Cedar Ridge Baseball

BURLINGTON–For a team with high expectations, there’s a time when seniors need to take control.

For Mason Cates, that time was Tuesday night in Burlington.

Cates drove in two runs, scored two runs, and earned the first win of the season for the Cedar Ridge baseball team against Walter Williams. After building a 6-1 lead, the Red Wolves wore their fingernails down to the bone in holding on for a 7-6 win in its Central Conference opener.

Junior Quinn Finnegan came on in relief and nailed down the final two outs for his first save. Cedar Ridge lost 10-0 to the Bulldogs last year in Burlington, but never trailed on Tuesday night.

Cedar Ridge (1-2) was supposed to have four nonconference games to prepare for its conference opener, but only two of those were played after contests at Carrboro and Northern Guilford were rained out. In a wide-open Central Conference, the Red Wolves had little time to prepare for a veteran Williams team that returned seven starters, including 2023 league Pitcher of the Year Tate Jones.

“It seems like every year we’re struggling to get in games because of an umpire shortage,” said Cedar Ridge coach Bryson Massey. “We scheduled out schedule tough to challenge our guys. I thought it would prepare our guys once we got here. We played two quality teams and I think it prepared us well for the end of the game tonight.”

Cedar Ridge led 6-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning before Williams catcher Dan Mahan, who has committed to play football at Appalachian State, belted a solo homer over the left field wall onto adjacent Memorial Stadium. Jones legged out an infield single that narrowly beat a throw from Cates, who moved over to second base after being replaced as pitcher by sophomore Nick Aitkin. Williams’ Vince Coker lined a triple over the head of centerfielder Landon Dalehite to score Jones and cut the Red Wolf lead to 6-3.

The Red Wolves earned a crucial insurance run in the seventh. Kevin Jones walked. After Carter Warren came on as a pinch-runner for Jones, Finnegan moved Warren to second on a sacrifice bunt. Warren raced to third after a wild pitch and eventually scored off another wild pitch with Aitkin at bat to put the Red Wolf lead to 7-3.

That turned to be crucial after the Bulldogs sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh inning. With one out, Aidan Pulliam walked. Dylan Brooks sliced a soft liner into right field. Trace Hicks walked to load the bases. James Cooper grounded a ball to shortstop that was booted into centerfield, scoring Pulliam and Brooks.

Finnegan was summoned from right field to take over as pitcher. Mahan lifted a soft pop-up to centerfield to load the bases once again. Jones grounded a ball back to Finnegan, who threw to catcher David Schoof to retire Charles Smith, running for Hicks. Coker was hit by a pitch, scoring Cooper to trim the Cedar Ridge lead to 7-6. Angel Mora grounded out to Aitkin at second base for the final out.

Cedar Ridge scored in each of its first four at bats with Cates doing the most damage. After Ian McGuffey drew a walk in the first, Cates lined an 0-1 fastball to the gap in right centerfield, the deepest part of the park. McGuffey scored from first as Cates pulled up for a stand-up triple. The cutoff throw went to third base and wound up against the fence, leading Cates to score, as well.

Mahan scored the opening run for the Bulldogs in the first. He led off with a single to right field, stole second and third bases, then scored off a single from Coker to right.

The difference between the two teams was fielding. The Bulldogs committed three errors, leading to three unearned Red Wolf runs. Finnegan sent an opposite field single to left field to lead off the second. Grant McGuffey walked. After Schoof bunted Finnegan and McGuffey up 90 feet each, Aitkin sent a roller up the middle. Mora chased down the ball behind second base, but threw it away trying to nab Aitkin. Finnegan scored off the hit and McGuffey came in off the error.

In the third, Finnegan sent a fly ball to centerfield that appeared to end the inning. But the ball was dropped, leading to Cates scoring after he drew a walk earlier. That increased the Red Wolf lead to 5-1.

Aitkin was hit by a pitch to begin the fourth, followed by a walk to leadoff batter Landon Dalehite, which led to Trace Hicks being replaced as pitcher by Nathan Billings. Cates lined a single to left field to score Dalehite and the Red Wolves led 6-1.

