It’s becoming easier for Cedar Ridge softball to find something to celebrate playing at Orange.
Last year, head coach Allen Byrd celebrated his 100th coaching win when the Red Wolves won at Orange for the first time since 2019.
On Tuesday night, Mia Best commemorated her own milestone. She delivered her 100th career hit, one of several accomplishments in the Red Wolves 8-4 win over Orange at Panther Softball Field.
Best tied her career-high with ten strikeouts in throwing a complete game as the Red Wolves won its Big 7 Conference opener. It was the first time Best struck out ten batters since her freshman year, when she did it twice against East Chapel Hill and Seaforth.
Orange (0-3) dropped its home opener despite sophomore leadoff hitter Mary Kate Ollis going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Seniors Hayleigh Hammond, Addison Guentensberger and Katie Carden each had multi-hit games.
It was Cedar Ridge’s fourth straight win over the Lady Panthers.
Guentensberger sprayed an opposite field single into right field to knock in Ollis and Hammond in the first inning as Orange opened with four consecutive singles. With two runs on the board, the Lady Panthers threatened to bring in more after Carden singled to left field and sophomore Kylee Allen reached on an error.
That’s when Best regrouped a struck out three straight Orange batters to get out of the frame.
Orange sophomore pitcher Lexi Bowes set down six of the first seven Red Wolves she faced, but Cedar Ridge took the lead in the third inning. Freshman Lorelei Lowry reached after a throw pulled Orange first baseman Natalie Roberson off the bag. Madeline Galindo-Woodring sent a grounder deep into the 3-4 hole for a single, the first Red Wolf hit. The Lady Panthers were on the verge of getting out of the inning after Carden caught a pop-up from Raegan Remaly. But Best took a 1-0 fastball deep over the right field fence to put the Red Wolves ahead 3-2.
Cedar Ridge wasn’t done in the third. Senior Rylee Capps lined a riseball to the left field gap all the way to the fence. Freshman Arianna McGraw, who reached on an error after Best’s dinger, scored all the way from first base to increase the Red Wolf lead to 4-2.
In the circle, Best retired five straight Lady Panthers until the bottom of the fourth inning. Ollis lined a singled to centerfield to trigger a two-out rally. Hammond roped a fastball over the left field scoreboard down to the football practice field for her fifth career home run to even the game.
Orange could have easily took the lead later in the fourth. Guentensberger and Carden chained together base hits, then Allen walked to load the bases. Freshman Lily Ward appeared to put Orange ahead with a quick sinking liner to left field, but Laci Sykes made a gorgeous, headlong diving catch in the gap to keep the game tied. It was Orange’s last threat to take the lead.
Cedar Ridge reassumed command in the fifth. Galindo-Woodring opened with a single and eventually scored when McGraw grounded a 3-2 fastball into the left field grass.
In the sixth, the Red Wolves rallied with two outs. Lowry reached on an error. Galindo-Woodring, who finished 3-for-3 with three runs scored, earned her third hit with a single to centerfield. With Remaly at the plate, Lowry stole third, and eventually scored when Remaly beat out a ground ball that went off the shortstop’s glove into centerfield. Galindo-Woodring also scored on the play.
Qiaura Rogers delivered a double in the top of the seventh inning to score Sadie Morrow for the game’s final run.
