Orange Baseball

It wasn’t Orange baseball.

Basically, that was the message that Panther coach Jason Knapp conveyed to his team during a locker room meeting following an error-filled trip to Wilson, where the Perquimans Pirates manhandled Orange 13-0 in a run-rule win at historic Fleming Stadium on March 19. On a breezy day where gusts peaked at 25-miles per hour, the Panther infield had no less than two dropped infield pop-ups. Perquimans’ Trenton Sawyer threw a no-hitter and allowed only five Panther baserunners–three on walks and two on errors.

So as Knapp prepared for a two-game set against Walter Williams, where he was head coach for eleven years, it wouldn’t be unfair to say the series would be a litmus test to determine how the rest of the season would go.

Would Orange be a shark in a Central Carolina Conference that lacks a clear frontrunner? Or would they be an also-ran?

Knapp got his answer with three consecutive wins last week, triggered by the torrent hitting of junior Ryan Hench and reliable pitching from a cast of new faces.

Hench went 3-for-3 with two triples in Orange’s 7-2 win over Williams on March 22 in Hillsborough. Hench also earned his first win of the season on the mound, registering eight strikeouts over five innings. He yielded only three hits and two walks.

Of Orange’s seven base hits in the opener, five were for extra-bases. in the first inning, Jackson Berini poked a fastball to right field. After catcher Davis Horton was hit by a pitch and Davis Waitt walked, Hench last an 0-1 fastball to the right field power alley, the deepest part of Panther field. Berini, Neo Best (running for Horton as a courtesy runner) and Waitt all scored as Hench stood up for a triple. Designated hitter Connor Nordan knocked Hench in with a groundout to second base.

After Hench connected to the deepest part of Panther Field in the first, he reached the most shallow part in the 3rd. With two out, Hench parked a fastball over the left field wall, a porch that is a constant source of frustration for right-handed pitchers. Orange led 5-0.

After Cross Clayton drew a one-out walk in the fifth inning, Cameron Guentensberger reached on an infield single. Senior Connor Funk found the right field power alley again to bring in Clayton. Guentensberger scored off a sacrifice fly by Berini.

Joey Pounds threw an inning of scoreless relief for Orange in the sixth. Funk finished the game with mop-up duty in the seventh.

The following night going into a non-conference game against Southwestern Randolph, Orange may have stumbled into a potential new starting pitcher by accident. Sophomore Josiah Gibbs was supposed to start the junior varsity contest against the Cougars, but the game was canceled due to a lack of umpires. So Knapp opted to have him make his varsity debut instead.

It went beyond Knapp’s expectations.

Gibbs threw five shutout innings, winning his varsity debut while allowing only five hits. Hench had another big night, connecting on a two-run triple to right field in the 2nd inning and slamming a solo homer to lead off the fourth as Orange cruised 9-2.

“As I was going through the pitching rotation, Josiah was already going to come with us for the Hilltop,” Knapp said. “So I thought we’d run him up there tonight. Maybe he could give us two or three (innings). Instead, he gave us five strong.”

Nordan went 2-for-4 against the Cougars with a two-run double in the first inning.

On Friday, Knapp returned to Burlington and completed the two-game sweep against the Bulldogs with a 7-5 win. Orange built a 6-0 lead. They scored five runs in the third inning, all with two out. Berini opened with an infield single, then stole second. After Hench was walked, Horton was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Funk drove a 2-2 fastball to right field to bring in Berini and Hench. Nordan tagged a fastball to centerfield to score Neo Best (running for Horton). Senior third baseman Cesar Lozano got aboard on an infield single to plate Funk, while Nordan scored off an error by the Williams’ first baseman.

Orange added another run in the fourth inning when Guentensberer drew a leadoff walk. Guentensberger stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by David Waitt.

The Bulldogs fought back to make it a 7-5 game with two runs in the seventh inning. The Bulldogs had the tying run at second base, but reliever Connor Funk forced Angel Mora into a groundout to Lozano at third base. Cross Clayton earned his second career win on the mound.

Going into spring break, Orange is tied with Eastern Alamance for first place in the Central Carolina Conference with a 3-1 record. The Panthers are 6-4 overall.

Orange will start play in the Hilltop Invitational on Tuesday night (March 29) against Riverside, coached by former Orange pitcher Jordan Toney. Game time will be 7:30. This game will be Orange’s senior night. Festivities will start at 7:15.

At the beginning of this week, Orange sophomore Josiah Gibbs didn’t know he would be starting the first game of his varsity career on Thursday. When the Panthers’ junior varsity game against Southwestern Randolph was canceled on Thursday afternoon, Orange coach Jason Knapp decided to start Gibbs in the varsity game against the Cougars. Gibbs made an instant impression, throwing five shutout innings as the Panthers rolled 9-2. Gibbs threw only 49 pitches against 18 batters and surrendered just five hits with zero walks. Orange junior Connor Nordan had an RBI double during the Panthers’ five-run first inning. Nordan replaced Gibbs on the mound in the sixth inning. He finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Orange is now 5-4 and will travel to Williams on Friday night for its final game before spring break. Orange will start play in the Hilltop Invitational on Wednesday against traditional power New Hanover in Hillsborough. 

