Month: April 2023

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.

The Orange women’s soccer team celebrated its Senior Night with a victory over crosstown rival Cedar Ridge on Monday night. It was a night to honor a group that accomplished what no other women’s soccer team in school history had done: reach the third round of the state playoffs. Abby Monteith, Isabel Jones, Sydney Rogers, Katelyn Van Mater, Madison Orange, Teresa Rodriguez and Hannah Hummel were all part of playoff victories over Harnett Central and Cape Fear last season. Monteith, who is this week’s Orange Panther of the Week, had to battle back to play this season. Last May in a third-round state playoff game against Walter Williams, Monteith suffered a torn ACL sprinting for a loose ball. It took months of rehabilitation and mental strength to get back to the pitch this year. On Wednesday night, Monteith earned the win in net as Orange defeated Person 10-1. Madison Orange scored a goal against the Rockets. Rogers suffered an injury during training last fall, but had a senior night of her own last fall. Along with Katelyn Van Mater and Isabel Jones, Rogers was a prominent member of the Orange women’s tennis team that won it’s first conference championship in school history last October. Van Mater has also been a forward for the Orange women’s basketball team the past three seasons. Jones scored five goals this season and has been a member of the varsity for four years. Together, many of these players were together as eight graders when the Orange Chargers won their first Orange Person Athletic Conference championship in school history in 2018. After its win over Person, Orange is 8-6-2 and will travel to Northwood on Monday night for the final week of the regular season.

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.

For the third year in a row, the Orange baseball team has won a conference championship. And that may not be the only milestone the Panthers achieve this year. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 10-1. It secured Orange’s 19th win of the season. The last Orange team to win 20 games in the regular season was the 2014 squad, which played 23 games in the regular season. This Orange team will end the regular season with 22 games. Senior pitcher Ryan Hench made his return to the mound against the Eagles after being injured on March 8 against Greensboro Grimsley. Hench blasted a two-run homer in the sixth inning to put the Panthers ahead 7-1. Junior centerfielder Cameron Guentensberger had another strong night at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Guentensberger also had five catches in centerfield. Josiah Gibbs earned his team-leading sixth win of the season, throwing three innings and allowing only one hit. Orange will finish its regular season tonight (Thursday) against Eastern Alamance. With the conference championship, Orange will have a bye into the semifinals of next week’s CCC Tournament. They will also have home-field advantage for the tournament.

The Orange lacrosse team will go into the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs with lots of momentum following a dramatic win over Bishop McGuinness at Auman Stadium on Monday. Josh Cowan scored the game-winning goal with 22 seconds remaining as Orange rallied from a three-goal deficit at halftime. The Panthers, who claimed the Mid-Carolina Conference championship for the third straight season last week with a victory over Northwood, had another big game in net from goalkeeper Katie Wolter, who has earned a scholarship to play at American University. Orange had a spurt in the fourth quarter that was triggered by its defense. Kale Womble, a member of Orange’s Central Carolina Conference championship wrestling team, created several turnovers in the final minutes as the Villains were held scoreless down the stretch. Connor Kruse scored the opening goal for Orange off a turnover and sprinted down the field to fire an overhand shot past McGuinness goalkeeper Connor Argenta. Orange will prepare for the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs, where they will be the #1 seed in the East Region. The Panthers, coached by Chandler Zirkle, will learn about the field on Friday when the 40-team bracket is announced.

MEBANE—At the beginning of the season, no one would have batted an eye if the Orange baseball team entered its final road game of the season needing a win to take the Central Carolina Conference championship.

Aside from Connor Funk and Cesar Lozano, their entire pitching staff from 2022 was back, including starters Ryan Hench, Cross Clayton and Joey Pounds. So were their top six hitters from last year.

Indeed, Orange emerged from Mebane on Tuesday night with a 10-1 victory over Eastern Alamance to win the CCC title. The path to the title may have looked simple to the naked eye, but it really didn’t happen that way at all.

Shortly after winning the season-opener against East Chapel Hill, Clayton suffered an injury to his throwing hand that kept him from pitching for over a month, including the opening two conference series. Hench was injured in the fourth game of the year against Grimsley in Greensboro on March 8. He didn’t return to the mound until Tuesday night.

All told, Orange’s tandem of Hench and Clayton completed one trip through the rotation together during opening week–and that’s it.