While the Red Wolves return eight starters, they also started two freshmen in the field against the Bulldogs. But their most experienced pitchers paved the way to victory in its conference opener.

Dante DeFranco: In their final year in the league, the Charlotte 49ers won the Conference USA Baseball Tournament in Houston over the weekend. The 49ers upset the top-seed, Dallas Baptist, 5-2 to win the championship on Sunday. DeFranco entered the game as a 2nd baseman in the fourth inning. He went 0-for-2. Charlotte won five games over four days to take the championship, including back-to-back wins over Middle Tennessee. In an 9-8 win over the Blue Raiders on Saturday, DeFranco started at 2nd base and went 2-for-3 with tw0 runs scored. He scored off a double play in the 2nd inning and off a throwing error in the fifth to put the 49ers ahead 8-2. On Memorial Day, the 49ers were placed in the Clemson regional for the NCAA Tournament. They will face Tennessee at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday.

Joey Berini: The East Carolina baseball team finished second in the American Athletic Conference baseball tournament at BayCare Park in Clearwater, FL over the weekend. Tulane, the 7th-seed, upset the Pirates 8-6 in the championship game on Sunday. Berini, starting at shortstop, went 2-for-3. The Pirates won back-to-back games over South Florida on Saturday to reach the championship game. In the opening 3-1 win over the Bulls, Berini drove in the final run with a single to center field in the sixth. Berini finished 1-for-4. ECU romped over USF 14-7 to advance to the final. Berini knocked in a run off a sacrifice fly in the eighth. He finished 1-for-4. In a 13-inning marathon on Friday, the Pirates stayed alive with a victory over UCF 7-6. Berini gave the Pirates a 6-5 lead in the eighth inning off a double by Lance Hoover. Berini went 2-for-5 against the Knights. USF defeated ECU 12-11 in eleven innings last Tuesday. In an elimination game on Wednesday, the Pirates defeated Cincinnati 9-6. Berini went 1-for-3. ECU will head to Charlottesville, VA this weekend for the NCAA Tournament. They will face Oklahoma on Friday night.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson earned his second hold of the season for the Milwaukee Brewers in a 4-0 win over the World Champion Houston Astros at Miller Park on May 24. Wilson threw a scoreless seventh inning on 12 pitches. On May 23, Wilson threw the ninth inning in the Brewers 6-0 win over the Astros. He surrendered one hit. The Brewers are 28-25 and lead the National League Central by two games over Pittsburgh as of May 30.

Takia Nichols: The North Carolina Central softball team was eliminated from the NCAA Softball Tournament by Boston University on May 20. The Terriers defeated the Eagles 8-0 in six innings at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens. GA. #14 Georgia defeated the Eagles 12-0 in five innings in the opening round. Nichols was first-team All-MEAC in her freshman season with the Eagles. Central won its first MEAC Championship. In her freshman year, Nichols led the team in home runs (8), total bases (74), walks (28), slugging percentage (.569) and on-base percentage (.459). She hit .338 (2nd on the team) with 31 RBIs.

Tori Dalehite: After winning the Southern Conference championship, the UNC Greensboro Spartans’ season ended in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Cal State Fullerton defeated the Sparans 5-0 at McWhorter Stadium. Dalehite entered the game in right field in the fifth inning. #10 Clemson defeated UNCG 17-2 in five innings. Dalehite played as a pinch-runner. This season, Dalehite played in 31 games for the Spartans, starting seven of them. She hit .150 in 20 at-bats.

Jamar Davis: On the final day of the NCAA East Regional Track and Field Championships in Jacksonville, FL, Davis qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the long jump. Davis, competing for N.C. State, finished twelfth with a leap of 15.79 meters. It will be the first team that Davis has reached the national championship. In 2019, Davis was a second-team all-American in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor National Championships. Davis, a graduate student with the Wolfpack, ran track, wrestled and played soccer for Orange. He graduated in 2019.

