Orange baseball’s season opener can be boiled down to offense.

Voyager Academy has a lineup. Orange had Jaydin Poteat.  And the difference amount to two runs in favor of the Vikings, and easily could have been more.

As it was, Voyager defeated Orange 5-3 on a chilly Wednesday afternoon in Hillsborough. Vikings’ starting pitcher Chase Sykes finished 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs,  and earned the win on the mound by throwing four innings and yielding just two hits. Aaron Beasley, who has committed to play at Duke next season, took the save throwing three innings of relief, striking out five while also scattering two hits.

Poteat, Orange’s leading hitter for the third straight year, scored two runs, stole three bases and finished 1-for-2 with a walk. Aside from that, the rest of the Panther lineup went 3-for-21, all singles.

Orange jumped out for two runs in the first inning. Poteat drew a leadoff walk on Sykes, then generated his own run without any help from the Panther bats. Poteat stole second, then stole third and went home when the subsequent catcher’s throw wound up in left field. Joey Berini also scored in the first, drawing a walk and scoring off a single by Caige Clayton.

Starting in the 2nd inning, the Vikings tied the game and threatened in every inning afterward. Christian Rasberry, who finished 3-for-4, singled. Catcher Liam Holder and second baseman Zach Jones threw two-out walks to load the bases, leading to Sykes hitting a two-run single up the middle to tie the game.

After the Vikings loaded the bases with one out in the 3rd but failed to score, Jacob Glazer (courtesy running for Sykes) scored the go-ahead run after Sykes singled. Beasley knocked in Glazer to put Voyager ahead 3-2.

Meanwhile, Sykes and Beasley combine to retire eleven consecutive Orange batters. The Panthers went without a baserunner from the 3rd to the 5th.

The Vikings extended its lead after Brenton Fisher reached on a throwing error and advanced to 2nd when the ball dribbled into the Orange dugout. Rasberry knocked in Fisher with a single to right center.

Trailing 4-2, Orange had a chance to tie in the 6th. Poteat legged out an infield single and stole second. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Jason Slaughter singled to center to narrow the Viking lead to 4-3. Slaughter went to 3rd after a wild pitch with one out, but the next two Panther batters popped out in a failed chance to even the game.

Once again, Voyager loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but netted only one run when Matthew Dobson scored off an infield single by Sykes.

Orange is slated to travel to Eden Morehead on Friday afternoon at 5. If the game is rained out, it is slated to be made up on Saturday at 2 in Eden.

After a difficult 6-12 season a year ago, the Cedar Ridge softball team served notice in its season opener that past disappointments are exactly that—-in the past.

In her first varsity game, sophomore Tori Dalehite homered while senior pitcher Rivers Andrews threw a three-hitter as the Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance 4-1 in Mebane on a brisk Wednesday evening.

It was no small victory for the Red Wolves. Last season, Eastern Alamance captured the Mid-State Conference Regular Season Championship with a 15-1 record. The Eagles reached the 2nd round of the state playoffs, where they fell to J.F. Webb 3-2.

Dalehite’s two-run homer punctuated a four-run fourth inning for Cedar Ridge. Junior Tionna Carter walked to start the frame. Junior Amy Stutzer, who finished 3-for-4, sent Carter to third on a double. Andrews reached on an error,  which scored Carter. Freshman Reagan Ruhl, running for Andrews, scored on the Dalehite home run.

Dalehite’s softball debut was a long time coming. Even before her freshman seasons, she was penciled in for a starting position because of her accomplishments in summer softball. But that entire season was washed away when she suffered a torn ACL playing basketball just weeks into the 2016 season.

Junior Kymberlie Thacker finished 3-for-4.

Andrews threw a complete game three-hitter, striking out 15 and allowing just one walk.

Cedar Ridge will take the rest of the week off and face Western Alamance on Wednesday at the Red Wolves Softball Field.

As quickly as winter sports ended in Hillsborough last week, the spring sports season begins Wednesday with games involving six different teams from Cedar Ridge and Orange.

If there’s no rain.

Unfortunately, after a picturesque 62-degree sunny day on Tuesday, there’s a chance of rain for Wednesday and Thursday. The good news forecasts call for a sunny, if cold, weekend.

* The Cedar Ridge Boys Lacrosse team, fresh off winning the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship last May, will debut at Apex Friendship. The Red Wolves will have to replace their top two scorers from last season in Jack Widman and Sean Tobin. Widman, who had been a member of the varsity team since his sophomore season, scored 59 goals and 33 assists in his senior season. Tobin finished 2017 with 45 goals and 18 assists. The Red Wolves will also have to find a way to replace Carter Danku (21 goals), defenseman Cole Bullard (20 goals) and Kelsey Acome (12 goals). On the bright side, Cedar Ridge returns Nick Bachelder, who is a three-year performer that scored 20 goals and 13 assists last season.

