Cedar Ridge Baseball

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.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior pitcher/first baseman Mason Cates. Last week, Cates earned the win as the Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance 12-2 at Red Wolves Stadium. Cates struck out eight over five innings. It was just the fourth start of his career. At the plate, Cates went 1-for-3 with an two-run double as the Red Wolves swept the two-game series from the Eagles. Last Tuedsay, Cates went 2-for-3 with two runs scored as Cedar Ridge defeated the Eagles 11-5. On March 30, Cates limited Orange to only four hits. He struck out seven Panthers. Of the three runs he surrendered, only one was earned. At the plate, Cates went 1-for-3 against Orange. Against the North Carolina School of Science and Math on March 23, Cates finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a double. Cates, a junior, has been instrumental in helping the Red Wolves win three in a row going into tonight’s game against Lee County. Cedar Ridge will face Chapel Hill on Thursday night to wrap up its stint in the Hilltop Invitational. The Red Wolves will also honor seniors B.J. Thornton, Will Tippin and Issac Anderson against the Tigers. First pitch will be at 6 PM.

While spring break was several weeks ago for Orange County Schools students, this week is a chance for Cedar Ridge baseball players to deviate from the norm.

It’s no holiday. It’s just a break from the rigors of Central Carolina Conference action.

The Hilltop Invitational provides a sort of midterm exam for players to test themselves against non conference teams to see how they’ve improve from the start of the season six weeks ago, and what needs shored up for a late season playoff push.

On Monday night, Cedar Ridge relied on some familiar power and pitching experience to get them over the first hurdle.

Senior B.J. Thornton’s RBI triple during a decisive four-run fourth inning, followed by a game-winning single from Landon Dalehite led the Red Wolves past Union Pines 9-5 at Red Wolves Stadium.

In a game that was tied twice, Cedar Ridge pulled away with three runs in the sixth inning. Isaac Anderson lined a single to left field to score Will Tippin. Mason Cates, who earned the save on the mound, sent a one-run single to left field to bring in Anderson.

The Red Wolves (9-6) have won three in a row as they prepare Lee County on Tuesday night at Red Wolves Field.

“What we want from this invitational is we want good, quality teams to come in,” said Cedar Ridge coach Bryson Massey. “That’s what we did this year. Union Pines is a high quality team with a great tradition. Lee County is one of the top teams in the state every year. So getting our guys to compete against teams they don’t compete against is what we want.”

Quinn Finnegan threw five innings to earn the win. He struck out two with no walks and withstood an early Vikings run in the second inning. Union Pines’ Jacob Williams knocked in Hunter Meeds on a hard grounder to right field in the second inning.

Tippin and Anderson drew consecutive walks to open the third inning. After Vikings’ sophomore starter Ryan Wallace got a strikeout for the second out, Finnegan sent a grounder to the hole in the right side of the infield, bringing in Tippin to tie the game. Thornton walked to load the bases. With Dalehite at the plate, Anderson scored on a wild pitch that bounced off the brink lining behind home plate to give the Red Wolves a 2-1 lead.

Union Pines jumped back in front in the top of the fourth. Junior Austin Mooring reached on an infield hit on a grounder to third base. Mooring stole second, went to third after a groundout by Grey Booker, then scored off a single by Ben Finkelstein. Meeds, who reached on a fielder’s choice, also scored from second base to put the Vikings ahead.

The lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the 5th, Anderson got aboard on a hard grounder to the shortstop. Cates also reached on a single. With two out, Thornton smoked a laser that rolled all the way to the centerfield wall, scoring Cates to tie the game. Dalehite sent a grounder to the left field hole, scoring Cates and putting the Red Wolves ahead for good.

But it didn’t end there. After freshman Caden Thomson reached on a bunt single, sophomore Nick Aitkin lined a double to right field. Dalehite and Thompson came home and Cedar Ridge led 6-3.

The Vikings drew within a run in the top of the sixth. Meeds and Grey Booker each scored on a throwing error with two out to trim the Cedar Ridge lead to 6-5.

Once again, Tippin led off the inning by getting on base, this time with a single to left field. Anderson also reached on a base hit to left field, and Tippin scored off an error by Booker. Cates drove in Anderson with a single.

