Orange Baseball

Championship perfect: Clayton throws 5-inning perfect game as Orange beats Cedar Ridge to win CCC regular season title

It would have been memorable enough if the Orange baseball team had simply beaten its crosstown rival Cedar Ridge on Thursday night.

A victory would sew up the Central Carolina Conference regular season championship. It would be Orange’s seventh straight win, its longest streak in six years. They would ensure the top seed for the Central Carolina Conference Tournament starting May 2.

It was a game Orange’s coaching staff expected to win, but there’s seldom a time when high expectations result in something even greater happening.

The perfect end to Orange’s chase for the regular season championship came in the form of a 5-inning perfect game delivered by a sophomore who played on the junior varsity team a year ago.

Cross Clayton retired all 15 of the Red Wolves that came up to bat in order on just 42 pitches for his team-leading sixth win of the season. The Panthers (14-6 overall, 9-1 in the CCC) had a season-high 18 hits in a 16-0 rout of the Red Wolves in front of a packed Orange Baseball Field Thursday night.

Orange wrapped up the regular season championship with two league games to spare. It’s the second straight conference title for the Panthers, who tied Northern Durham for the Big 8 Championship in 2021 amidst an unusual format dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was the final CCC game of the regular season for Cedar Ridge, who fell to third place in the conference at 7-5. The Red Wolves (12-8, 7-5) now find themselves in the unaccustomed position of rooting for Orange next week. If the Panthers beat Eastern Alamance once in their two-game series, the Red Wolves will receive the #2 seed in the CCC, which includes an automatic spot in the state playoffs.

As soon as Clayton struck out Garrett Ray for the final out, he was swarmed on the mound by his teammates, who couldn’t quite tackle Clayton for a team pile-up, but did administer a quality Gatorade shower.

Perhaps there was something in the air, but the last Panther who had a perfect game was Bryse Wilson, who retired 21 straight batters against Eastern Wayne in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs on May 10, 2016. As Clayton completed his perfect game in Hillsborough on Thursday, Wilson started in Wrigley Field for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Chicago Cubs, which ended in a 3-2 Pirates win.

Whether the official NCHSAA record books count Clayton’s performance as a perfect game because it went only five innings due to the run-rule was irrelevant to Orange coach Jason Knapp.

“In my book, that was a perfect game,” Knapp said. “We got it done with the sticks to score 16 runs, so I think that was a perfect game in anybody’s book.”

Clayton’s emergence from a middle reliever in early March to three consecutive complete game shutouts against Person, Northwood and Cedar Ridge is the backbone of Orange’s rise to the CCC championship. As a freshman, Clayton went 2-0 on the junior varsity squad with a 2.29 ERA.

Clayton started Orange’s chase to the CCC Regular Season championship, so he may as well have been the one who ended it. On a fiery night on March 15 in Elon, Clayton replaced starter Ryan Hench in a scoreless game against Western Alamance in the sixth inning and held the Warriors within a run. Orange shortstop Jackson Berini stole home in the 7th for the game’s only run where the tension was thick and the tempers were short on the field, in the stands, even in the press box.

After Orange dropped the rematch against Western Alamance the following Friday, followed by a dour performance against Perquimans in Wilson the next day, Knapp made Clayton the #2 starter for late-week games. The Panthers haven’t lost a conference game since.

“We put him in a tough situation in Western Alamance and he got through it,” Knapp said. “He got the win. From that point on, as a staff, we just thought he was our #2 arm. He’s a pitcher. He commands his stuff with an array of pitches and his efficiency the past month has been unbelievable. He’s got confidence in the guys’ playing behind him.”

After Clayton retired the Red Wolves on just eight pitches in the first inning, Berini lined a double to right field in the bottom of the first. Ryan Hench followed with another double that bounced off the top of the left field fence to score Berini for the game’s opening run. Designated hitter Connor Nordan lined a sacrifice fly to Mason Cates to bring in Hench and increase Orange’s lead to 2-0.

Nordan, who had five RBI’s on Tuesday at Cedar Ridge, went 7-for-8 with eight RBIs in the two-game series.