* The Orange Baseball team will face Voyager Academy at 5 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon at Panther Field. After losing pitcher Bryce Wilson (who was an South Atlantic League All-Star in 2016) and catcher Brad Debo (now a sophomore starter with N.C. State), the Panthers went 14-13 last season and became among the most unlikely playoff success stories under veteran head coach Dean Dease. Following a 12-12 regular season, Orange upset South Johnston 4-2 in Four Oaks, then edged Southern Lee 2-1 in the 2nd round of the state playoffs. The Panthers nearly made the state quarterfinals, going into the seventh inning leading West Brunswick 1-0 before the Trojans’ Garrison Gause hit a solo home run to tie the game. It was only the 2nd home run of the season for WBHS, who eventually won the game in eight innings. The Panthers lost top starter Derek Lindaman, but return several players who signed with local schools during the summer. Sophomore Cooper Porter inked a scholarship agreement with N.C. State. Third baseman Caige Clayton  committed to Barton College in Wilson. Second baseman Jason Slaughter agreed to attend Belmont Abbey. The promising part of the postseason for Orange was the pitching of underclassmen like Will White, who ended the season with a complete game playoff win over Southern Lee. The Panthers also have Jaydin Poteat returning, who has been the leadoff hitter and centerfielder the past two seasons. Poteat lead the team in batting average, hits, runs, and at-bats last season. Shortstop Joey Berini, who started as a freshman, returns at shortstop after hitting .274 in 2017.

HillsboroughSports.com will broadcast Orange’s season opener against Voyager Academy live on Wednesday afternoon.

* The Cedar Ridge softball team hosts powerful Eastern Alamance on Wednesday at 6 PM. Taylor Barnes returns as the starting pitcher for the Red Wolves. Junior Kara Wagoner hit .419 last season and led the team with 18 hits. Also returning is junior Taylor Raul, who hit .341 with two home runs and 7 RBIs. Another junior, Tionna Carter, played third base last season. In 2017, Carter hit .400 with 12 RBIs and two home runs.

Mia Davidson: After being named the Gatorade North Carolina Softball Player of the Year in May, Mia Davidson has hit the ground running in her first weeks playing at Mississippi State. In her first college game (which was the Bulldogs’ season opener against Mississippi Valley State), Davidson caught a perfect game thrown by Holly Ward. Davidson was named the SEC Rookie of the Week on February 12th after hitting .667 on the opening weekend of the season. In the Bulldog Kickoff Classic, Davidson went 8-for-12 with two home runs, two doubles and a walk. She scored a team-leading six times over the first weekend of play with five RBIs. Over this past weekend, Mississippi State went 3-2 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California. The Bulldogs lost the opener to #17 Arizona State 3-1, but rebounded later that night to beat #23 Nebraska 9-0 in five innings. On Friday, MSU defeated #16 Oklahoma State 9-4, a game where Davidson went 2-5 with two runs scored. On Saturday in a 6-4 victory over San Jose State, Davidson hit her fourth home run of the season during a four-run 5th inning. The Bulldogs ended the weekend with a 4-1 loss to Cal State Fullerton, where Davidson went 1-for-3. Overall, Davidson is leading the team with a .469 average, starting all 15 of the Bulldogs’ games. She leads the team with five doubles, four home runs and 13 RBIs.

Brad Debo: The N.C. State Baseball team swept Furman over the weekend at Doak Field in Raleigh to improve to 7-1. On Saturday, former Orange catcher Brad Debo went 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 9-2 Wolfpack victory. This season, Debo has started seven games, hitting .292 with five RBIs.

Jordan Toney: The former Orange pitcher now plays for UNC-Pembroke. He earned a victory on February 3rd in a 14-3 win over Shepherd. Toney threw five innings, striking out five while scattering four hits and yielding three runs. Toney has also appeared in two other games this season. He got a no-decision against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, tossing three-and-two-thirds innings, giving up eight hits and seven runs, all earned. On Sunday, Toney tossed two innings in relief, yielding four hits and three earned runs as the Braves won 13-11. UNC-Pembroke, which plays in the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference, is 11-1.

Brandon Andrews: A year after leading the Cedar Ridge baseball team to its first winning season since 2010, Andrews is now playing with Nicholls. Last Monday, Andrews made his debut in a 14-7 win over Stony Brooks, throwing two-and-a-third innings in relief. Andrews gave up two hits and an earned run.

Zach Wright: Now a sophomore attacker with the Mars Hill lacrosse team, Wright scored two goals as the Lions defeated Shorter 17-6 on Saturday in Rome, Georgia.

