It was a night 19 years in the making for the Cedar Ridge baseball team. The Red Wolves claimed the outright Big 7 Conference title with an 8-2 victory over South Granville in Creedmoor on Tuesday night. It is the first conference championship for Cedar Ridge in baseball since 2007. Jesus Velazquez came in from second base and pitched the final five-and-two-thirds innings to earn his third win of the season. Velazquez struck out eight batters and threw 58 strikes on 86 pitches, allowing just three hits. In the fourth inning, Velazquez stroked a double to right field to score Hudson Kelly. Velazquez reached base in three of his four plate appearances. Freshman Wil Ebron drove in two runs. In the opening frame, Ebron belted a double to the deepest part of the park to score Grant McGuffey. Ebron also knocked in John Grove with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. In the seventh, Ebron scored off a single to centerfield by Kelly. Cedar Ridge is now 18-4, the most wins under head coach Bryson Massey since he started as head coach in 2020. The Red Wolves will close out the regular season against South Granville on Thursday night in Hillsborough. Cedar Ridge is guaranteed to receive a bye into the 2nd round of the 5A State Playoffs.
Orange Panther of the Week: Hayleigh Hammond
06/27/2026