As fate would have it, Hench made his long-awaited return to the mound on Tuesday night at the very place where his Orange career started. In March 2020, he made his Panther debut as a freshman in relief of Mason Thompson and closed out a 6-2 win over Eastern Alamance in Mebane. A week later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season.

On Tuesday, Hench returned and showed glimpses of his power that led to him committing to North Carolina. Hench slammed a two-run homer in the sixth as Orange (19-2, 9-2 in the CCC) pulled away from the Eagles 10-1 at Eagle Field.

It’s Orange’s third straight conference championship, their second outright CCC title. In 2021, the Panthers tied Northern Durham for the Big 8 Conference championship through a strange format where only the first meetings between conference rivals counted in the standings.

For head coach Jason Knapp, it’s a championship worth savoring.

“I’ve been coaching for 24 years,” Knapp said. “My first 19 years, I only won one conference championship. So these things don’t come easy. Now, we’ve won three straight conference titles. I specifically talked to those seniors and told them how proud I am of them and what they’ve brought to the table. Of all those seniors, Berini, Waitt, Hench and Pounds, they were all a corps that started it during their sophomore seasons during the pandemic. They have all been leaders since that time.”

Playing on its senior night, Eastern Alamance came into the game with eight straight conference losses. The Panthers jumped right on them with three runs in the opening inning. Jackson Berini, who has scored a run in 18 of Orange’s 21 games, drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and eventually scored a wild pitch third strike, which Hench swung and missed at. Junior centerfielder Cameron Guentensberger, who finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs, bounced a grounder dead over the middle into centerfield to score Hench. Catcher Ryan Horton drove a double to the right field gap to bring in Guentensberger.

Eastern countered with a threat against Hench in their opening at-bat. Senior pitcher Cole McGuiness doubled down the third base line. Gage Parsons took a fastball  deep to centerfield, which backed Guentensberger up all the way to the fence for the catch. McGuiness reached third with one out, but Landon Linens flew out to Guentensberger and Hench struck out Garrett Cloutier to end the threat.

Guentensberger made four putouts on the night.

“Cameron is the most underrated player on this team,” Knapp said. “He’s a solid centerfielder. After McGuiness led off with that double, Cameron backed up against the fence to make that catch. He made a great player and got it in quick. If he keeps swinging the bat and we make a deep run, he’s going to show people he’s a next level guy.”

With one out in the second, Elijah Santos drew a walk. David Waitt reached on a dropped liner in the infield. Hench walked to load the bases. Senior Connor Nordan lined a 0-1 fastball to centerfield to score Waitt and Santos. Nordan leads Orange with 32 RBIs.

Hench pitched three scoreless innings during his stint. In the third, Triston Keck reached third base after a dropped third strike wild pitch, which led to Parsons reaching. Hench struck out Linens for his final out.

“Ryan was what I thought he was going to be,” Knapp said. “There was a bit of rust. I could tell he was juiced up and ready to go. He was amped and wasn’t hitting the spot in the first couple of batters. But then he settled in and got out of the first inning jam. He had a clean inning in the second. I felt like he needed to pitch the third to get into a rhythm. It’s good to have him back on the field.”

Josiah Gibbs replaced Hench and earned his sixth win of the season. In three innings, Gibbs struck out six and conceded just one hit–a solo homer by McGuiness in the fifth, the Eagles’ only run of the game.

Guentensberger lined a two-run single in the seventh to score Waitt and Hench. Earlier, Nordan knocked in Berini with a RBI groundout to Cloutier at third base.

With the conference championship, Orange will get a bye into the semifinals of next week’s Central Carolina Conference Tournament. Orange will also be seeded among the top 11 teams in the East Region of the 3A State Tournament. As of Wednesday, Orange is ranked #3 in the RPI East Region rankings behind J.H. Rose and Currituck County.

Senior goalkeeper Abby Monteith vowed she wouldn’t cry on Orange’s Senior Night, though no one would have blamed her if she did.

She had earned it through the joy of being a vital part of the greatest postseason run in Orange women’s soccer history last year–and the agony of everything she endured just to return to the pitch this year.

Orange’s Senior Night included the obligatory banners honoring each of the seniors hanging along the grandstands, an array of orange and white balloons greeting spectators as they entered Orange Soccer Stadium and plenty of emotion among players, parents and fans. After Orange defeated crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 5-1, the Truck Bed Rowdies, a group of fans who watch every home game from the north end zone sitting on the tailgates of their trucks, stormed the pitch like Wrexham had just earned promotion to England’s Football League.