Quinlan Blackmon: Also a former Orange lacrosse star playing with Mars Hill, Blackmon collected three ground balls against Shorter. Blackmon is a Hurdle Mills native who is a long stick midfielder for the Lions.

Bowen Collins: A former Orange High lacrosse star, Bowen Collins is now a junior for Lenoir-Rhyne. He scored his first goal of the season last week in an 11-6 win over Malloy.

Rachel Peel: A former Orange softball star, Peel now plays for Meredith. She has appeared in four games this season, going 0-for-9 at the plate.

This gyms around Hillsborough will be quiet for the rest of this month. That’s a far cry from last year.

Last year, of the four high school teams in Hillsborough, three made it to the state playoffs. The Orange boys advanced to the state quarterfinals behind Connor Crabtree and Logan Vosburg. The Orange girls opened the season with 21 straight wins and earned the Big 8 Regular Season and Tournament Championships, advancing to the the round of 16 in the state 3A playoff before losing to Rockingham County. The Lady Panthers ended the year 26-2.

The Cedar Ridge girls team surprised everyone by advancing to the 2nd round of the 3A state playoffs, beating Cleveland in the opening round. The Red Wolves hosted Corinth Holders in the round of 32, losing 38-34 in overtime.

Fast forward a year. The Orange boys finished 9-16 after a difficult season which saw injuries to its two star guards in the final three weeks, as well as the resignation of two assistant coaches. The Orange girls were forced into a rebuilding season after the loss of seven seniors, including four starters. They finished 11-15 despite advancing to the Big 8 semifinals last week after upsetting Cedar Ridge in the opening round 39-27. Hillside, the eventual Big 8 Tournament champion, ended Orange’s season 65-26.

At 14-11, the Cedar Ridge girls team were the only local squad to make the state playoffs. On Tuesday night, the Red Wolves will travel to Greenville to face D.H. Conley in the opening round of the field of 64.

The Vikings (18-9) finished second in the 4A/3A Eastern Carolina Conference, behind only 4A squad South Central. Last week, Conley reached the Eastern Carolina Conference Tournament Championship game, where they lost to South Central 59-43. The Vikings defeated South Central on February 8th 60-55 during a season-long five-game winning streak.

Cedar Ridge arrives to the postseason on a three-game losing streak. When the Red Wolves have scored over 40 points this season, they’re 12-0. In their last win over Northern Durham, junior Madison Wardlow scored 17 points, while Taylin Jean had ten points. The Red Wolves lost reserve guard Logan Woody against Northern after she hit her head on the floor diving for a loose ball. Woody had to be taken off the floor on a stretcher. She hasn’t returned to action since.

Wardlow has been the leading scorer for the Red Wolves this season, averaging 12 points per game. Simpson, a senior, is the main post presence, averaging six points and six rebounds per game.

The Red Wolves have almost certainly played its final home game of the season. Cedar Ridge is the #27 seed for the state playoffs (Conley is a #6 seed). The winner of the game faces the winner of #11 Terry Sanford vs. #22 Northeast Guilford on Thursday night.

One year after Bobby Shriner ended his high school coaching career at the Greensboro Coliseum with Payton Wilson winning the 3-A state championship at 220 pounds, two more Orange High wrestlers will go for their own state titles on Saturday.

For the second year in a row, 3-A Mideast Regional Champion Josiah Ramirez has reached the state championship finals. On Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum, Ramirez defeated Chase Hamlin of Northwest Cabarrus 6-3 in the semifinals. Earlier in the day, Ramirez pinned Chanden Morgan of Kings Mountain in 5:18. Last year, Ramirez advanced to the finals of the 170 state championship, where he lost to J.C. Ciaramella of Marvin Ridge 12-7. Ciaramella handed Ramirez his only loss this season. However, Ciaramella was injured during last week’s Western Regional Tournament and had to forfeit his opening match on Friday.

In his 157th and final match for Orange, Ramirez will face Finley Allen of Terry Sanford, who is 35-3 on the season.

Also at 182 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Colin Davis reached the state semifinals after defeating Topsail’s Noah LaValle 10-3. However, Allen pinned Davis in 1:38. Davis, now 22-5, will go for 3rd place on Saturday. He awaits the winner of Ruther Oxce of Southern Guilford vs. Ben Austin of Piedmont in the consolation semifinals.

