Cedar Ridge Baseball

The Cedar Ridge baseball team doesn’t mind bad weather when it travels to Roxboro.

Last year, the Red Wolves ventured into Person County and fell behind 10-6 amid frigid temperatures that Cedar Ridge coach Bryson Massey called “the coldest he has ever been in.”

The Red Wolves fought back to win after Ian McGuffey laid down a suicide squeeze bunt to score B.J. Thornton and escape with an 11-10 win to rush back to the team bus and get the heater turned on for a joyous trip back to Hillsborough.

Last Friday, the Red Wolves didn’t deal with cold as much as it was rain. Scattered showers throughout the day left the conditions damp, but Cedar Ridge didn’t need a dramatic finish to emerge from Person with a series sweep.

Cedar Ridge bolted ahead with three runs in each of the first two innings behind a 3-for-3 day from senior first baseman Mason Cates and rolled 13-5 at Rockets Field. Junior Quinn Finnegan earned his first win on the mound this season, allowing three unearned runs.

It was a badly needed win as the Red Wolves try to chase down Southern Alamance, which has immediately established itself as the team to beat in the Central Conference. The Patriots, in its first year in the league, are 4-0 after sweeping two-games series from Eastern Alamance and Walter Williams.

Cedar Ridge ended last week 5-3 overall, 3-1 in the Central Conference.

The Red Wolves nearly had a run-rule victory over Person. The Rockets trailed 11-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Rockets were able to extend the game after scoring three runs in the fourth inning.

Cates started the game with a single to right field. Ian McGuffey laid down a sacrifice bunt and was able to reach after Person pitcher Ian Downey threw the ball away, leading Cates to score. Freshman John Grove lined a double to left field to bring in McGuffey. After designated hitter Kevin Jones reached on an error, Grove scored on a passed ball with Grant McGuffey at bat.

Finnegan set the Rockets down in order in the first inning.

Sophomore Aidan Ryan, starting in left field, reached after an error by Person second baseman Brady Holmes to start the second inning. Nick Aitkin sent a pop fly to shallow right field that dropped between three Rockets that converged on it. Cates sent a grounder to right field for a single that loaded the bases. Ian McGuffery drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Red Wolves ahead 4-0. With two outs, Jones drew another bases-loaded walk to plate Aitkin. Grant McGuffey got a run battered in when he was hit by a pitch, plating Cates.

Cedar Ridge added three more runs in the fourth inning when Jones doubled down the right field line, scoring Finnegan, who got beaned to start the frame. Caden Thompson, running for Jones, scored off a wild pitch with Landon Dalehite at bat, putting the Red Wolves lead at 8-0. With runners at the corners, Dalehite drew a throw from pitcher Jackson Riggan as he tried to steal second, allowing Grant McGuffey to steal home. Dalehite would wind up scoring after stealing third base, and then stealing home to put the Red Wolves ahead 10-0.

After Cates was hit by a pitch, Ian McGuffey sent a line drive to centerfield to score Cates from first base.

After the Rockets scored three in the fourth inning to cut the Red Wolves lead to 11-3, Finnegan started the fifth inning by getting hit by a pitch, then stole second and third bases. Grant McGuffey would knock in Finnegan with a grounder to the shortstop, which was misplayed by Holmes and increased the Cedar Ridge lead to 12-3.

Finnegan struck out five batters over four innings. Ian McGuffey finished out the game with two innings of relief.

On a blustery night when fans showed up wearing sweatshirts and blankets to bear the cold weather, the Cedar Ridge bats got hot at the right time.

Going into the seventh inning trailing 4-1, the Red Wolves stunned Person with four runs in its final at-bat to beat the Rockets 5-4 on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. Sophomore Ian McGuffey laced the game-winning hit to the right field gap to score Caden Thompson, sending the jubilant Cedar Ridge reserves pouring out of the dugout for an on-field celebration.

Going into the last of the seventh, the Red Wolves trailed 4-1 and had only one hit. Junior Quinn Finnegan served notice that something special was on tap in the 7th when he drilled the first pitch from Dylan England over the left field power alley wall, which takes extra power because Red Wolves Stadium in probably the largest in the Central Conference. It was Finnegan’s second home run in as many games.

England retired Kevin Jones for the first out, but Landon Dalehite drew a walk. Grant McGuffey got hit by a pitch, which led to David Schoof got drilled on the front leg by a fastball to load the bases, which led to Person coach Kyle Boyette choosing Brennen Kiser to replace England on the mound. Thompson replaced Schoof as a courtesy runner as Nick Aitkin stepped up to the plate.

Facing a 1-1 count, Aitkin turned on a fastball and sprayed it down the left field line. Dalehite and McGuffey scored to tie the game, sending Dalehite jumping up and down behind home plate as McGuffey rounded the bases. With Mason Cates at the plate, Kiser was called for a balk, advancing Thompson to third.

Cates was then intentionally walked, which brought up McGuffey. On a 1-1 pitch, McGuffey skied a fly ball that landed just shy of the fence in right centerfield. Thompson nearly bumped into several fired up reserves who rushed the field as he jumped up and down to plate the game-winning run.

It was the first loss of the season for the Rockets (5-1, 2-1 in the Central Conference), who swept a two-game set from Western Alamance to open the league slate last week.

Cedar Ridge (3-3, 2-1) started the game on a promising note. Freshman John Grove drew a walk with two-out against Person starter Keeghan Holmes. With Finnegan at bat, Grove stole second, then advanced to third off a throwing error. Finnegan was hit by a pitch. That led to the Red Wolves scoring off a double steal when Finnegan attempted to steal second, allowing Grove to race for home and cross the plate before Finnegan was tagged out by first baseman Casey Oakes.

Person tied the game in the top of the second with a double from Brady Holmes to score Holmes.

England replaced Holmes on the mound in the second inning and largely shut down Cedar Ridge’s offense. In his first four innings of work, he allowed only a single by Schoof in the fifth inning. Even that was canceled out when Aitkin grounded into a double play turned by second baseman Brady Holmes.

Person vaulted ahead 4-1 behind a three-run fourth inning. Brady and Keegan Holmes each drew a walk to lead off the inning against Cates, who started for the Red Wolves. After Camden Shaw laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Holmes and Holmes over, Nick Young reached on an error when he lined to first, scoring two runs. England then singled to centerfield, scoring Young.

Ian McGuffey’s walk off single led to him earning his win on the mound. He threw two innings of shutout baseball, striking out four. Cates threw five innings with five strikeouts and seven walks.

Cedar Ridge will host Seaforth on Wednesday night (tonight) in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge showed its experience in beating Walter Williams to win its Central Conference opener on Tuesday night. Senior Mason Cates earned the win, throwing four innings and surrendering one run as the Red Wolves held on to beat the Bulldogs 7-6 in Burlington. Cates drove in two runs, starting with a triple in the first inning that plated Ian McGuffey. As Cates pulled into third, he wound up scoring off an error. Junior Quinn Finnegan, starting his third season on the varsity, started the game in right field. After the Bulldogs climbed to a 7-5 lead, Finnegan was called into a closer role by head coach Bryson Massey and got the final two outs. It was the first career save for Finnegan. Cates also drove in a run in the fourth, knocking in Landon Dalehite with a single to left field. It was the Red Wolves first win of the year after previously scheduled games against Northern Guilford and Carrboro were rained out. Cedar Ridge has one of the most experienced teams in the Central Conference returning from a squad that finished 2nd in the league last year. The Red Wolves will host Jordan-Matthews in Hillsborough tonight (Wednesday), then face Williams in the second game of a two-game series on Friday in Hillsborough. 

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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.