game this year where Riley surrendered a run. The Flames earned the walkoff win in the bottom of the ninth inning when Logan Mathieu hit a two-run homer. The Flames are now 30-11, 14-1 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson was optioned by the Atlanta Braves to the team’s alternate training site after he started Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. In three innings, Wilson surrendered seven runs off four hits with two walks and one strikeout. The Cubs won 9-3 and Wilson fell to 1-2 on the year.

Natalie Chandler: The #2 UNC women’s soccer team has started play in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels defeated Denver 2-0 in Matthews on Friday. Chandler, who was the captain of the Orange women’s soccer team in her junior and senior seasons, is a senior for the Tar Heels. UNC will face Washington at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Wednesday.

Throughout this shortened season, the Orange softball coach staff has tried to arrange a matchup against a team from the Mid-Piedmont Conference.

Now, they’ll get it. Just not against the one they thought.

Orange will face Southwestern Randolph in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs on Monday night at 6PM in Hillsborough. The winner will face the victor of Southern Nash vs. Clayton, each of whom won their respective conferences.

The Lady Panthers, who became the first softball team in the history of the school to finish undefeated in the regular season after beating Northern Durham 12-0 on Thursday, are the #2 overall seed in the East. It’s the ninth straight time that Orange has made the 3A State Playoffs (not counting last year’s canceled tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

Southwestern Randolph (8-4) tied for the Mid-Piedmont Conference Championship with Southern Alamance. The Cougars opened the season with a 5-4 win over the Patriots on March 27, which turned out to be the first of three meetings. Southern Alamance took the rematch 15-0 on April 8 in Graham. On Thursday night, they met again in a special one-game playoff to determine the #1 seed from the Mid-Piedmont in Asheboro, which the Patriots captured 5-0.

Orange didn’t play a nonconference game this year, despite the best efforts of head coach Johnny Barefoot. In early April, Barefoot had reached an agreement with Southern Alamance officials to play a game against the Patriots in Graham, which was scheduled for this past week. But it was delayed twice and ultimately canceled, due in part to the Patriot’s special playoff game against Southwestern Randolph.

Orange is one of five 3A teams to finish the regular season undefeated. The others are D.H. Conley, Piedmont, West Brunswick and Crest.

Usually a 64-team tournament, this year’s 3A State Championship was scaled back to 32 teams because of the pandemic, like almost all other team sports. Among the 16 teams in the East Region, the only other Big 8 Conference squad to make the field was Northern Durham. The Knights earned a #11 seed and will travel to Morehead City to face West Carteret, who captured the Coastal Conference championship for the third year in a row.

For the first time since 2017, Cedar Ridge will miss the playoffs. With a 9-5 overall record, the Red Wolves were denied one of the four wildcard spots from the Eastern Region. Cedar Ridge ended the season with four straight wins, ending with a doubleheader sweep of Southern Durham on Friday night at Red Wolves Softball Stadium. Cedar Ridge came the closest to beating Orange in the regular season after they scored seven runs in the seventh inning to send the game to extra innings. Orange won 11-9 in nine innings.

The size of the field wasn’t the only change created by the pandemic. The NCHSAA relied on a predetermined draw, rather than seeding from MaxPreps, to finalize the bracket. Orange, which ended the regular season ranked #3 in the state by MaxPreps among 3A teams, benefited greatly from this method. If they advance far enough, the Lady Panthers are guaranteed home games through the first three rounds.

With a reduced field, the Eastern Region shouldn’t lack for drama. Two teams from the Mid State Conference, including defending 3A State Champion Eastern Alamance, made the postseason. The Eagles, seeded fifth, open with Havelock. Western Alamance, the Mid State Runner-up, will travel to Hope Mills to face Gray’s Creek.

Topsail, which finished second in the 4A/3A Mideastern Conference (behind Hoggard, a 4A team), earned the #1 seed. The Pirates open with Franklinton. D.H. Conley, which is ranked #1 in the MaxPreps rankings, was seeded #8 and could potentially travel to Topsail for the second round on Wednesday.

The second round of the playoffs is slated for Wednesday. The 3rd round is scheduled for next Friday.