Phillip Berger: The Division III William Peace baseball team swept a three-game series from Brevard last weekend at Coleman Field in Cary. On Sunday, the Pacers defeated the Tornadoes 4-2. Berger earned his fourth win of the season striking out seven over seven innings. He surrendered only two runs off seven hits and one walk. Berger threw eight innings in a 3-2 loss to Pfeiffer on April 15 at Joe Ferebee Field in Misenheimer. Berger struck out six over eight-and-one-thirds innings. He allowed three runs, just one earned, off nine hits. Berger is 4-4 with a 3.86 ERA. He leads the team with 52 strikeouts. The Pacers are 20-17 overall, 11-7 in the USA South Conference.

Bryse Wilson:  The Milwaukee Brewers continue its strong start to the season. On Wednesday, the Brewers defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-2 at Miller Park. Wilson, coming out of the bullpen, earned his first hold of the season. He threw two-thirds of an inning and allowed one hit with one strikeout. On Monday, the Tigers defeated the Brewers 4-2. Wilson threw two innings and surrendered just one hit with four strikeouts.

Joey Berini: The #12 East Carolina baseball team is continue to grind for another American Athletic Conference championship. On Tuesday, N.C. State defeated the Pirates 4-3 at Doak Field in Raleigh. Berini went 1-for-4 with a RBI groundout. Last week, Wichita State swept ECU in a three-game series. In the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, the Shockers defeated the Pirates 8-3. Berini went 2-for-4 with an RBI single. Last week, Berini faced off with a former Orange High teammate when the Pirates faced the Charlotte 49ers. Dante DeFranco, who played three years at Cedar Ridge before transferring to Orange, played left field for Charlotte. The Pirates won 6-2 at Truist Field in uptown Charlotte. Berini 1-for-4 with two RBIs. He had a two-run single in the fifth that put the Pirates ahead 6-1. Berini is hitting .308 in 38 games, including 36 starts. He has four home runs and 22 RBIs.

Dante DeFranco: The Charlotte 49ers baseball team swept a three-game series from UAB at Hayes Stadium in Charlotte. DeFranco played in the opening game as a reserve in centerfield. Charlotte won 4-1. DeFranco went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the 49ers 11-6 win on Saturday. He started in left field. On Sunday, the 49ers won 2-0, where DeFranco started in left field again. On Tuesday, Winthrop defeated Charlotte 5-2 in Rock Hill, S.C. DeFranco went 0-for-1 with a run scored. Charlotte is 22-18, 12-5 in Conference USA.

Will Walker: The Pitt Community College Bulldogs defeated Lenoir Community College 6-4 at the Minges-Overton Complex on Tuesday. Walker, a sophomore, went 2-for-2 with an RBI single, scoring the opening run of the game. Fayetteville Tech swept a doubleheader from Pitt CC. In the opening game, Walker went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. Walker had a two-run homer in the third. Walker is hitting .324 with three home runs and 26 RBIs in 31 games. Pitt Community College is 24-13 overall, 18-10 in Region X.

Davis Horton: Rockingham Community College is 12-28. On Tuesday, the Eagles defeated the William Peace junior varsity team 4-2. Horton, who started at catcher after several games at first base, went 1-for-1 with a triple. Paul D. Camp Community College swept a three-game series from Rockingham over the weekend. On Saturday, Horton hit a solo homer. The Hurricanes defeated the Eagles 21-11. Horton went 1-for-5 with an RBI as Camp won the series opener 6-4. Through 34 games, Horton leads the team with 24 RBIs. He’s hitting .267 with one home run.

Jamar Davis: After he placed first in the triple jump at the Raleigh Relays for the N.C. State men’s track and field team, Davis finished fifth in the triple jump at the Virginia Challenge at Lannigan Field in Charlottesville, VA on April 21. His best leap was 15.48 meters. Salif Mane of Fairleigh Dickinson finished first at 16.54 meters.

Cy Horner: In what may have been a first, two former Orange High lacrosse players faced off against each other in a college game last week when Methodist took on Pfeiffer. Horner, a midfielder for Methodist, went against Jaylin Jones of the Falcons. Pfeiffer won 18-9 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. Horner had five shots, three of them on goal, and two ground balls. The Monarchs defeated Brevard 26-3 on April 15 at Monarch Stadium in Fayetteville. Horner scored a goal and was credited with two assists. Methodist is 5-9 overall, 3-4 in the USA South.