Berini set the tone for Orange defense in the second inning when he made all three outs on throws to first base, any of which could have gone for a hit on another day. Berini sprinted to the dugout after the third out and slapped gloves with all of his teammates on the bench as Orange’s emotion vaulted into the next level.

The Panthers added five runs in the second inning, sending ten batters to the plate. Cameron Guentensebger, Connor Funk and Codey Snipes all had infield singles to load the bases. Neo Best, in only his fifth start of the year, lined an RBI single over the head of the third baseman into left field. Catcher Davis Horton delivered a double down the right field line and Orange led 7-0 at the end of the second.

The Panthers added nine more runs in the fourth inning. Hench scored twice in the frame. After a double to right field, Nordan knocked Hench in with a single to left field. Later in the inning, which included 14 batters coming to the plate, Hench smoked a three-run homer to left field.

Now that they’ve secured the #1 seed for the Central Carolina Conference Tournament, the Panthers will receive a bye into the semifinals. They will play on Wednesday, May 4 against an opponent to be determined. Orange will face Southern Lee on Saturday at noon in Hillsborough before hosting Eastern Alamance on Tuesday, also at home.

Cedar Ridge will play two nonconference games next week. They face Southwest Guilford on Wednesday in High Point, followed by a trip to Bartlett Yancey on Thursday to conclude the regular season. The Red Wolves are guaranteed to host a game in the CCC Tournament, the first postseason contest at Red Wolves Territory since 2018.

Orange’s Cross Clayton discusses 5-inning perfect game, while Jackson Berini talks winning the CCC Championship

There were many reasons to celebrate for the Orange baseball team on Thursday night. For starters, the closed out their first outright conference championship since 2016 in the most complete way imaginable. Sophomore Cross Clayton threw a 5-inning perfect game, retiring all 15 Cedar Ridge Red Wolves he faces on just 42 pitches as Orange defeated its crosstown rival, Cedar Ridge, 16-0 at Orange High Field. Clayton has now tossed 18 consecutive scoreless innings and has a team-high six wins in his first year at the varsity level. He became the first Orange player to toss a perfect game since Bryse Wilson in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs against Eastern Wayne on May 10, 2016. As fate would have it, while Clayton threw his perfect game, Wilson was the starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates inside Wrigley Field, where the Bucs defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-3. Junior shortstop Jackson Berini scored Orange’s first run after he led off with a double to right field. Berini finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Orange has won seven in a row and will resume action on Saturday against Southern Lee in Hillsborough. First pitch will be at noon. 

Orange’s Cross Clayton on a 5-inning perfect game & Jackson Berini talks winning the CCC Title

There were many reasons to celebrate for the Orange baseball team on Thursday night. For starters, the closed out their first outright conference championship since 2016 in the most complete way imaginable. Sophomore Cross Clayton threw a 5-inning perfect game, retiring all 15 Cedar Ridge Red Wolves he faces on just 42 pitches as Orange defeated its crosstown rival, Cedar Ridge, 16-0 at Orange High Field.

Nordan hits career-high 5 RBIs, Hench strikes out 12, Orange beats Cedar Ridge; Morales homers for Red Wolves

See ball. Hit ball.

If that sounds like a caveman’s approach to baseball, well, it is. At least when it comes to Connor Nordan, Orange’s designated hitter who has earned the moniker “caveman” from assistant coach Matt Roberts.

And for good reason. In his first season with the Orange varsity, Nordan leads the team in RBIs and has 20 hits, tied with two teammates for team-high honors.

Orange has vaulted to the top of the Central Carolina Conference despite lacking consistency in one area or another from game to game during this season. On Tuesday night, the Panthers finally put all the pieces of offense, defense, pitching and fundamentals together against its crosstown rival. Now, the Panthers are one win away from its first outright conference championship since 2016.

Behind Nordan’s career-best five RBIs, Orange pulled away from crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 13-5 in front of a standing room only crowd at Red Wolves Territory. Orange (13-6 overall, 8-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) simply needs to win one of its final three conference games to take the CCC regular season championship. The Panthers face Cedar Ridge on Thursday at Orange High Field, then face Eastern Alamance next week for a two-game series, starting Tuesday in Hillsborough.