In terms of sports arguments created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the surfaced hasn’t even been touched, much less scratched.

Those who care about high school sports across northern Orange County will be left to wonder whether Cedar Ridge 3rd baseman Takia Nichols could have broken Mia Davidson’s statewide home run record of 53 with a full slate in her sophomore and junior seasons (and if she had played home games in a smaller ballpark). Or whether the Orange baseball team could have captured the Big 8 Conference championship before the pandemic ended its season after just five games in 2020.

The Orange softball team now has created its own realm of argument. The players, comprised primarily of sophomores and freshmen, didn’t create a 12-game regular season schedule in a sport where the standard slate is around 20 games. They just had to play it.

And history will show they did it very well.

On Thursday night, the Orange softball team became the first team in Hillsborough history to finish a regular season undefeated with a 12-0 win over Northern Durham at Knights Softball Field. Orange completed the year 12-0. The 2017 Orange team, which claimed the 3A State Championship, finished the regular season 18-2 with losses to J.F. Webb (then a conference rival) and perennial 2A power South Granville.

Cedar Ridge’s 2018 team ended the regular season 15-1, with its lone blemish a 2-1 loss to Roxboro Community School in the second week of the year.

Orange had a nonconfernece game scheduled at Southern Alamance for Friday night, but it was canceled Thursday.

Thus, the Lady Panthers didn’t play any non-Big 8 Conference games during the regular season. Whether a contest against Person or Southern Alamance would have led to a loss going into the state playoffs is a topic of debate.

What is undebatable is that Orange rolled through the Big 8 in dominant fashion. They outscored opponents 167-16. Of its 12 wins, six were shutouts and ten were via the run rule (the game was stopped early because Orange led by at least ten runs after five innings).

On Thursday, Junior catcher Lauren Jackson finished 4-for-4 with two home runs, including a two-run blast during a six-run 3rd inning. Jackson also doubled in the seventh.

Pitcher Gracie Walker improved to 4-0. In five innings, Walker surrendered only one hit with eight strikeouts. She retired the first nine Knights she faced. Northern didn’t get its first batter on base until catcher Abi Walker was hit by a bounced pitch to lead off the fourth. Aubrey Clayton’s single in the fourth, which was nearly caught by freshman left fielder Delaney Shaffer, was the only hit that Walker conceded.

The Knights (11-3) never had a runner reach third base.

Orange pounded out 17 hits, tied for its second-best total of the year (they had 21 against Cedar Ridge on March 23). Jackson led off the second inning with a low line drive of a home run that cleared the centerfield fence by inches.

It appeared Orange would go away meekly in the third after its first two batters were retired. Serenity McPherson, who hit safely in all 12 of Orange’s games this year, stroked a double to left centerfield to start of string of seven consecutive Panther hits. Carson Bradsher bounced a 2-1 fastball up the middle to score McPherson and the parade was underway.

Caden Robinson sent a pop fly down the left field line which led to Bradsher racing home from second. Jackson launched a two-run homer that nearly reached the walking track beyond left field to increase Orange’s lead to 5-0. After Mary Moss Wirt and Kelsey Tackett each stroked singles to right field, senior Emma Puckett lined a 1-1 fastball to the fence in right field to bring in two more runs.

Though Orange had several threats, they failed to score in the subsequent three innings. The dry spell ended with five runs in the seventh inning. Jackson started with a leadoff double capped with a headfirst slide. Senior Gracie Colley, in her only plate appearance of the night, singled up the middle to score courtesy runner Brianna Wilkins. After Puckett singled, freshman Delaney Shaffer lined a fastball up the middle to score Colley. Courtney Watkins bounced another hit over second base. McPherson lined a two-run single to left field.

Robinson and Watkins pitched the sixth and seventh innings, respectively.

Orange preserved the shutout after a spectacular play in the final frame by Wirt. After Northern had runners at first and second with no one out, Wirt made a diving catch on a soft liner hit by Northern’s Savannah Burton, then practically landed on second base to double up Macey Ellis, who led off with a double.

Orange will now await to see the 3A State Tournament bracket this weekend. They will host a playoff game next week.