Just two weeks into the season, the Orange baseball team is already preparing for crucial games that will play a part in dictating its postseason fate. On Friday night, the Panthers defeated Walter Williams 5-3 at Panther Field to end a two-game losing streak. Sophomore catcher Mason Bullard drove in the game’s opening three runs. In the first inning, Bullard sent a bouncing ball into left field on a hit-and-runt to score J.P. Rodio. The following inning, Bullard lined a two-run single to bring in Rodio and Evan Parker to vault the Panthers ahead 3-0. Last week, Bullard had his first varsity home run with a three-run blast against Southeast Alamance. The highlight of the Williams game was a marathon at-bat by senior first baseman Wren Hash, who fouled off seven consecutive pitches against the Bulldogs’ Bubba Sims. On the 14th pitch, Hash lined a single to right field to score Gavin Clayton and elicited a roar from the Orange fans that could have been heard in Efland. The Panthers improved to 2-2. Orange will play its Big 7 Conference opener against crosstown rival Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night in Hillsborough at 7PM. The second game of the two-game set will be on Friday night at Cedar Ridge.
