The Orange softball team is tied for first place in the Big 8 Conference after a thrilling 6-5 win over Northwood in eight innings. Freshman catcher Lauren Jackson lined an infield single to score Maddie Bartlett for the game-winning run. In the 7th inning, designated hitter Emma Puckett doubled to left field to score Olivia Ruff for the game-tying run. Orange was down to its last out before Puckett’s hit. Jackson finished 4-for-4. Orange is now 5-1 in Big 8 Conference play, even with Cedar Ridge. The Lady Panthers are scheduled to face Northwood on Wednesday in Pittsboro, then take on Chapel Hill in a doubleheader on Thursday. 

For the first time since 2016, the Orange baseball team is in first place in the Big 8 Conference midway through the season. On Wednesday night, the Panthers defeated Northwood 9-1 at Panther Field, handing the Chargers its first league loss. Designated hitter Will Walker laced a triple to right centerfield in the 6th inning and scored off a wild pitch to put the icing on the cake for Orange’s third straight win. Walker, a sophomore, is hitting .367 . He is 4th on the team with eleven hits and eleven RBIs. Orange is scheduled to face Northwood on Saturday at noon, then travel up 15-501 to face Southern Lee at 4 PM in Sanford. Orange will look to go to 7-0 in the Big 8 against the Chargers.

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.

The final week before spring break was an active one for the Cedar Ridge softball team. On March 28, they routed crosstown rival Orange 11-1 at Red Wolves Softball Territory. Freshman 3rd baseman Takia Nichols hit a two-run homer to deep center in the 4th inning. Junior 2nd baseman Tori Dalehite went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, including the walkoff single to score Taylor Ruhl and Tionna Carter in the 5th. The following night, Cedar Ridge scored a wild 11-10 win over Person where the lead changed four times. Dalehite had the game-winning hit in the 7th. Cedar Ridge is tied with Orange for 2nd place in the loss column of the Big 8 Conference. Next week, Cedar Ridge resumes its season with a two-game series against East Chapel Hill, a squad that made the 3A state playoffs last year.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is 2nd baseman Dante DeFranco. In Wednesday’s 9-1 win over Northwood, DeFranco went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. He has a 17-game hitting streak extending back to last season, when he hit safely in his final seven games for Cedar Ridge. After transferring to Orange over the summer, DeFranco has had a hit in the Panthers’ first ten games this season. Hitting leadoff, DeFranco has helped Orange reach the top of the Big 8 Conference after beating Northwood in Hillsborough on Wednesday. This season, DeFranco is hitting .371 with 15 RBIs, which is actually 2nd on the team despite DeFranco leading off in all of Orange’s games. The Panthers return to action on Saturday against Northwood in Pittsboro.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior pitcher Phillip Berger. On March 19, Berger earned the 19th win of his Cedar Ridge career as the Red Wolves held off Chapel Hill 3-2. Berger threw his third complete game of the season, holding the Tigers to four hits. He struck out eight as the Red Wolves won its first Big 8 Conference game of the season. This week, the Red Wolves are off for spring break. When Cedar Ridge resumes its season against East Chapel Hill on Tuesday, Berger will go for the 20th win of his career. Berger started the season with a 10-0 victory over Oxford Prep, a game where he gave up no hits in five innings.

Orange catcher Tucker Joseph went 3-for-4 with a double as the Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 13-3 on Tuesday night at Red Wolves Territory. It was Orange’s first win at Cedar Ridge since 2016. Joseph also had an RBI as the Panthers remained tied for 1st in the Big 8 Conference with Northwood. Joseph fills an important gap behind the plate. Last season, Cooper Porter was the starting Orange catcher for the 2nd half of the season. Now, Porter finds himself as a starting pitcher who is 2-0 on the season. On Thursday night, Joseph walked as Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 13-0 to set up a showdown series with Northwood for 1st place in the Big 8. Orange will host the Chargers on Tuesday, then travel to Northwood on Friday.

On Monday night, the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team defeated Orange 5-0 at Orange High Soccer Park. Junior midfielder Giselle Solis Morales assisted on three goals in the first half, all of which were scored by striker Emmy Talley. In the 9th minute, Morales snuck a gorgeous through ball to Talley, who blasted it home from 15 yards for the opening goal. Talley notched her 2nd goal with 28:17 remaining in the first half off another assist from Morales. In the 2nd half, Morales assisted on two balls that turned into penalty kicks. Both penalties were attempted by goalkeeper Grace Davies, who scored on her 2nd try. Cedar Ridge improve to 2-3 in the Big 8 Conference with the victory. On Thursday night, Morales helped Cedar Ridge defeat River Mill Academy to improve to 4-5-1 on the season.