There’s something about playing Triton in the state playoffs that leads to heroic moments for Orange.
The latest magic came from Orange softball senior Allie Carden in Erwin on Tuesday night.
Orange’s season was hanging by a thread. Down 7-2 against the Hawks in the seventh inning, senior Sadie Cecil grooved a double down the left field line to score Natalie Roberson, who drew a leadoff walk.
After Molly Kate Ollis loaded the bases with a walk, Carden stepped up with two out. On a 1-0 pitch, she drilled a no-doubter well over the centerfield fence that landed into the trees beyond the royal blue fence at Hawks Softball Field. Orange’s reserves, adorned in black uniforms with orange numbers, spilled out of the dugout as one to celebrate a new life to their season as Carden crossed home plate.
Stuck with only three runs over the first six innings, Orange couldn’t stop scoring after Carden’s grand slam.
Orange sent eleven batters to the plate in the eighth inning and scored eight runs to put it out of reach as the Lady Panthers defeated the Hawks 15-7 in eight innings in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. Orange (14-11), seeded #17, will face top-seeded Southern Nash in Bailey on Friday night.
With one out in the eighth, Hayleigh Hammond banged a double off the left field wall, missing a home run by inches. It started a string of four consecutive Orange hits that put the game away. Cecil drove in the game-winning run with another two-bagger to left field. Ollis lined a single through the heart of the 5-6 hole. Cecil tested the arm of left fielder Sydney Bradham and slid into home plate safely as the throw was off line to increase Orange’s lead to 9-7.
Katie Carden added insurance with an opposite field triple that rolled to the right field fence, easily scoring Ollis and forcing a Triton pitching change. Senior Rhiley Crabtree knocked in Carden with a bouncing ball that dipped under the glove of second baseman Kelsey Matthews for a single. Hammond, in her second at-bat of the inning, drove a triple to left field to score Roberson and Karley Neighbours.
Freshman Lexi Bowes earned the win in relief, throwing five innings.
In 2023, the Triton baseball team led Orange 8-3 after scoring five runs in the 10th inning in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Orange responded by scoring six runs in the bottom of the 10th with Wyatt Hedrick hitting a walkoff single to win 9-8.
Cedar Ridge 12, West Johnston 1 (5 innings):
In Cedar Ridge’s last home playoff game six years ago, they needed eleven innings to defeat West Johnston.
On Tuesday night, in their first home since that night in 2019, they finished off the Wildcats quickly.
Senior Reagan Simmons hit a three-run homer during a four-run fourth inning. Senior Charlotte Lowry, in possibly her final start in Hillsborough, allowed only three hits after the first inning as the Red Wolves easily advanced to the second round.
The Red Wolves will travel to Richlands on Friday night. The Wildcats needed a walkoff hit to beat White Oak 2-1 in the opening round.
There was no such drama in Hillsborough on Tuesday. Kimber Shambley broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning with a RBI single to centerfield to plate Mia Best. Simmons, in her first game in several weeks, drilled a three-run homer that floated over the centerfield fence to put the Red Wolves ahead 5-1.
Simmons finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Mia Best scored four runs and went 3-for-3 with two doubles. Lowry allowed only five hits. Kimber Shambley went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Cedar Ridge added three runs in the fourth. Raegan Remaly knocked in Brittani Goddard off an error. Shambley drove in Madeline Galindo-Woodring off another error to increase the Cedar Ridge lead to 7-1.
Cedar Ridge is 17-7, its most successful season since going 21-3 in 2019.
West Johnston, which came into the game having won eight of its last nine, ends the year 13-9.