After a disappointing loss to Perquimans in Wilson on Saturday, the Orange baseball team found its offensive grove again in a 7-2 victory over Williams on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. Junior pitcher Ryan Hench earned his first win of the season, finishing with eight strikeouts over five innings. Hench went 3-for-3 at the plate with two triples and a solo home run in the fourth inning. Of Orange’s seven hits, five were extra-base hits. Junior Joey Pounds relieved Hench in the sixth inning and threw a perfect frame with one strikeouts. In his last two appearances out of the bullpen, Pounds has thrown four-and-two-thirds consecutive scoreless innings. Orange is now tied with Eastern Alamance for first place in the Central Carolina Conference, a league that takes a new shape after every night of games. On Thursday night, Orange will host Southwestern Randolph in a nonconference game. You can hear that game at 7PM on Hillsboroughsports.com. On Friday, the Panthers will complete the two game series against the Bulldogs with a trip to Burlington.

ELON—By the seventh inning, Orange was essentially beating its head against the wall without anyone telling them to stop.

In a typically tense conference opener which led to short tempers on and off the field, the Panthers were mired in a scoreless deadlock with Western Alamance. Despite a measly two hits through six innings, Orange had every conceivable chance to break the draw, but failed every time.

Finally, they pulled it off in the most inconceivable way.

Junior shortstop Jackson Berini, who reached on a one-out single to left field, stole home with two out in the bottom-of-the-seventh inning for the game’s only run. On a 1-2 pitch, cleanup batter David Waitt took ball two outside, just a whisker to the right of the plate. Western Alamance catcher Landon Rose, who thought the pitch was good enough to get the Warriors out of inning, methodically threw the ball back to pitcher Shepard Goodwin. As Goodwin took the ball, he briefly turned his back. That’s when Berini bolted down the line from third, running like he had $10,000 in his hands.

Goodwin, momentarily caught off guard, threw to Rose at the plate, but he never secured the ball. Berini slid in safely as the ball rolled free to send an Orange dugout, which has been loud all night, into a frenzy as the struggle finally ended.

“It was Jackson’s decision all the way,” Orange coach Jason Knapp said. “I gave him the green light. He made a great read. With every pitch they threw to David, he was stretching it and stretching it. Big time players make big time plays.”

Orange’s Cross Clayton, who replaced starter Ryan Hench in the sixth inning, threw two shutout innings for his first career win. Clayton made a crucial play in the seventh when leadoff batter Tyler Atkins grounded a ball to first. As the ball rebounded off the first baseman, a sprawling Conner Funk, who had just moved to second from left field to replace Clayton at 2nd base, dove for the ball and flipped to Clayton to beat Atkins to the bag. Clayton struck out the final two Warriors, then pantomimed sticking a sword back in his sheath following a victorious dual as the Panther spilled out of the third base dugout.

Though it was Orange’s Central Carolina Conference opener, there was a late season intensity in the air. The Warriors (3-3, 2-1 in the CCC) opened conference play with a two-game sweep of Person last week. Orange, which was exempt from the first week of CCC action, came into Elon after a dour 8-2 loss to Corinth-Holders in Wendell.

It was a game that had all the trappings of a pitcher’s dual. Orange’s Hench and Western Alamance’s Owen Bynum (the son of former Orange softball player Brandy Gourley Bynum) didn’t disappoint. Hench, Bynum and Orange’s Connor Funk have played on the same travel league team in Burlington and even traveled to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY together.

Hench threw five shutout innings, allowing just three hits on seven strikeouts and two walks. The Warriors never got a runner to third base.

Bynum tossed three shutout innings and conceded just one hit. He struck out two, but was replaced by Goodwin in the fourth.

Orange’s timely hitting follies started in the second. After Waitt drew a leadoff walk, Hench bunted him to second base. Designated hitter Connor Nordan singled to right field, but the Panthers grounded into a double play when Western’s Alex Nebrig threw to Eric Wagoner, who tossed to Aiden McCandless to end the first serious threat.

In the third, Orange loaded the bases with one out. Clayton led off with a walk. After Cameron Guentensberger laid a bunt down, Connor Funk reached on an error. Berini walked to juice the bases, but Bynum got a strikeout. Then Bynum made a spectacular play in covering first after Nebrig came up with a grounder. Nebrig tossed it to Bynum, who beat Waitt to the bag to provide another perfect escape.

Hench and Nordan each walked to start the fourth. Hench advanced to third after wild pitches with no one out. Goodwin replaced Gourley and struck out three straight Panthers to keep it scoreless.

In the sixth, Hench lined a one-out double to left field. He reached third with one out after a wild pitch. Orange loaded the bases after Joey Pounds walked and pinch-hitter Cesar Lozano was hit by a pitch. With two out, Goodwin forced a groundout to Nebrig to deny yet another Orange opportunity.