“I thought we had a chance to be better,” Orange coach Jason Knapp said. “We weren’t as sharp as I would have liked in a few facets in the game. But at the end of the day, we traveled to a rival at their place and we found a win. We swung the bat well and pitched well enough.”

Cedar Ridge (12-7, 7-4) had its six-game winning streak snapped. The Red Wolves, who would have gained a share of the CCC regular season championship with a sweep of Orange, are now eliminated from finishing first in the league. Cedar Ridge can still gain an automatic spot to the 3A State Playoff by finishing second. For now, the Red Wolves are tied for 2nd in the loss column with Eastern Alamance, but control the tiebreaker over the Eagles.

Orange pitcher Ryan Hench struck out 12 batters to earn his third win of the season. Hench struck out the side three times and surpassed 100 career strikeouts in the fifth inning, all the more impressive considering he didn’t have a freshman season to speak of (one brief relief appearance against Eastern Alamance, only a week before the season ended due to the pandemic).

It was a strong night for first-year varsity players on both sides. Cedar Ridge freshman starting pitcher Quinn Finnegan was impressive in defeat. In the second inning, Orange loaded the bases with one out, but Finnegan escaped the jam without any runs crossing the plate. Catcher Efrain Morales threw out Codey Snipes after a wild pitch rebounded strong off the padding along the backstop. Finnegan got out of the frame after Cross Clayton flew out to left field.

Morales, a sophomore for the Red Wolves, finished 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in the sixth inning on a ball that disappeared under the Cedar Ridge scoreboard in left field.

Orange’s 15 hits tied its season-high, originally set against Person on April 8. The Panthers broke through with two runs in the third inning. Jackson Berini drew a one out walk. David Waitt lined a single to right centerfield. After Finnegan struck out Hench, Nordan lined his first RBI single of the night to centerfield to score Berini. Catcher Davis Horton sent a fly ball to shallow centerfield that dropped in front of the two fielders to bring in Waitt.

Cedar Ridge evened the game in the bottom of the frame, and by any right, should have taken the lead. B.J. Thornton and Aidan McAllister each walked. Cristian Macias lined a double over the first base bag to score Thornton. Waitt made a strong throw from right field to keep McAllister from tying the game. Moments later, McAllister scored anyway after a wild pitch that ricocheted high off the netting along the backstop, which moved Macias to third. Morales sent a fly ball to Waitt that, at first glance, appeared deep enough to bring in Macias on a sacrifice fly. Yet Waitt made the catch and unleashed a dart to Horton, who tagged out Macias at the plate. It was the closest the Red Wolves would come to going ahead.

“That was definitely a momentum shift for us,” Knapp said. “David has made plays like that for the last two years. When I saw him get behind the ball on the catch, I knew he was going to deliver a strike to the plate. That’s just typical David Waitt right there.”

Orange’s Codey Snipes, who finished 3-for-5, stated the third inning with a single to left field. Following a sacrifice bunt by Cross Clayton, Snipes moved to second. Berini took a 2-2 fastball and lined it to right centerfield to put runners at the corners. Waitt delivered another RBI single on a line drive through the 5-6 hole into left field to score Snipes. Nordan sent a grounder off the pitcher’s mound and over second base, scoring Waitt.

Cedar Ridge’s relief pitching, which was so instrumental over the past two weeks during two-game sweeps of Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance, struggled in the late innings. Orange scored four runs in the sixth and five in the seventh inning. Once again, Nordan had the biggest hits. He had an RBI single in the sixth, and added a two-run single in the seventh.

“I’m really not surprised about Connor,” Knapp said. “He just has a great approach. He has a simple hitting philosophy: ‘See Ball. Hit Ball.’ That’s exactly what he says. He just gets his hands back and lets it roll. He makes it works for us.”

Horton, in his best game of the year, went 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

Cedar Ridge did score the game’s final run. Jake Mergenthal, as a pinch-hitter, drew a leadoff walk, went to second after an errant pickoff throw. took third on a groundout and scored off an error on a ball hit by Aidan McCallister.