Jaylin Jones: Jones scored a goal in Pfeiffer’s win over LaGrange 24-8 last weekend in Lefko Field. Jones also had two ground balls as the Falcons improved to 14-1, 7-1 in the USA South.

Chase Finley: Finley continues his career at the goalkeeper for the Division II Shorter University men’s lacrosse team. He started in net last week as Lander University defeated Shorter 23-3. He made 26 saves.

Baseball: Cedar Ridge 10, Roxboro Community School 9: There’s something about Cedar Ridge baseball in Roxboro that leads to drama.

Last month, the Red Wolves trailed Person 10-7 going into the sixth inning before they rallied with four unanswered runs, triggered by a go-ahead squeeze play by Ian McGuffey to score B.J. Thornton, for an 11-10 Cedar Ridge win.

On Wednesday night, Cedar Ridge topped themselves at Optimist Park against Roxboro Community School,.

Trailing 8-1 at the end of the fourth inning, the Red Wolves rallied for five runs in the seventh to beat the Bulldogs 10-9. Senior Will Tippin drove in the game-winning run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Grant McGuffey tied it up when he scored on a passed ball.

Mason Cates silenced the Bulldog bats and earned the win, throwing three scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts to end the game. Cates is 3-1 with a save since he became a regular part of the Red Wolves starting rotation last month.

Cates also started the 7th inning rally with a one-out single to centerfield. After Cates stole second, Quinn Finnegan sent a frozen rope to left field to trim RCS’ lead to 9-6. Caden Thompson replaced Finnegan as a pinch-runner. Thornton and Grant McGuffey walked to load the bases. Landon Dalehite smoked a 0-2 fastball to centerfield to bring in Thompson and keep the bases loaded. Ian McGuffey drew a walk to put the Red Wolves within a run. Grant McGuffey tied the game when he scored on a passed ball.

Cates retired the Bulldogs in order in the seventh, ending with consecutive strikeouts of Blake Vernon and Jordan Beneroso.

Roxboro Community came into the game 11-3.

Trailing 9-1, the Red Wolves put a dent into the Bulldogs lead with five runs in the fifth. Tippin, Issac Anderson and Finnegan all walked. Thornton was hit by a pitch to score Tippin. Grant McGuffey had a Texas leaguer drop into centerfield for a two-run single. The Red Wolves used some trickery on the bases as Thornton scored on a double steal while McGuffey took off for second to cut the RCS lead to 9-5.

Cedar Ridge will return to action with a home game in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday.

Softball: Cedar Ridge 6, Northwood 0: Sophomore Charlotte Lowry threw a complete game shoutout to cement Cedar Ridge’s bid for the 3A State Playoffs with a win in Pittsboro.

Lowry surrendered only five hits over seven innings, striking out six. Anaya Carter broke open a scoreless game in the third inning with a doubled to centerfield. Mia Best, who drew a walk earlier, came in to score off an error by the centerfielder.

In the fourth, senior Hayley King led off with a walk. Kimber Shambley grounded into a fielder’s choice. Laci Sykes lined a single to left field. Shambley wound up scoring off a throwing error to push the Red Wolves lead to 2-0. Ciara Peach reached on an infield single to plate Sykes.

Sophomore Reagan Simmons put the cap on things with a two-run homer to centerfield, scoring Best. Simmons leads Cedar Ridge with six home runs. She also had a team-best .600 batting average.

Carter followed with a double to centerfield. Lowry helped her own cause with a sacrifice fly, bringing in Carter.

Cedar Ridge (10-9) is currently ranked #25 in the 3A East Region. That would safely put them in the 3A State Playoffs.

The Red Wolves will wrap up its regular season against Person at Red Wolves Softball Stadium on Thursday afternoon at 7PM.

Wednesday’s game in Pittsboro was Cedar Ridge’s final trip to Northwood for a conference game for the near future. Northwood will move down to 2A starting in August. They have been conference rivals with Cedar Ridge since 2012.

From the beginning of this season, Cedar Ridge baseball coach Bryson Massey said the strength of his team would be on the mound.

