Baseball: Cedar Ridge 11, Eastern Alamance 5: After a gallant but disappointing loss to Orange last week, the Cedar Ridge baseball team got a big effort from senior B.J. Thornton on the mound and at the plate to roll past Eastern Alamance.
Thornton earned his third win of the season with a season-best ten strikeouts over five-and-two-thirds innings. At the plate, Thornton went 3-for-5 with five RBI as Cedar Ridge (7-6, 4-5 in the Central Carolina Conference) scored four runs in the first inning to take control early.
Thornton also knocked in the first run off a sacrifice fly to score Issac Anderson, who opened the game with a single to centerfield. Mason Cats, who reached on an infield single, scored off a base hit by Landon Dalehite to left field. Nick Aitkin drove a single up the middle to bring in Dalehite and Grant McGuffey.
Cedar Ridge loaded the bases to open the second. Cates and Quinn Finnegan each walked. Thornton lined a single to left field to bring in Tippin.
Eastern Alamance reduced its deficit to 5-3 at the end of the third inning, but Cedar Ridge recovered in the top of the fourth. Tippin walked and Anderson got aboard off a single to left field. Thornton looped a single to right field to score Tippin to put Cedar Ridge ahead 6-3.
Thornton set the Eagles down in order in the fourth. Aitkin lined a one-out double to right field to start the fifth. With two out and Tippin at bat, Aitkin scored off a passed ball. Tippin went on to single on a hard grounder to centerfield. Anderson and Cates walked to load the bases. Finnegan lined a single to centerfield to bring in Tippin and Anderson.
The Red Wolves added two more runs in the seventh. Anderson was hit by a pitch. Cates reached on an infield single. With two out, Thornton sent a double that one-hopped the left field wall that brought in Anderson and Cates.
Cedar Ridge put up 12 hits. Aitkin, a sophomore, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a double. Anderson, hitting leadoff, scored three runs. He finished 2-for-2 with a walk.
It’s the second straight year that the Red Wolves have won at Eastern Alamance. Last year, the Red Wolves opened a doubleheader against the Eagles by rallying from a 5-2 deficit in the seventh inning The Red Wolves scored six runs in the final inning to pull away with a 8-5 win. Quinn Finnegan earned the save as Cedar Ridge eventually earned the sweep of the doubleheader, which helped them reach the state playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Softball: Falls Lake 14, Cedar Ridge 4: For the second straight night, the Falls Lake Firebirds came to Hillsborough and emerged victorious.
On Monday, Falls Lake defeated Orange. On Tuesday, they puled up 19 hits in a win over Cedar Ridge. Freshman Mia Best hit an inside-the-park home run to lead off the first inning. Sophomore Kimber Shambley went 2-for-2 with a triple. Senior Anaya Carter, playing centerfield, went 2-for-4 with a run scoresd.
Reagan Simmons finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Falls Lake’s Kennedy Teasley. who hit two home runs against Orange, had two doubles. Ashbee Standrige homered for the Firebirds, who improved to 7-5.
Men’s Tennis: Northwood 5, Cedar Ridge 4: In a tight match in Pittsboro, the Chargers held off the Red Wolves.
Cedar Ridge senior Josh Mayhew improved to 9-1 on the season with a 6-0, 6-0 win. In doubles, Mayhew teamed with Bowen Wood to win 8-2, which put the Red Wolves ahead in the dual match 4-3.
Mayhew, who played for the 3A State Singles championship last year, was the CCC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year in 2022.
Senior Walker Richards-Baker also won at #3 singles 6-4, 6-4. Sophomore Colin Fulcher defeated Northwood’s Colt Tudor 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 in a 10-point tiebreaker.
The Red Wolves are 3-7 overall, 2-5 in the CCC.