Cedar Ridge will face Lee County on Tuesday night at 6PM. On Thursday, the Red Wolves take on Chapel Hill at Red Wolves Field, also at 6PM.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore pitcher and right fielder Quinn Finnegan. From the very beginning of this season on February 27, Finnegan has had a strong season at the plate. In the season-opener at Knightdale, Finnegan earned the win on the mound. He went 2-for-4 with three RBIs with a double as the Red Wolves defeated the Knights 19-8 in five innings. Finnegan has also had several displays of power at the plate. In an 18-2 win over Northern Durham, Finnegan hit a homer and finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Against Northwood, Finnegan hit a home run at Red Wolves Field, possibly the deepest park in the Central Carolina Conference, as the Red Wolves defeated the Chargers 7-1. In addition to playing baseball, Finnegan is relentless in his fitness regimen. He’s constantly working out as his mother is a Fitness Instructor at Duke University. This video was shot with Finnegan’s curly locks still intact. After Cedar Ridge’s win over Eastern Alamance on Wednesday night, Finnegan had his hair shaved in a show of support for cancer survivors during Cedar Ridge’s Vs. Cancer benefit for Duke Hospital, which raised over $2,800. Finnegan and the Cedar Ridge baseball team will return to action on Monday in the Hilltop Invitational against Union Pines. First pitch at Red Wolves Field will be at 6PM.

The Vs. Cancer game isn’t a game as much as an event for Cedar Ridge baseball.

In the past, the event has featured giveaways for various souvenirs in a benefit for Duke Children’s Hospital. It usually ends with coach Bryson Massey getting his head shaved.

This year, it was no different. With a chair pulled up to home plate, Massey had his red mane shaved at home plate by pitcher Mason Cates after the Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance to complete a two-game series sweep. And he wasn’t alone.

Other Cedar Ridge players lined up to have their heads shaved in a show of solidarity for cancer survivors, including right fielder Quinn Finnegan. This year, the fundraiser raised over $2,800.

As for the game, the Red Wolves had another impressive game from senior B.J. Thornton. After Thornton drove in five runs and earned the win on the mound in the Red Wolves’ 11-5 win in Mebane on Tuesday, the senior went 3-for-4 with four RBIs against the Eagles. In the series, Thornton went 6-for-11 with nine RBIs and three doubles.

For the seconds straight week, junior Mason Cates had a strong pitching performance. After making his first start of the season against Orange last week, Cates struck out eight over five innings against the Eagles. He allowed only one run on five hits to earn his first win of the season. Of Cates 95 pitches, 55 were strikes.

Cedar Ridge (8-6, 5-5 in the Central Carolina Conference) wasted no time in taking the lead, scoring three runs in the first inning. Issac Anderson started the frame with a leadoff infield single. Finnegan drove a sharp grounder to the left side of the infield to bring Anderson to third. Thornton looped a two-run double, plating Finnegan and Anderson. With two out, Thornton induced a pickoff throw to second base that wound up in centerfield, leading to him scoring.

It remained 3-0 Cedar Ridge until the fifth inning. After the Eagles brought across a run in the fifth, catcher Will Tippin singled to right field. Cates drew a one-out walk. Thornton lined a single to centerfield to score Cates. Landon Dalehite drew a walk. With Grant McGuffey at the plate, Thornton went to third on a passed ball and scored on another passed ball. Dalehite would come in off an error by the catcher.

Cedar Ridge earned the run-rule win by scoring five more runs in the fifth inning. Ian McGuffey drew a leadoff walk. Tippin, who finished 2-for-3 on the night, lined a single to centerfield. Cates sent a double to left field that brought in McGuffey and Tippin and increase Cedar Ridge’s lead to 9-2. Finnegan followed with an RBI single to left field.

Thornton drove his second double of the night down the left field line, bringing in Finnegan. Dalehite ended the game with a single to left field to score Thornton.

Cedar Ridge will get next week off from CCC play to focus on the Hilltop Invitational. The Red Wolves will start with a game against Union Pines on Monday night at 6PM in Hillsborough. On Tuesday, Cedar Ridge will host Lee County. On Thursday, they will play Chapel Hill, a former Big 8 Conference rival.