Despite losing eight seniors and starting catcher Efrain Morales, an All-State player who transferred to the P27 Baseball Academy in Lexington, SC last summer, the Red Wolves have ended this regular season backing up Massey’s prediction.

Last Friday, junior Mason Cates allowed only two hits while driving in the game’s opening run with a double to centerfield as the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 9-2 in Elon.

Cedar Ridge (11-9. 7-5 in the Central Carolina Conference) is the first team in the CCC to finish conference play. They won its last four CCC contests and will host a game in the CCC Tournament next week.

Sophomore Quinn Finnegan stroked a three-run homer over the left field wall in the sixth inning to put the Red Wolves ahead 8-1. All three runs came after two outs were recorded. Senior Issac Anderson stroked a double to left field. The Warriors elected to intentionally walk Cates to get to Finnegan, who made them pay a steep price.

Finnegan finished with five RBIs. He also had a sacrifice fly in the first inning when he knocked in Cates on a sacrifice fly to right field. In the second, Finnegan walked with the bases loaded to score Nicholas Aitkin, who led off the inning with a single and moved over to second on an error.

Cates, who threw a complete game, didn’t become a permanent starter until midseason. After he limited Orange to only four hits in a close 3-1 loss to the Panthers on March 30, he’s been a part of Massey’s rotation ever since.

The victories over Western Alamance followed an up-and-down Hilltop Invitational for the Red Wolves, where they won their opening game after Union Pines, but lost to Chapel Hill and Lee County at home.

Last Tuesday, Cedar Ridge responded by beating Western Alamance 12-4 in the opening game of the two-game series in Hillsborough. The Warriors led 3-0 early, but the Red Wolves scored 12 unanswered runs, triggered by a two-run homer by Cates in the third inning.

“It was a real tough week towards the end last week,” Massey said. “But challenging the guys the way we did against two really good teams, Chapel Hill and Lee County, I think that prepared us for this week. We got down early on Tuesday night. We talked about that heavily last week. Getting down early and not giving up and being ready to fight. Obviously, it’s not the ideal situation, but the guys fought back and got it done.”

In the series opener against Western Alamance, Grant McGuffey evened things on a RBI single to left field, scoring B.J. Thornton. The Red Wolves took the lead for good in the fourth when Ian McGuffey was hit by a pitch. Aitkin drew a walk and Will Tippin singled to right field to load the bases.

With two out, Finnegan reached on an error by the shortstop to score Tippin and Aitkin to put the Red Wolves ahead 5-3. After Thornton walked, Grant McGuffey legged out an infield single to score Anderson.

On his senior night, Thornton earned the victory on the mound. He struck out nine over six innings, allowing only four hits and four runs, one of which was earned. Grant McGuffey finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Cates went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Finnegan added a triple.

It was also senior night for Anderson and Tippin.

Cedar Ridge will finish their regular season with a trip to Roxboro to face Roxboro Community School. The game will be played at Optimist Park on Wednesday night at 7 PM. Optimist Park was formerly the home of the North Carolina Semi-Pro Baseball Tournament and has hosted games with Person High School, as well.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is pitcher/first baseman B.J. Thornton. Last week, Thornton was honored on Cedar Ridge’s senior night, where the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 12-4. Thornton earned the win on the mound, striking out nine over six innings. Thornton has been a reliable presence for head coach Bryson Massey as Cedar Ridge finished 7-5 in the Central Carolina Conference this season. Against Eastern Alamance on April 4, Thornton drove in five runs, including a double, as the Red Wolves defeated the Eagles 11-5. Thornton also picked up the win on the mound, striking out ten over five-plus innings. When he isn’t pitching, Thornton plays three positions on the infield. After Cedar Ridge suffered heavy losses last season after the graduation of eight seniors and the loss of catcher Efrain Morales, the Red Wolves still bounced back and will reach the state playoffs for the second straight season. Against Northwood on March 21, Thornton struck out eleven in a 7-1 Red Wolves victory. Cedar Ridge will wrap up its regular season this week. They will travel to Roxboro Community at Optimist Park in Roxboro on Wednesday night.