Orange’s Connor Nordan & David Waitt discuss win over Cedar Ridge

The Orange baseball team is one win away from its first outright conference championship since 2016. On Tuesday night, Orange racked up 15 hits and pulled away from Cedar Ridge 13-5 at Red Wolves Territory. Junior designated hitter Connor Nordan finished with a career-high five RBIs after going 4-for-5. Nordan, in his first year at the varsity level, now leads Orange with 24 hits. Orange junior David Waitt came through with the biggest defensive play of the game. With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning, Cedar Ridge’s Efrain Morales sent a fly ball to right field with Cristian Macias at third base with one out. Waitt made the catch in right field, then threw out Macias at the plate to end the inning. The following inning, Waitt sent an RBI single to left field to score Codey Snipes, putting Orange ahead for good. Waitt finished 2-for-3 with four runs scored and an RBI single. Orange will take the Central Carolina Conference championship outright with a win over Cedar Ridge on Thursday night at Orange High Field. The Panthers are 13-6 overall, 8-1 in the CCC. They have won six in a row. 

Orange Panther of the Week: Ryan Hench


This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior pitcher Ryan Hench. On March 22, Hench went 3-for-3 with a three-run triple, a solo homer and another triple against Walter Williams. Hench also earned the win on the mound, throwing five innings and giving up just three hits with eight strikeouts. The following night, Hench had another home run, along with another triple, as the Panthers defeated Southwestern Randolph 9-2 in Hillsborough. Hench had seven total bases against the Wildcats. This season, Hench has nine pitching appearances for Orange. He has a 1.08 ERA and leads the team with a 41 strikeouts. Last season, Hench was the co-Big 8 Conference Pitcher of the Year. His start this season has propelled Orange to an 7-1 start in the Central Carolina Conference, placing the Panthers in first place. The Panthers are going for its first conference championship since 2016. Orange will face Cedar Ridge in a two-game series starting on Tuesday night at Red Wolves Baseball Field at 7PM. The Panthers will also take on the Red Wolves Thursday night at Orange High. 

Orange Panther of the Week: Ryan Hench

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior pitcher Ryan Hench. On March 22, Hench went 3-for-3 with a three-run triple, a solo homer and another triple against Walter Williams. Hench also earned the win on the mound, throwing five innings and giving up just three hits with eight strikeouts.

Clayton tosses 2nd shutout, Hench hits game-winning double, Orange sweeps Northwood 5-0

For the first time since 2016, the Orange baseball team is in first place in its conference with two weeks to go in the regular season.

That 2016 team was led by Bryse Wilson, who finished 10-2 with a 0.75 ERA. If you’re unfamiliar with him, Wilson will pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon against Washington at PNC Park.

The current Orange Panthers don’t have as dominant a starter as Wilson, but who really does? Yet not even the 2016 Panthers had two reliable starters. In fact, Wilson had to start Orange’s first three state playoff games before they lost to Topsail in the state quarterfinals.

Despite several flat performances in March, the 2022 Panthers have emerged atop the Central Carolina Conference with a 7-1 league record led by two quality staters and a bullpen that, through trial-and-error, has molded into a reliable unit.

For the second straight Friday night, Orange sophomore Cross Clayton tossed a complete game on the road, this time in Pittsboro. This time, Clayton threw a two-hit shutout. Unlike last week against Person, Clayton found himself in a pitcher’s dual with Northwood junior Zach Barnes, who held Orange scoreless through five innings.

Barnes, who also threw four innings in Tuesday’s game against the Panthers, left after the fifth inning when the Panthers loaded the bases with one out but couldn’t score. Orange finally broke through in the seventh inning when Ryan Hench drove in Jackson Berini, leading to a five-run frame and the Panthers grinding out a 5-0 win.

It was the first time in six years that Orange won a two-game series against Northwood. Last year, the Panthers swept the Chargers, but the games weren’t in a series format.

Clayton showed pinpoint control in earning his season-best fifth win of the season. He retired the Chargers in order in the sixth inning, at which point he had thrown just 60 pitches, 46 of which were strikes. Clayton has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings.

