Orange Softball

For the third time in four years, the Orange softball team has clinched a share of the Big 8 Championship. On Wednesday night, Orange defeated East Chapel Hill 13-3 to finish the conference season 13-1, tied with crosstown rival Cedar Ridge for 1st place. It was also senior night for Olivia Ruff and Hayley Funk. Ruff, a starter at 3rd base since winning the 2017 3A State Championship, went 3-for-3 in her final regular season game at Orange Softball Field. Funk scored a run as Orange scored eight runs in the 2nd inning to complete a season sweep of East. Now, Orange will focus on a special one-game playoff against Cedar Ridge, which will determine the top seed from the Big 8 Conference for the 3A State Tournament, which starts next week. Orange and Cedar Ridge will play on Thursday night at 6 o’clock at Orange. You can hear the game here on Hillsboroughsports.com starting at 5:55.

The Orange softball team is one win away from guaranteeing itself a share of the Big 8 softball championship. Last week, Orange swept Northern Durham in a two-game series, beating the Knights 11-4 on Tuesday and 11-0 on Wednesday. Maddie Bartlett went 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Bartlett went 2-for-4 with a double. Freshman Mary Moss Wirt went 1-for-2 with an RBI double on Wednesday. Orange will face East Chapel Hill on Wednesday in Hillsborough, their final Big 8 Conference regular season game of the season. If Orange wins, they will finish 13-1 in the Big 8 with the possibility of a tiebreaker game against Cedar Ridge looming on Thursday.

On Thursday night, the Orange softball team maintained its share of 1st place in the Big 8 Conference by sweeping Chapel Hill 9-0 and 12-3. Grace Perry earned the win in the circle in game one, throwing a 2-hit shutout and striking out 10. In the 2nd game, junior Jayden Hurdle earned her first pitching win of the season by striking out nine over five innings. At the plate, Hurdle went 1-for-1 with 2 RBI. In the 2nd game, Rachel Tilley went 3-for-4 with 1 RBI. Orange is now 8-1 in the Big 8 Conference. Earlier this week, the Lady Panthers defeated Northwood 14-1. In that game, Hurdle went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and three runs scored. Tilley finished 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. Orange will face Southern Durham next week, and is scheduled to travel to Person on Friday. In the interest of full disclosure, it took five takes to start this video because Jeff Hamlin, the writer and producer of this piece, couldn’t remember the names of all the players and hilarity ensued.

The last two games for the Orange softball team have been dramatic wins. On March 25, the Lady Panthers rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat Cedar Ridge 6-4 at Orange Softball Field. Junior Kelly Bartlett hit a two-run home run to trigger the Orange comeback. Bartlett finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. On Tuesday, Orange trailed 5-2 in the sixth inning before storming back to beat Northwood 6-5 in eight innings. Bartlett finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and scored the game-winning run after leading off the eighth inning by reaching on an error. This season, Bartlett is hitting .393 with five doubles. Orange is scheduled to travel to Northwood on Friday night as they look to remain tied with Cedar Ridge for 2nd place in the Big 8 Conference.

En route to winning its first softball state championship last year, it’s easy to forget that Orange nearly lost in the second round.

Last May, Topsail had a 2-1 lead against the Lady Panthers in the 8th inning in Hillsborough. In the bottom of the inning, Abby Hamlett, Jaden Hurdle and Hayley Funk all reached, loaded the bases for All-State catcher Mia Davidson.

What followed has lived on through word of mouth across Hillsborough ever since. Topsail Coach Eric Phillips opted to walk Davidson with the bases loaded, surrendering the Pirates’ lead with the season on the line. Pitcher Christina Givens promptly lined to center to score the winning run.  Two weeks later, the Lady Panthers were celebrating a state title at N.C. State.

There will be no celebration this year. Topsail made sure of that.

The Pirates defeated the Panthers 16-7 in Hampstead in the first round of the 3A State Playoffs on Wednesday night. Orange scored three runs in the top of the second inning to take a 3-1 lead, but the Pirates reeled off five consecutive runs to advance to the 2nd round.

Orange ends the season 11-8.

With one out In the top of the second, Rachel Tilley reached on an error and Olivia Ruff walked. Sophomore Gracie Ducharme, pinch-hitting for Jala Rainey, singled to center to load the bases. Grace Andrews drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. Pitcher Jaden Hurdle lined a single to left to score Ducharme and Tilley.

After that, the Pirates had its way, totaling 15 hits. Topsail scored twice runs in the second inning. Lauren Labelle, running for Annalee Hart, scored on a wild pitch. Tanesha Williams laced an RBI single to bring in Tyesha Williams, tying the game 3-3.