The Cedar Ridge baseball team has its offense cranking in wins over Northwood and the North Carolina School of Science and Math last week. The Red Wolves defeated Northwood 7-1 at Red Wolves Field. Sophomore Quinn Finnegan became the first player to hit a home run at Cedar Ridge Stadium this season with a solo blast against the Chargers. The following day against NCSSM in Durham, Finnegan had another home run and finished with five RBIs. Against the Unicorns, the Red Wolves tied its season-high with 12 hits. Junior Mason Cates, who played first base, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Red Wolves. Against Northwood, Cates had a double. Finnegan also took the victory on the mound in Cedar Ridge’s season-opener against Knightdale in February. Cedar Ridge enters tonight’s game against Orange with a 6-5 record. They’re fighting for a second straight trip to the state playoffs. Cedar Ridge will also have its annual Vs. Cancer game against Eastern Alamance on April 6th in Hillsborough. Cedar Ridge coach Bryson Massey will have his mustache shaved following the game, along with several players who have grown their own mustaches that pale in comparison to their head coach’s.

Next month, the Carolina Hurricanes will start growing playoff beards, an annual ritual for the 16 NHL teams that achieved enough to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Right now around the Cedar Ridge baseball program, it’s Mustache March.

On April 6, the Red Wolves will face Eastern Alamance for its annual Vs. Cancer game at Cedar Ridge Field. In the past, that’s led to head coach Bryson Massey getting his head shaved for charity. This year, Massey is growing a mustache, which will be shaved next week for the home date against the Eagles.

“I told the guys I’ll grow my mustache until April 6,” Massey said after the Red Wolves defeated Northwood 7-1 last Tuesday in Hillsborough. “We’ve had some players join us in jumping on the train. They’ve grown some out, but I think mine’s takes the cake, though.”

Sophomore right fielder and pitcher Quinn Finnegan took the cake at the plate last week against the Chargers. Finnegan skied a solo homer to left field in the fifth inning, his first dinger of the season. That’s no small feat at Red Wolves Stadium, probably the most pitcher-friendly park in the Central Carolina Conference.

Coming off a loss to Person where the Red Wolves notched only two hits on March 17, Cedar Ridge had an offensive explosion last week. The day after they defeated Northwood, the Red Wolves journeyed to the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham and stockpiled 12 hits, tying its season-high set in the opener against Knightdale, in a 18-1 win over the Unicorns in five innings.

“We came out and played really well at Person,” Massey said. “We had our bats hot tonight (against Northwood). As for Person, I told the guys that’s just baseball. We threw a great game in the second game against Person. We just didn’t swing it as well.”

Senior B.J. Thornton, the Swiss Army knife of the Red Wolves, earned the win against the Chargers with eleven strikeouts over six innings. In addition to being Cedar Ridge’s regular starting pitcher in its rotation, Thornton also plays four defensive positions.

Finnegan drove in the opening run against the Chargers on an infield single that scored Grant McGuffey, who drew a leadoff walk. With Thornton at bat, Finnegan added to the Red Wolves lead when Thornton reached on a dropped third strike. On the throw to first, Finnegan came in to score as Thornton won the race to first.

Northwood struggled to gain traction against Thornton, who threw 59 of his 95 pitches for strikes. Northwood only had one runner touch third base in the opening six innings. Jacob Garrett reached on an infield single in the third, but was stranded after Thornton struck out Jackson Shaner to end the frame.

Against Science and Math, Cedar Ridge opened with a RBI single to right field by Mason Cates, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Four Red Wolves had multi-hit games. Finnegan had an RBI double to centerfield to score McGuffey in the third, then belted a three-run homer in the sixth to increase the Red Wolves lead to 18-1.

Finnegan finished the game against the Unicorns with five RBIs.

Sophomore Landon Dalehite opened the fourth inning with a double to right field and eventually scored off a sacrifice fly by McGuffey. In the fifth, Dalehite hit an RBI single that plated Thornton.

In addition to Cates’ single in the third, he doubled to left field in the fifth, bringing in McGuffey. On the day, McGuffey went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. He also earned the victory on the mound throwing three shutout innings. Ian McGuffey took the save throwing three innings of relief. Designated hitter Will Tippin went 1-for-2 with three runs scored.

With the second game of its two-game set for tonight against Orange at Cedar Ridge Field, the Red Wolves are in the thick of the 3A State Playoff hunt with the Eastern Alamance series set to start next Tuesday. Until then, Massey will continue to wear his mustache until it’s time to come off.

“I get some funny looks when I go out in public,” Massey said.