Berini led off the seventh with a walk and advanced to second following a sacrifice bunt by David Waitt. After catcher Davis Horton walked, Hench sent a fly ball towards the downward slope along the left field line to send in Berini and end the stalemate. Horton also scored on the throw. Designated hitter Connor Nordan singled through the left side of the infield to score Hench. After Cameron Guentensberger singled on a fly ball to centerfield, senior Connor Funk launched a double to the centerfield wall to score Neo Best, who was running for Nordan and increase Orange’s lead to 4-0. Cesar Lozano hit a RBI groundout to Northwood second baseman Mason Bae, bringing across Guentensberger for the final run.

It capped a dramatic week for Clayton, who had the game-winning hit in the opening game of the series against Northwood in Hillsborough. In the eighth inning, Clayton belted a fastball to dead centerfield that went off the fence, then off the arm of Northwood’s Andrew Johnson. Neo Best, pinch-hitting for Codey Snipes, scored from first base for the game-winning run as Orange won 3-2. In the second inning, Clayton blasted a solo homer to put Orange ahead 2-0.

Orange scored the game’s opening run when Davis Horton reached on an infield single. After Hench was hit by a pitch, Connor Nordan lined a single to left field. Ty Walker, a courtesy runner for Horton, scored.

The Chargers’ only true threat of the game came in the fifth inning against Hench, Orange’s top stater. Yet they still scored two runs. Nate Ortiz reached on an error at third base, which was followed by a single off a bouncing ball by Luke Smith. After a sacrifice bunt by Shaner advanced each runner 90 feet, Kaleb Howell knocked in Ortiz with a groundout to Berini at shortstop. Jake Leighton, running for Smith, scored off a passed ball while Johnson was at the plate.

Hench nearly won the game in regulation after a two-out single to centerfield. Nordan sent a sharp grounder that went through the third baseman’s legs and wound up going into left field. Orange head coach Jason Knapp, coaching third, waved in Hench in an attempt for the game-winning run, but a great throw by Northwood’s Nate Davis found the cutoff man Ortiz, who relayed to catcher Luke Smith, who tagged out Hench at the plate to force extra innings.

Joey Pounds earned the win for Orange.

Orange’s trip to Carrboro was much less tense on Wednesday. The Panthers cruised 10-0 in five innings. Sophomore Josiah Gibbs threw three-and-one-thirds shutout innings for his third win of the season. He gave up just four hits. Lozano and Funk completed the shutout on the mound.

Funk scored the first run of the game in the second inning after Clayton drew a bases-loaded walk. Best added another run off another bases-loaded walk by Berini.

The Panthers scored eight runs in the fourth inning against the Jaguars. After Funk hit a leadoff single on a bunt, he advanced to second on a steal, then went to third on a passed ball. Best hit an RBI single to left field.

Davis Horton finished 2-for-3 with a double against Carrboro. Funk went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Nordan had an RBI double.

Orange is 12-6 overall, 7-1 in the CCC.

Orange’s Cross Clayton & Connor Nordan discuss win over Northwood

There was drama at Orange Baseball Field on Tuesday night as the Panthers maintained first place in the Central Carolina Conference. Cross Clayton sent a single off the fence in centerfield in the 8th inning, allowing Neo Best to score from 1st base for the game-winning run as the Panthers defeated Northwood 3-2 in eight innings. Clayton was the hero of the game for Orange. In the second inning, Clayton hit his first career home run with a solo blast that landed in the bushes that overhang above the fence in left field. Designated hitter Connor Nordan went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the first innings. Nordan hit his first career home run in Friday’s win over Person. Orange reliever Joey Pounds earned his first win of the season with a scoreless eighth inning, striking out two batters. Orange maintains a two-game lead in the Central Carolina Conference with a 6-1 record. The Panthers will travel to Carrboro on Wednesday, then complete the two-game series with a trip to Pittsboro on Friday. 

Orange’s Cross Clayton & Connor Nordan talk extra innings win over Northwood

There was drama at Orange Baseball Field on Tuesday night as the Panthers maintained first place in the Central Carolina Conference. Cross Clayton sent a single off the fence in centerfield in the 8th inning, allowing Neo Best to score from 1st base for the game-winning run as the Panthers defeated Northwood 3-2 in eight innings.