For a team that was depleted by graduations and transfers at the end of last season, the Cedar Ridge Red Wolves baseball squad isn’t staying down when they’re supposed to.

Western Alamance led the Red Wolves 3-0 at the end of two-and-a-half innings on Tuesday night. But this was Cedar Ridge’s senior night, and it was seniors B.J. Thornton, Issac Anderson and Will Tippin who provided big plays that enabled a Red Wolf comeback win.

Cedar Ridge scored 12 unanswered runs to beat the Warriors 12-4. Thornton, the starting pitcher, fanned nine over six innings to earn the win. He allowed just four hits and four runs, only one earned.

Junior Mason Cates belted a two-run homer to start the comeback in the bottom of the third. It was Cates first homer of the season over the left field wall. After Thornton was hit by a pitch, Grant McGuffey stepped up to bat. Thornton stole second, and McGuffey lined a single to left field to score Thornton and tie the game.

In the fourth, Cedar Ridge loaded the bases when Ian McGuffey was hit by a pitch. Nick Aitkin walked and Tippin sent a hard grounder to right field for a single. McGuffey was thrown out at the plate after Anderson grounded to third baseman Tyler Atkins. With two out, Quinn Finnegan sent a hard grounder and reached on an error by the shortstop, bringing in Aitkin and Tippin.

Grant McGuffey delivered the kill shot with a single to left field. Anderson and Finnegan scored to increase the Cedar Ridge lead to 8-3.

The Red Wolves are now 6-5 in the Central Carolina Conference. They play Grimsley in Hillsborough on Wednesday, then travel to Western Alamance on Friday for their final conference game of the regular season.

On his senior night, Tippin went 2-for-3. Cates finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Grant McGuffey finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Orange 6, Northwood 1: Once again, the Orange bullpen took a potential upset that would have reverberated across the CCC and silenced it quickly.

And once again, it was junior Coltin Hedrick, who retired all nine Northwood batters he faced on his way to his third win of the season.

Hedrick’s dominance gave the Panther bats time to awake from a mid-game slumber. Tied 1-1 going into the fifth inning, Orange scored two runs in the fifth and another three in the sixth to beat Northwood 6-1.

In his last five appearances, Hedrick is 3-0 with two saves.

It was Orange’s eighth straight home win over the Chargers since the two teams became conference rivals in 2014. Northwood is leaving the CCC at the end of this season to return to 2A.

Northwood pitcher Sal Delgado kept Orange off-balance after the first inning. Moments after the Chargers tied the game following a sacrifice fly to right field by Nate Ortiz to score Nate Davis in the fourth inning, Delgado set Orange down 1-2-3 for the only time in the game.

Orange’s Cross Clayton opened the fifth getting plunked on the bat on a 2-2 pitch. With Neo Best at bat, Clayton advanced to second after wild pitch. Elijah Santos stroked a 2-0 fastball to left field to send Clayton to third. Jackson Berini drew a walk to load the bases. Waitt, who leads Orange in base hits, smashed a single past a diving Ortiz at third to bring in Clayton. With Ryan Hench at bat, Delgado uncorked a wild pitch. Santos raced for home and just got his hand on the plate before the throw by catcher Robert Tripp got to Delgado. Orange led 3-1.

After Hedrick retired the Chargers in order in the sixth, Orange rallied big time with two outs. Clayton dropped a single into left field. Best got on board on a walk. Santos faintly touched a cue shot down the third base line against new Northwood pitcher Nathan McWilliams, whose throw to first was errant. Ty Walker, running in place of Clayton, came around to score. The ball wound up in left field, and the relay throw skipped helplessly across the infield, allowing Best to score and sending Santos to second. Berini sent a grounder up the middle, plating Santos.

In the opening inning, Berini hit a leadoff double. Connor Nordan, who leads Orange with 26 RBIs, sent a laser to left field for a single, bringing in Berini, who has scored in 15 of Orange’s 18 games,

Orange starter Josiah Gibbs was strong across four innings. He allowed only one run off four hits with three strikeouts and no walks in a no decision.

Orange will travel to Southwestern Randolph tonight before going to Northwood to complete the two-game series on Friday night.