Orange baseball isn’t in the midst of the Big 7 Conference pennant chase at the moment.
But that certainly factored into it on Friday night, helping their crosstown rival in the process.
Oliver Van Tiem powered a two-run home run in the third inning while sophomore Tyler Thompson earned his second varsity win to push Orange past South Granville 6-2 at Orange Baseball Field. Thompson and senior Cam Brown combined to hold the Vikings without a hit in the final five innings.
South Granville suffered its first Big 7 Conference loss, knocking them out of first place in the league with a 7-1 mark. Cedar Ridge, at 5-0, now sits alone atop the Big 7.
Orange (9-7, 3-3 in the Big 7) has won five of its last six games.
After some hiccups early, the Panthers played possibly its best defensive game of the season. Freshman Ben Knowles, starting his fourth game at third base, made three assists and a putout in the final three innings. Thompson, making his third start, allowed just two runs off two hits in four innings. Brown earned his first career save throwing three shutout innings with just one walk and two hit batters.
South Granville got the opening run in the first inning and nearly had more. Jayden Cearnel scored when a ground ball hit by Noah Edwards eluded Orange’s second baseman and tumbled into right field. The Vikings loaded the bases with two outs after Greyson Vacher was hit by a pitch and Cole Freeland walked. Thompson got out of the jam when Cris Ovando grounded back to the box for the final out.
Orange didn’t trail again after senior Wren Hash singled to centerfield with two outs to score Kayden Bradsher and J.P. Rodio in the bottom of the first.
The Vikings immediately tied the game in the second. Vani Hernandez, who homered in South Granville’s 11-1 win over Orange in Creedmoor on Tuesday, since a double to the right field fence. Cearnel lifted a single that landed in front of Orange left fielder Gavin Clayton, bringing in Hernandez to even it up at 2-2.
Orange rallied with two outs in the second. Gary Miller sent a soft liner to left field for a single, then stole second base. Bradsher, in his fifth game of the season, belted a fastball that one-hopped the Clear Technologies sign in left field, bringing in Miller and putting Orange ahead for good.
Panther catcher Mason Bullard turned a single into a double to open the third inning with a fly ball that landed in right centerfield. With Allen Flores reporting in as a courtesy runner, Van Tiem took a first-pitch fastball and parked it well beyond the left field fall, his third home run of the season.
Thompson retired South Granville in order in the fourth, his final inning of work. Thompson and Brown teamed to retire nine consecutive Vikings.
A strange fifth inning started with Van Tiem reaching on an infield hit. It appeared that Hash would send Van Tiem to second with a base hit, but Vikings’ centerfielder Evan Olson-Thornburg was ruled to have made a sliding catch. Van Tiem, who thought the ball hit the ground, was already standing at second before the field umpire called Hash out. Van Tiem was doubled up at first, despite the protests of Orange head coach Jason Knapp.
It turned out to be an expensive double play after Brown singled to left field. Knowles came up and sent a base hit to the left field gap,. Cearnel slipped after he fielded the ball in the outfield. Brown, with his speed and more time, got around the bases and scored from first on a single. Knowles wound up at third following a throwing error to push Orange’s lead to 6-2.
South Granville didn’t go down quietly. With two out, Cearnel was hit by a pitch while Olson-Thornburg walked. Edwards was on the verge of drawing a walk, which would have sent the tying run to the plate. But Edwards sent a 3-1 pitch to left field, where Clayton made the catch for the final out.
