The Wait Ends–Lowry, Simmons, Shambley power Cedar Ridge softball past Orange for first time since 2019
After a four-year career at UNC Greensboro, Tori Dalehite returned to her softball roots this winter by joining the Cedar Ridge coaching staff.
Tuesday night must have brought back some pleasant memories.
The last time Cedar Ridge defeated Orange in softball, Dalehite was a senior in 2019. Takia Nichols, the all-time home run hitter in school history who now starts at North Carolina Central, was a sophomore.
Six years of frustration against Cedar Ridge’s crosstown rival ended on Tuesday.
Senior Charlotte Lowry threw a four-hitter while also going 2-for-3 at the plate to push Cedar Ridge past Orange 7-1 at Cedar Ridge Softball Field.
Seniors Kimber Shambley and Reagan Simmons each homered for the Red Wolves while Laci Sykes delivered a two-run single the first inning. The Red Wolves (5-3 overall, 3-1) remain one game back of Eastern Alamance for first place in the Central Conference. Cedar Ridge will travel to Eastern Alamance on Friday in a crucial rematch from a somewhat controversial result from earlier this month.
Lowry made sure nothing was controversial against the Lady Panthers. She struck out nine batters and didn’t allow a hit until the third inning. Orange did mount a minor threat in the first inning after freshman Kaylee Allen walked and advanced to second when Allie Carden reached on a dropped ball. Lowry retired the side when she struck out Addison Guentensberger.
When Orange made mistakes in the field, Cedar Ridge capitalized on them. Raegan Remaly reached on an errant throw to first in the opening inning. After Shambley and Simmons walked to load the bases, Remaly scored when a pitch from Guentensberger skipped away from Carden, the Orange catcher, to the backstop. Sykes dropped a two-run bloop into shallow right field to plate Simmons and Shambley and increase Cedar Ridge’s lead to 3-0.
Simmons, who played at Apex High School last year before retuning to Cedar Ridge this season, led off the third inning with a towering home run over the centerfield fence. It was her team-leading fourth home run of the year.
In her seventh start, Lowry improved to 4-1 with 38 strikeouts and seven walks.
Simmons drove in another run in the fourth when she smashed a fastball down the left field line for a double. Remaly, who was hit by a pitch earlier, scored. Rylee Capps, who hit a grand slam in last week’s rout of Southern Alamance, grooved a single to centerfield to score Simmons and increase the Red Wolf lead to 6-0. Capps leads the team with a .519 batting average.
Orange didn’t get a runner to third base until the sixth inning when Carden delivered a solo homer over left field.
Shambley, who has committed to Western Carolina, led off the seventh inning with a deep fly ball over the fence in left field that nearly hit the scoreboard. It was Shambley first home run of the season.
Now Cedar Ridge heads to Mebane for Friday’s game. The conference opener against Eastern Alamance from March 3 will be easy to remember. The Red Wolves led 3-0 after three innings against the Eagles on March 3. The Eagles scored its first run off a controversial call when Edie Stewart sent a fly ball to centerfield while Rachel Byrd was at third base. After Cedar Ridge’s Madeline Galindo-Woodring made the catch, Byrd tagged up. Originally, the field umpired ruled that Byrd had left the base early and was called out. The home plate umpire overruled the field umpire’s call and the run counted.
That proved to be costly for Cedar Ridge in the end. The Red Wolves led 4-1 in the seventh inning before Eastern Alamance scored three runs to send the game into extra innings. Brylea Warren hit a game-tying, three-run homer. The Eagles added four runs in the eighth inning.
Cedar Ridge’s last conference championship in softball was in 2019.
Orange at Cedar Ridge softball! Listen live here!
<iframe src=”https://hamlin680.mixlr.com/recordings/2734784/embed” frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no” height=”200px” width=”100%”></iframe><small><a href=”https://mixlr.com/” style=”color:#1a1a1a;display:block;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:left;padding: 4px 0;”>hamlin680 is on Mixlr</a></small>
Cedar Ridge baseball’s Hudson Kelly and Quinn Finnegan discuss win at Walter Williams
Cedar Ridge baseball gained a sweep of Walter Williams to start its Central Conference season this week. On Friday night, Hudson Kelly earned his first varsity win as the Red Wolves defeated Williams 3-1 at Bulldogs Field. Kelly only allowed one unearned run off of hit over five innings. After he started the week with a win over Williams in Hillsborough, senior Quinn Finnegan came over from first base in the sixth inning and earned a six-out save. It was the second year in a row that Finnegan earned a save in a win at Williams. Kelly also drove in the game-winning run with a two-run single in the fourth inning. Williams mounted threats in the sixth and seventh innings, but Cedar Ridge’s Carter Warren made a huge catch in right field with runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs in the sixth. Warren managed to force a double play after making the big grab. After the Bulldogs got two runners on base off infield singles in the seventh inning, Finnegan struck out the final two Williams batters to end the game. Cedar Ridge is atop the Central Conference with a 2-0 record as they prepare to travel to Person on Tuesday night. The Red Wolves will also have a home game against Clover Garden School in Hillsborough on Wednesday night at 6.
Cedar Ridge baseball’s Quinn Finnnegan and Hudson Kelly discuss win at Walter Williams
Cedar Ridge baseball gained a sweep of Walter Williams to start its Central Conference season this week. On Friday night, Hudson Kelly earned his first varsity win as the Red Wolves defeated Williams 3-1 at Bulldogs Field. Kelly only allowed one unearned run off of hit over five innings.
Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Henry Alexander
This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior runner Henry Alexander. This season, Alexander helped the Cedar Ridge men’s cross country team finish second in the Central Conference. At the Central Conference championships in October, Alexander finished fourth with a time of 17:25.84. It led to the Red Wolves finishing with 44 points, second only to Orange in the conference. At the Mideast Regionals at Owens Recreation Park in Louisburg, Alexander finished seventh at 17:07.53. It led to Cedar Ridge finishing finishing second in the Mideast Region with 83 points. Alexander had a 5th place finish at a tai-conference meet at Orange High School on September 10. This winter, Alexander competed in indoor track and field. He finished fourth in the 3,200 meters at the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear inside Dave Thaden Stadium with a time of 10:49.95. At the final regular season meet on February 4, Alexander finished 5th in the 3,200 meters at 10:37.19. Since indoor season ended, Alexander has started running outdoor track and field. Last week, he started the outdoor season by running in the 800 meters inside Red Wolves Stadium. He finished in 7th place at 2:23.80 in a meet that also included Western Alamance and Southern Alamance. Alexander will spend the spring trying to qualify for the 3A State Outdoor Track & Field Championships at North Carolina A&T State University in May.
Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Henry Alexander
This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior runner Henry Alexander. This season, Alexander helped the Cedar Ridge men’s cross country team finish second in the Central Conference. At the Central Conference championships in October, Alexander finished fourth with a time of 17:25.84.
Kelly hits two-run single, earns 1st varsity win in Cedar Ridge baseball’s 3-1 victory at Williams
BURLINGTON–Carter Warren’s name won’t be in the box score for Friday night’s game.
But it should be.
With Cedar Ridge clinging to a two-run lead in the sixth inning against Williams, Warren moved from centerfield to right field after Quinn Finnegan replaced Hudson Kelly on the mound. With runners at 1st and 2nd, Williams’ Will Allen lined a first-pitch fastball to the right field gap.
Warren had barely got his cleats in place at his new position before he had to make a move that may decide the game. As the ball soared closer to wall, he reached up with his glove hand and snagged the hardest hit ball of the night.
Williams’ baserunners frantically moved in opposite directions. Vince Coker lunged back to first and got back safely. But it was too late for Charlie Smith, who was a step away from third base by the time Warren made the catch. Grant McGuffey took Warren’s throw from right field and tossed it to Jesus Valezquez for the easy double play.
It was the biggest defensive play as Cedar Ridge completed a two-game sweep of Williams 3-1 on Friday night. For the first time since the two teams became league rivals in 201, Cedar Ridge swept a series from the Bulldogs.
Hudson Kelly earned his first varsity win, allowing just one unearned run over five innings. Kelly also knocked in the go-ahead runs in the fifth inning with a liner to centerfield, scoring Noah Heckman and Grant McGuffey.
For the second year in a row, Cedar Ridge senior Quinn Finnegan earned the save at Williams. After Williams got Aidan Pullman and Liam Kerr Finger on board in the seventh inning off infield singles, Finnegan struck out Chris Gonzalez-Gomez and Cooper Rice to end the game.
Coker scored Williams’ only run when he reached off an error in the first inning. Rounding the bases with a passed ball and a groundout, Coker scored off an grounder to second by Angel Mora. Kelly limited the Bulldogs to one hit over the first five innings.
John Grove reached on an error at second base with one out in the fourth inning. Heckman replaced Grove as a courtesy runner. Grant McGuffey lined a double to the left field gap, sending Heckman to third. Kelly drove a liner to left field, which bounced away from Williams’ Jazion Bigelow and came to a rest just shy of the fence, allowing Heckman and McGuffey to score standing up.
Cedar Ridge (3-5, 2-0 in the Central Conference) will start a two-game series against Person in Roxboro on Tuesday.
Cedar Ridge lacrosse’s Grant Thole and Joshua Hart discuss win over Northwood
The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team earned its first win of the season behind four goals from Grant Thole. On Monday night, the Red Wolves defeated Northwood 6-5 in a tight defensive battle at Red Wolves Stadium. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, junior Grant Thole scored four goals, including the game-winner in a man-advantage situation with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. Junior Joshua Hart added another goal as the Red Wolves defeated the 2023 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional champions. Sophomore Jordan Jacobson, a starter for the Cedar Ridge basketball team, added another goal and two assists. Ian Castro had four face-off wins for Cedar Ridge. Junior Michael O’Melia, who just finished wrestling season under Cedar Ridge wrestling coach Scott Metcalf, made eight crucial saves. Many of them were crucial in the fourth quarter as the Red Wolves clinged to a one-goal game in the final 12 minutes. Thole also had four ground balls while Jacobson scooped up five loose balls. Senior Gavin Scher had three ground balls and created one turnover. Cedar Ridge will try to finish the week strong when they travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams tonight (Friday) at 6 PM at Memorial Stadium. Cedar Ridge is led by head coach Joe De Leo.
No Title
The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team earned its first win of the season behind four goals from Grant Thole. On Monday night, the Red Wolves defeated Northwood 6-5 in a tight defensive battle at Red Wolves Stadium.