Orange senior Braden Homsey, who also claimed a regional championship last weekend at Chapel Hill High, maintained his undefeated record on Friday by beating Kaleb Hendren of Hunter Huss 13-3. In his three matches in the state tournament, Homsey has won by either technical fall or major decision. On Thursday, he started with a 17-2 tech fall over Alexander Choma of West Johnson. In his quarterfinal match on Friday, Homsey defeated James Price of Piedmont 13-4, his second win over Price in less than two weeks. Homsey, now 39-0 this season, will face Tyrie Houghton of Weddington for the state championship. Houghton, who was the runner up for the 182 state championship in 2017 after losing to Northwood’s Hunter Queen 7-6, is 58-0 this season.

A day after winning his opening round match over Zachary Lesnar 4-1, Orange junior Avery Jenkins fell in the state quarterfinals to Paul Searcy of North Henderson 5-4. Searcy improved to 52-0, and eventually advanced to the state final. Jenkins lost his subsequent consolation match to Jashoua King of Northern Guilford 2-0 to end the season 30-11.

Two other Orange grapplers are still alive in the consolation brackets in their respective weight classes. Senior Bailey Hawkins won three matches on Saturday. After losing his opening round bout to Ethan King of Northern Guilford 3-2 in sudden victory, Hawkins pinned Jakob Burkett of Statesboro in 4:50 in his opening consolation match. Hawkins earned a 9-3 decision over Phifer Ozimek of J.H. Rose 9-3. On Saturday, Hawkins will face Jordan McKinney of Northern Cabarrus in the consolation quarterfinals.

At 138 pounds, junior Levi Anderson has won consecutive matches after dropping his opening bout to Brandon Reisen of West Brunswick. Anderson defeated Jonathan Dalton, the Western Regional Champion, 4-2 in his opening consolation match. Anderson followed that victory with a 6-4 decision win over Stephen Barnard of West Henderson. Anderson will take on Nicholas Vasquez, the Eastern Regional Champion, on Saturday morning.

After winning the 3A Mideast Regional Heavyweight Championship last weekend, the wrestling career of Orange’s Daylan Alston ended on Friday with a 3-1 loss to Piedmont’dsd Luis Oropesa on Saturday. On Thursday, Alston dropped his opening round match to Southern Guilford’s John Oxce 7-4. Alston’s 116th and final victory of his Orange career came with a pin of Cleveland’s JaNathan Coward in :37. Alston, who was also an All-Big 8 offensive lineman in football, concludes his Orange career with a record of 116-30.

Colin Davis is one win away from making the 3-A State Wrestling Tournament for the second year in a row. On Friday night at the Mideast Regionals at Chapel Hill High, Davis defeated Hsernay Day of Northern Durham in :25. in the quarterfinals, he pinned Collin Va Cleave in :39. On Saturday afternoon, Davis faces Matt Ceparano of Southern Alamance in the semifinals.

Cedar Ridge Senior Colin Davis Talks Advancing to Regional Semifinals

Colin Davis is one win away from making the 3-A State Wrestling Tournament for the second year in a row. On Friday night at the Mideast Regionals at Chapel Hill High, Davis defeated Hsernay Day of Northern Durham in :25. in the quarterfinals, he pinned Collin Va Cleave in :39.

Braden Homsey is the only Orange wrestler to win every individual tournament he’s competed in this year. On Friday night at the Mideast Regionals, he got off to a strong start with consecutive pins in his opening two matches to advance to the semifinals. Homsey pinned Walker Stewart of Burlington Williams in 1:34. In the quarterfinals, Homsey pinned E.J. Hagwood of Western Harnett in 1:43. On Saturday afternoon, Homsey faces Chapel Hill’s Bradley Kenyon in the semfinals. The winner advances to the state tournament in Greensboro next weekend.

Orange Senior Braden Homsey Discusses Improving to 33-0 at the Mideast Regionals

Braden Homsey is the only Orange wrestler to win every individual tournament he’s competed in this year. On Friday night at the Mideast Regionals, he got off to a strong start with consecutive pins in his opening two matches to advance to the semifinals. Homsey pinned Walker Stewart of Burlington Williams in 1:34.

Orange 132-pound senior Bailey Hawkins is one win away from making the 3-A State Wrestling Tournament for the second consecutive year. On Friday night at the Mideast Regionals at Chapel Hill High, Hawkins started the night with a technical fall win over Jose Chahuiz of Burlington Williams 15-0. In the second round, Hawkins defeated Zach West of Southern Guilford 14-3. On Saturday afternoon at approximately 4, Hawkins will take on Matthew Bivens of Eastern Guilford in the semifinals. Hawkins is now 32-4 on the season.

Orange Senior Bailey Hawkins Talks His Two Victories at the Mideast Regionals

Orange 132-pound senior Bailey Hawkins is one win away from making the 3-A State Wrestling Tournament for the second consecutive year. On Friday night at the Mideast Regionals at Chapel Hill High, Hawkins started the night with a technical fall win over Jose Chahuiz of Burlington Williams 15-0.