The Orange baseball team opened its season with a thrilling win over Riverside on February 25. With Orange trailing 5-4 in the seventh inning, junior designated hitter Oliver Van Tiem delivered a fly ball into swirling wins to right field. The ball was dropped, which allowed J.P. Rodio to score the game-tying run and Cam Brown to win the game. Hits didn’t come easy for the Panthers, but they drew 13 walks against the Pirates to win the season-opener. Van Tiem, who has committed to play at North Carolina, scored Orange’s opening run of the season off a wild pitch in the first inning. Brown, hitting second, made hit first start in centerfield after playing at second base last season. Battling the winds all night, Brown made a key catch in the seventh inning on a deep fly ball hit by Riverside’s Griffin Kovalesky with a runner at second. Orange will play its Big 7 Conference opener against Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night. Last year, the Red Wolves won inside Panther Field for the first time since 2012. The Panthers and the Red Wolves split the two-game series in 2025. The second game of this year’s series will by played on Friday night at Cedar Ridge.