Topsail added three more in the fourth. Tanesha Williams lined a single to centerfield to score Tyesha Williams once again to give the Pirates the lead. Sydney Hartgrove stroked a single to center to bring in Williams and Aneshia Jordan.

With Orange trailing 11-4 in the 5th, Hurdle drilled a single to right to score Ruff. With the bases loaded, Funk was hit by a pitch, plating Alisha Pettiford. Allyson Lloyd, in her final game at Orange, hit a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Andrews to touch home and narrow the Topsail lead to 11-7.

Topsail responded with five runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth.

Hurdle finished 2-for-5 with 3 RBI. Andrews was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Ruff went 1-for-3.

Hurdle, a sophomore pitcher who started at first last season, ended the season as the team’s leading hitter with a .483 batting average. She also led the team in hits (18), home runs (3), and RBIs (24). Lloyd had seven doubles to pace the squad.

Hurdle also led the team with 68.2 innings pitched, going 7-7 with a 4.28 ERA.

Along with Lloyd, it was the final game for Orange seniors Olivia Latta-Harshaw, Alyssa Hellman and Kaitlyn Torain.

Bryse Wilson: Five starts with the Florida Fire Frogs was enough for the brass in the Atlanta Braves organization to see Bryse Wilson should be promoted. On Saturday, Wilson was called up to the Mississippi Braves of the AA Southern League. The transaction came after Wilson threw six-and-two-thirds shutout innings for the Fire Frogs against the Bradenton Marauders on Wednesday. Wilson departs Kissimmee, Florida with a 2-0 record and a 0.34 ERA. In four of Wilson’s five starts, he didn’t give up an earned run. He struck out 26 and walked seven. He’s expected to make his Southern League debut next week.

Mia Davidson: In Sunday’s 6-1 loss to #7 Tennessee, former Orange High catcher Mia Davidson set the Mississippi State softball record for most home runs in a season by a freshman. She launched her 18th home run in the 3rd inning. On Saturday in Mississippi State’s 10-3 win over the Volunteers, Davidson tied the record with her 17th homer. Mississippi State, ranked #24 in the country, concluded the regular season 35-20 overall, 7-17 in the SEC. Davidson concluded the regular season leading the team in batting average (.385), hits (66), doubles (13), home runs (18), RBI (46), total bases (133), slugging percentage (.733), and on-base percentage.

Mackenzie Cates: The Efland native was named the Lenoir-Rhyne Female Athlete of the Year on Wednesday during the first-ever Bears Choice Awards. Cates was named to the 2019 All-South Atlantic Conference First Team last week. She leads the Lenoir-Rhyne softball team in home runs (12) and RBI (42). Lenoir-Rhyne was upset by Carson-Newman in the first round of the SAC Softball Quarterfinals 6-0 on April 27. Nonetheless, the Bears are expected to receive a high-seed when the NCAA Division II Softball Tournament brackets are unveiled this week.

Brandon Andrews: The former Cedar Ridge pitcher earned his first college win as Nicholls defeated Stephen F. Austin 22-10 on Saturday in Nacogdoches, Texas. Andrews, a freshman with the Colonels, threw three shutout innings, giving up one hit, striking out one. He retired ten of the eleven batters he faced. Andrews also pitched on May 2 in Nicholls 17-8 win over Prairie View in Prairie View, TX. Against the Panthers, Andrews threw two shutout innings, striking out two. Nicholls is 21-27, 10-13 in the Southland Conference going into Sunday’s series-finale against Stephen F. Austin.

Jordan Toney: The former Orange pitcher started for UNC Pembroke against Georgia Southwestern on April 28. He gave up 12 hits and seven runs in four-and-two-thirds innings as the Braves defeated the Hurricanes 13-7. Toney also started against Flagler on April 21st, also getting a no-decision. Toney threw six-and-a-third innings, giving up six hits, three runs, striking out three. This season, Toney is 3-0 with a 6.04 ERA in eight starts. He’s made 13 appearances on the mound.

Brad Debo: Debo made pinch-hitting appearances on Friday and Saturday against William & Mary. Debo got a base hit in the Wolfpack’s 4-0 win over the Tribe on Friday. In a 5-4 loss to Campbell on Wednesday, Debo had a pinch-hit RBI single. Debo is hitting .276 and has started 22 of the Wolfpack’s 46 games. N.C. State is 33-12.

Bowen Collins: The former Orange midfielder played in Lenoir-Rhyne’s win over Queens in the South Atlantic Conference men’s lacrosse tournament. The Bears lost the championship game to Wingate 12-9 on April 29.