“That’s baseball,” Knapp said. “We preach to the guys competing in the offseason, competing against each other, competing in practice. When we’re out here in a game, it’s just second nature to compete. Yeah, we need to do a better job of timely hitting. But the guys never gave up.”

While pitching depth was a disappointment for Orange in non conference losses to Middle Creek and Corinth Holders, Hench and Clayton were solid in the late innings. The Warriors went hitless in the final four innings. After the third inning, just one Warrior touched second base.

The Warriors travel to Orange to complete the two-game series on Friday.

ELON—By the seventh inning, Orange was essentially beating its head against the wall without anyone telling them to stop.

In a typically tense conference opener which led to short tempers on and off the field, the Panthers were mired in a scoreless deadlock with Western Alamance. Despite a measly two hits through six innings, Orange had every conceivable chance to break the draw, but failed every time.

Finally, they pulled it off in the most inconceivable way.

Junior shortstop Jackson Berini, who reached on a one-out single to left field, stole home with two out in the bottom-of-the-seventh inning for the game’s only run. On a 1-2 pitch, cleanup batter David Waitt took ball two outside, just a whisker to the right of the plate. Western Alamance catcher Landon Rose, who thought the pitch was good enough to get the Warriors out of inning, methodically threw the ball back to pitcher Shepard Goodwin. As Goodwin took the ball, he briefly turned his back. That’s when Berini bolted down the line from third, running like he had $10,000 in his hands.

Goodwin, momentarily caught off guard, threw to Rose at the plate, but he never secured the ball. Berini slid in safely as the ball rolled free to send an Orange dugout, which has been loud all night, into a frenzy as the struggle finally ended.

“It was Jackson’s decision all the way,” Orange coach Jason Knapp said. “I gave him the green light. He made a great read. With every pitch they threw to David, he was stretching it and stretching it. Big time players make big time plays.”

Orange’s Cross Clayton, who replaced starter Ryan Hench in the fifth inning, threw two shutout innings for his first career win. Clayton made a crucial play in the seventh when leadoff batter Tyler Atkins grounded a ball to first. As the ball rebounded off the first baseman, a sprawling Conner Funk, who had just moved to second from left field to replace Clayton at 2nd base, dove for the ball and flipped to Clayton to beat Atkins to the bag. Clayton struck out the final two Warriors, then pantomimed sticking a sword back in his sheath following a victorious dual as the Panther spilled out of the third base dugout.

Though it was Orange’s Central Carolina Conference opener, there was a late season intensity in the air. The Warriors (3-3, 2-1 in the CCC) opened conference play with a two-game sweep of Person last week. Orange, which was exempt from the first week of CCC action, came into Elon after a dour 8-2 loss to Corinth-Holders in Wendell.

It was a game that had all the trappings of a pitcher’s dual. Orange’s Hench and Western Alamance’s Owen Bynum (the son of former Orange softball player Brandy Gourley Bynum) didn’t disappoint. Hench, Bynum and Orange’s Connor Funk have played on the same travel league team in Burlington and even traveled to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY together.

Hench threw five shutout innings, allowing just three hits on seven strikeouts and two walks. The Warriors never got a runner to third base.

Bynum tossed three shutout innings and conceded just one hit. He struck out two, but was replaced by Goodwin in the fourth.

Orange’s timely hitting follies started in the second. After Waitt drew a leadoff walk, Hench bunted him to second base. Designated hitter Connor Nordan singled to right field, but the Panthers grounded into a double play when Western’s Alex Nebrig threw to Eric Wagoner, who tossed to Aiden McCandless to end the first serious threat.

In the third, Orange loaded the bases with one out. Clayton led off with a walk. After Cameron Guentensberger laid a bunt down, Connor Funk reached on an error. Berini walked to juice the bases, but Bynum got a strikeout. Then Bynum made a spectacular play in covering first after Nebrig came up with a grounder. Nebrig tossed it to Bynum, who beat Waitt to the bag to provide another perfect escape.

Hench and Nordan each walked to start the fourth. Hench advanced to third after wild pitches with no one out. Goodwin replaced Gourley and struck out three straight Panthers to keep it scoreless.

In the sixth, Hench lined a one-out double to left field. He reached third with one out after a wild pitch. Orange loaded the bases after Joey Pounds walked and pinch-hitter Cesar Lozano was hit by a pitch. With two out, Goodwin forced a groundout to Nebrig to deny yet another Orange opportunity.

“That’s baseball,” Knapp said. “We preach to the guys competing in the offseason, competing against each other, competing in practice. When we’re out here in a game, it’s just second nature to compete. Yeah, we need to do a better job of timely hitting. But the guys never gave up.”

While pitching depth was a disappointment for Orange in non conference losses to Middle Creek and Corinth Holders, Hench and Clayton were solid in the late innings. The Warriors went hitless in the final four innings. After the third inning, just one Warrior touched second base.

The Warriors travel to Orange to complete the two-game series on Friday.