One-run wins aren’t a one-time time for Cedar Ridge baseball. Not this year.
It’s becoming a habit, something that may not be doing any long-term favors for head coach Bryson Massey’s health. Yet one-third of the way into the season, Cedar Ridge has two-thirds of its win total from all of 2025.
Cedar Ridge’s last four victories have all been one-run affairs. The most dramatic was on Wednesday night.
Trailing 4-1, senior Dominic Sena delivered a walkoff single with the bases-loaded to score Grant McGuffey to complete a four-run seventh inning, leading to the Red Wolves’ latest celebration that spilled over into right field in a 5-4 win over East Wake Academy at Red Wolf Baseball Field.
With two outs and the Eagles leading 4-3, Cedar Ridge freshman Wil Ebron tied the game with a bases-loaded walk to score pinch-runner Parker Schultz.
Cedar Ridge, now 7-2, rebounded from a disappointing loss at Western Alamance in Elon on Monday, when they were limited to two hits in a 5-2 defeat.
For most of the Wednesday, the Red Wolves were stymied by East Wake Academy pitcher Mason Brantley, who allowed only four hits over the first six innings. Between the third-and-sixth innings, Brantley conceded just one baserunner, a two-out walk to pinch-hitter Walker Holmes in the sixth. Brantley quickly snuffed out any threat when Sena flew out to left fielder Caden Price to end the frame.
Brantley finished with eight strikeouts in six-plus innings on 104 pitches, but his control wavered down the stretch.
The Eagles made a comeback even tougher when they added an insurance run in the seventh inning to go ahead 4-1. After catcher Cooper Leonard reached on a single, Evan Mason reached on a fielder’s choice when Red Wolf second baseman Jesus Velazquez threw to shortstop Grant McGuffey to retire courtesy runner Mike Holmes at second. Mason reached second base off an errant pickoff throw, then scored when Lane Collier doubled to left field.
“They’re resilient,” Massey said. “They just don’t give up. They work really hard. It’s a challenge to win when you don’t play really well. We really haven’t played very well the last two games. These guys continue to fight until the last out, the last pitch. They find a way to win when the game is on the line.”
It added up to another quality win for the Red Wolves, who defeated an East Wake Academy team that has won the 2A/1A Super Six Conference each of the past four years.
The Eagles fell to 4-2, suffering its first loss since March 5.
In the bottom of the seventh, Hudson Kelly led off with a double down the left field line that bounced to the fence, Cedar Ridge’s first hit since the second inning. Velazquez sent a knubber down first base that Cooper Leonard picked up, but couldn’t relay it on to second baseman Robbie Johnston in time.
Leonard caught a pop-up at first for the initial out, but Brody Tapper drew a walk to load the bases. Grant McGuffey, the top of the Cedar Ridge order, was hit by a fastball on the left should to score Kelly. Junior John Grove sent a soft liner up the middle that found its way over second base and into centerfield to score Leo Moering, running for Velazquez, cutting the Eagles lead to 4-3.
Ian McGuffey, who earned the win on the mound, had a 3-2 count with the bases loaded, but was rung up for strike three on a pitch that narrowly caught the outside corner. Ebron drew the walk on five pitches to even the game.
Grove doubled down the left field line for Cedar Ridge’s opening hit. Ian McGuffey immediately followed with a bouncer over third base to drive in Grove for the game’s opening run.
East Wake Academy scored three runs in the third inning. Designated hitter Daniel Sieler was hit by a pitch. Dexter Benton sent a ground ball toward second base that struck the field umpire, which is an automatic single.
Collier earned his first RBI with a two-out single to left field, tying the game. It was the first of four straight Eagles to reach with two outs. Johnston walked to load the bases, leading a a lined drive single by Aaron Gardner to plate Benton and put EWA in the lead. Brantley helped his own cause with a single to centerfield that brought in Collier.
