Freshman Arianna McGraw delivered a clutch moment very early in her career.
Facing an undefeated Falls Lake squad, McGraw broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run home run in the seventh inning to push the Red Wolves past the Firebirds 5-3 in Creedmoor on Wednesday.
It was a dramatic start to a span of three road games in three days for the Red Wolves, who trailed going into the seventh inning.
Senior pitcher Mia Best was intentionally walked to start the frame. Sophomore Parker Kennedy, inserted into the game as a pinch-hitter, sent a comebacker to Falls Lake hurler Wynterlee Glenn, who couldn’t make the play.
McGraw stepped up and belt a 1-1 fastball over the fence in right field to put the Red Wolves ahead. It was McGraw’s second home run of the season.
Senior pitcher Mia Best struck out nine in a complete game. For good measure, Best added a two-run home in the top of the third.
Falls Lake used the long ball to climb ahead. Senior Cameron Kendrick drilled a leadoff home run to open the bottom of the fourth. Kayla Cash followed with a single, then went to second on a wild pitch. Sophomore Leah Horton smashed a fly ball to centerfield for the game-tying hit.
Firebirds freshman Kendall Peed belted a solo homer in the fifth to put Falls Lake ahead 3-2.
Cedar Ridge 15, J.F. Webb 0, three innings
The Red Wolves jumped on the Warriors with two runs in the first and didn’t look back in its only Big 7 Conference game of the week on Friday.
Laci Sykes hit a two-run homer to punctuate a seven-run second inning. Sykes, a senior, finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, scoring three times. Best improved to 5-3 as pitcher, throwing just three innings, striking out six.
Raegan Remaly scored the first run. After she singled in the opening inning, Remaly scored off an error. McGraw delivered an RBI single on a grounder to right field to bring in Best.
Cedar Ridge scored seven runs in the second. Remaly stepped up with the bases loaded and delivered a double to left field to plate Ainsley Burklin and Kennedy. Best knocked in Madeline Galindo-Woodring, who walked earlier in the frame.
Western Alamance 8, Cedar Ridge 3:
Facing a former Central Conference rival, Cedar Ridge jumped out to a 3-1 lead but couldn’t hold on in a trip to Elon on Thursday.
After freshman Ashlyn Petty opened the fourth inning with a double to left field, the Warriors (4-4) got a go-ahead single from Camryn Rodrigues to vault in front 4-3. With two out, Lilly Greenstock lined to right field to bring in Rodrigues.
Cedar Ridge took a 3-1 lead in the third inning. After a walk by Remaly, Best delivered her fifth home run of the season to centerfield. Best also drove in the opening run in the first inning with a double to score Galindo-Woodring, who had walked to start the game.
Junior Addison Beal threw a complete game, four-hitter to earn the win for the Warriors. Beal kept the Red Wolves scoreless in the final four innings. The Red Wolves last threat came in the fifth inning after Ainsley Burklin walked to leadoff the frame. Galindo-Woodring reached on an infield single. But Beal forced three consecutive flyouts by Best, Sykes and Remaly to cut off the potential rally.
The Warriors added three more runs in the sixth. Beal drove in Petty with an infield single. Following a double by Briles Overton, Avery Martin reported in as a pinch-runner. Martin scored off a single by Greenstock.
Cedar Ridge is 5-3 overall, 2-1 in the Big 7 Conference. The Red Wolves will face Durham School of the Arts on Monday afternoon, then host Carrboro on Tuesday in Hillsborough.
