Photo by Jacques Morin
There’s something to be said for establishing dominance early.
After sweeping Orange and Seaforth in its opening two Big 7 Conference series in March, Cedar Ridge didn’t even have to leave home to clinch a share of the conference championship on Friday.
The Red Wolves were originally slated to travel to Durham School of the Arts for the second game of a two-game set on Friday. But the Bulldogs forfeited due to a lack of players.
With the win, Cedar Ridge is 10-0 in league play. They have clinched a share of the conference championship, its first conference championship in baseball since 2007.
The Red Wolves are 17-4 overall. Cedar Ridge will be the top seed from the Big 7 Conference for the 5A State Tournament, meaning they will receive a bye into the second round of the 48-team tournament.
Cedar Ridge is two games ahead of Seaforth for first place with two games conference games remaining. The Red Wolves earned the tiebreaker by sweeping a two-game series from the Hawks on March 17 and 20.
To win the conference championship outright, Cedar Ridge simply has to defeat South Granville once this week. The Red Wolves will travel to Creedmoor on Tuesday, then host the Vikings on Thursday.
South Granville, which was 7-0 in conference play on April 7, was eliminated from contention after losing to Orange on April 10, then getting swept by Seaforth last week.
The 2007 Red Wolves were the champions of the 2A Mid-State Conference, which included Orange, who finished second. The 2007 season was the first time the North Carolina High School Athletic Association went to a 64-team state playoff across all four of its classifications. Cedar Ridge, under head coach Andy Simmons, defeated Farmville Central in the opening round. The Red Wolves defeated North Pitt 9-1 in the round of 32, then held off McMichael 2-0 to reach the state quarterfinals. North Lenoir defeated the Red Wolves in the fourth round 7-3. Lenoir would sweep a two-game series from Forbsuh to win its second straight state title.
The only other conference championship team in Cedar Ridge baseball history was in 2006, which also won the Mid-State title. The Red Wolves reached the state quarterfinals after wins over Farmville Central and West Stokes (this was a 32-team tournament). North Lenoir defeated Cedar Ridge in the state quarterfinals en route to the 2A State Championship.
Orange 21, J.F. Webb 1, five innings
Orange cruised in its first trip to Oxford since 2016, scoring six runs in the first inning on Friday night. Sophomore Mason Bullard went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Senior Cam Brown earned the win on the mound, striking out seven in three innings, allowing just one hit.
At the plate, Brown went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
Orange improved to 15-7 overall, 7-3 in the Big 7 Conference. The Panthers are now tied with South Granville for third place in the league.
Junior Oliver Van Tiem went 1-for-3, which extended his hitting streak to 16 games.
Kayden Bradsher scored the opening run after a leadoff walk. Bradsher rounded the bases by stealing second, then taking third base and scoring off a wild pitch. After Bullard and J.P. Rodio walked Brown grooved a two-run single to centerfield. Allen Flores, a courtesy runner for Bullard, scored with Rodio.
Gary Miller and Bradsher each drove in runs by getting hit by pitches with the bases loaded. Gavin Clayton, who finished 2-for-4, scored off a wild pitch with Rodio at the plate, the last of Orange’s six runs in the opening frame.
The Panthers added nine runs in the second. Clayton drove a double to centerfield to score Brown and Wren Hash. Freshman Ben Knowles scored off a wild pitch. Clayton scored off a sacrifice fly by Bradsher.
Orange will host Seaforth in its final regular season home game on Tuesday night.