Orange sophomore Elliana Sullivan-Gaddy scored her first hat trick of the season as the Lady Panthers improved to 7-6-2, 5-4 in the Central Carolina Conference.

Sullivan-Gaddy factored in on all five goals for Orange. She assisted on the game-winner by another sophomore, Caroline Cathey, in the second minute, which was wildly ironic. In the opening game between the two teams at Red Wolves Stadium on March 22, they played to a scoreless tie in regulation. The Lady Panthers notched the only tally on an own goal in the second overtime to win 1-0.

In the 15th minute, junior Ella Wimsatt scored on another assist by Sullivan-Gaddy.

Monteith earned the win in net for Orange. Last spring, Monteith was in net when the Lady Panthers advanced to the third round of the 3A State Playoffs for the first time in the 34-year history of the program. In the second half against Walter Williams in Burlington, Monteith suffered a torn ACL sprinting after a loose ball with 32:03 remaining in a 1-1 game. She left the game and faced a long summer to get healthy again.

Undergoing physical therapy at UNC, there were just as many mental tests and physical ones.

“It was a lot of sitting around,” Monteith said. “I think if there’s one thing that I want to voice for all athletes going through injury, it’s the mental health aspect. It’s a lot of sitting and watching. That’s the hardest part. My physical therapist was phenomenal. It’s really hard to get through it, on your own especially. So having people around you and a good support system is just all you can ask for.”

Last Wednesday, Monteith made seven saves as Orange defeated Walter Williams 2-1 to complete a regular season sweep of the Bulldogs.

While Monteith returned to action, another prominent member of the senior class had her 0wn ACL issues. Midfielder Sydney Rogers, a dominant playmaker, was injured while training last October. It would cost her her senior season.

Well, almost all of it.

For her Senior Night, Rogers participated in the opening kickoff agains the Red Wolves. She took the first pass, relayed it out of play and left the game.

Rogers will go on to play in college, like her older sister Jordan, who played at William Peace in Raleigh. While she’s been relegated to the sidelines this year, she’s found ways to keep herself busy.

“It’s been really sad because I don’t get to play,” Rogers, who became the first female in history to score a point for the Orange football team last year. “But it’s fun getting to see the other side of the field. I always will want to be involved in soccer and I think it’s fun that I’ll still get to be involved in high school where I get to have a joy for it. And get to see other people’s joy for it.”

Last season, Rogers scored seven goals and dished out three assists. None of the goals was more precious than the game-winner at Northwood, where she scored in the final minute. Rogers was so elated, she, well, threw up after celebrating, portions of the output landed precariously close to her classmate Madison Orange.

“That was an interesting memory,” Orange laughs. “I’ll never forget that night. That will always be in the back of my brain.”

Madison Orange has spent three seasons on varsity and scored six goals in her career.

Senior Katelyn Van Mater assisted on Sullivan-Gaddy’s second goal in the 52nd minute. Van Mater is no stranger to Senior Nights. Being a three-sport athlete, she’s already had two of them this year.

Along with fellow senior soccer player Isabel Jones, Van Mater was a regular player for the Orange women’s tennis team, which won the first conference tennis championship in school history last fall. Last winter, she was a forward for the women’s basketball squad that reached the state playoffs for the second straight year.

“This means a lot,” Van Mater said about earning the win on Senior Night. “It’s good to earn strong since this was the last senior night.”

Jones, who is second on the team with five goals, has spent four years on the varsity level. Last year, she scored five. Two of them came in playoff wins over Harnett Central and Cape Fear.

“Most of us have played together since out freshman year,” Jones said. “We’re all best friends. It’s sad. We’re all going to different colleges and that’s super emotional. But I’m glad we pulled out the game and it’s a really great win.”

Teresa Rodriguez, a defender who suffered a right foot injury at midseason, was another player who was lost before the season ended.

“It hurts a lot that I won’t get to play for the rest of this season,” Rodriguez said. “But it’s meant a lot for me to grow and be around my friends. To be around my family. Soccer is a big part of me. I hope to play professionally. I also think not going to be able to play without my friends in the future will be tough since we grew up playing together.”

Many of the Orange senior class were members of the 2018 squad at Orange Middle School (then called Stanford Middle School) that won the Orange Person Athletic Conference championship, the first Chargers team to ever won a conference title in women’s soccer.

“It’s like part of a family,” said Hannah Hummel, another senior. “Playing with people that are your friends that would want to spend time with. It’s special.”

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.