Orange Softball

On Wednesday afternoon at Orange softball field, Lady Panthers Mary Moss Wirt formally signed with Elon. On hand for the ceremony were many of Wirt’s teammates, along with her father Todd and mother Kelly. Last season, Wirt played three different positions for an Orange team that had an undefeated run through the Big 8 Conference. Wirt played second base, shortstop and third base as she hit .457 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. She was named to the All-Big 8 Conference team as the Lady Panthers completed its first undefeated regular season in school history. The selection of Elon is only fitting for Wirt. Her father was a first and third baseman for the Elon baseball team. Wirt plans to play catcher with the Phoenix. During her time at Orange, Wirt played her freshman season with the women’s basketball team, where she was part of a squad that reached the 3A State Tournament in 2018. Among the highlights in her freshman year came when she knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer with :02 seconds remaining, off an assist from her friend Aaliyah Harris, to win at Chapel Hill. Wirt and her teammates will return to the softball field this March in the new Central Carolina Conference against longtime powers Western Alamance, Eastern Alamance and Cedar Ridge.

Photo by Shannon Bradsher

It would be accurate to say that Appalachian State softball has recruited Carson Bradsher for several years.

It’s also fair to say that Bradsher has been recruiting Appalachian State for just as long.

Her first journey to Boone came when she was 12 years old, still with dreams about playing college softball. However, she had just been diagnosed with type one diabetes, which left her with doubts.

Janice Savage, who was the Appalachian State Softball coach at that point, invited Carson to Boone to tell her about one of her own players, who was also a type one diabetic, to prove that her dream wasn’t dead before she started high school.

During the trip, she sat down with her family at the Sunrise Grill along Highway 105 over some chocolate chip pancakes.

From that point forward, Bradsher was hooked.

It was the first of 15 visits she’s taken to Boone. Ten of those trips were with Carolina Elite, her travel team with coach Rick Webster. The rest have been simply to enjoy the pure pleasure of the high country, where her mother Shannon and father Wayne share a trailer with family friends in Banner Elk for vacations.

“Last year, I went for my 16th birthday just to go,” Bradsher said. “We ate at the Daniel Boone Village because I really like that place. Then we walked downtown with Kinsley and Kadence and got our nails done.”

There was another college offer from South Carolina Upstate. Elon, where Bradsher’s teammate Mary Moss Wirt will play next year, also showed interest. But if there was ever a tipping point, it came two weeks ago when Bradsher soaked in an Appalachian experience unlike any other. She watched from the student section at Kidd Brewer Stadium, along with the rest of the softball team, as the Mountaineers’ football squad defeated #14 Coastal Carolina off a 24-yard field goal by Chandler Staton as time expired, setting off a raucous celebration that started when thousands of students rushed the field and carried on well into the following morning.

The next day, Bradsher committed to Appalachian.

“I just liked the atmosphere,” Bradsher said. “When I put that (Appalachian) uniform on, it was like a dream come true. Since I was 12, I wanted to go there. I loved Elon and USC Upstate, but I’ve wanted to be in Boone. I felt relieved because I worked so hard for this.”

Last spring as a sophomore, in her first full season at Orange, Bradsher was named to the North Carolina Softball Coaches Association All-State team. She also earned All-Big 8 Conference honors after she led the Lady Panthers in seven offensive categories.

She hit .700 in a regular season shortened to eight games by the pandemic. Bradsher also led the team in hits (28), runs scored (24), RBIs (20), doubles (7), triples (4) and stolen bases (16). The Lady Panthers finished 8-0, the first undefeated regular season in school history en route to the Big 8 Championship.

In 2020, Bradsher played four games as a freshman before the season suddenly ended because of the pandemic.

Playing at Orange has been a family tradition in the Bradsher family. Shannon was a member of the last slow-pitch softball team that Orange ever fielded, coached by Dave Murr. One of Shanon’s teammates was Constance Poteat, who went on to play basketball at N.C. State under Kay Yow.

While her father, Wayne, never participated in sports at Orange, he has been instrumental in developing Carson with constant weekend trips throughout the country for travel ball. Wayne is currently an assistant coach for Orange, alongside head coach Johnny Barefoot.

“Everyone always told me I could be a college softball player, but you always have that doubt in your mind,” Bradsher said. “I just kept working hard and I always went to Appalachian camps and stuff. They’d always kind of hint at me that they were interested, but they weren’t allowed to come out and say it. So I think the hints from them and other softball coaches helped me.”

At Appalachian, Bradsher will play under Shelly Hoerner, who is in her fourth season in Boone. She was previously the head coach at Georgia Tech.

“They’re the best,” Bradsher said of the coaching staff. “I never met anyone like them. They’re very family oriented. Coach Hoerner is like a mother figure. Coach Show (Shane Showalter, the hitting coach) is like a father figure. They’re really close and they’re all really close to their players. But they also push you so that’s exactly what I needed.”

Bradsher’s commitment to Appalachian comes during a sudden growth surge for the Sun Belt Conference, where the Mountaineers have played since 2014. Over the past week, the Sun Belt has added Southern Mississippi, Old Dominion and Marshall from Conference USA. They’re all expected to officially join their new league in 2023, just in time for Bradsher’s freshman year. Since almost all college sports conference realignment occurs because of football, it’s expected that James Madison will start the process of leaving the Colonial Athletic Association to join the Sun Belt following this week’s Virginia gubernatorial election. The Dukes will probably be the latest team from Virginia to move from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

By the time she arrives to Boone in the fall of 2023, Bradsher will likely play conference games against a James Madison squad that became the darlings of America after a stunning run during the Women’s College World Series last summer, highlighted by pitcher Oddici Alexander.

“The Sun Belt is also competitive in softball,” Bradsher said. “That’s just going to make it tougher.”

They’re also changes back home for Bradsher. Orange’s new league, the Central Carolina Conference, will include 2019 3A State Champion Eastern Alamance and perennial power Western Alamance. There’s also 2019 Big 8 Champion Cedar Ridge, which will return the league’s Player of the Year, Takia Nichols, who has committed to play at North Carolina Central. Bradsher grew up playing on travel teams with and against several players who will soon be conference rivals. Her final two years at Orange will not lack for intensity or competition.

Orange lost third baseman Emma Puckett and first baseman Gracie Colley at the end of last season, but there will be seven returning starters, including Wirt, Serenity McPherson and the Big 8 Pitcher of the Year, Gracie Walker.

“We have a good team,” Bradsher said. “Our conference is a lot tougher. We’re not going to have as much room for error, but I think if we work hard this offseason, we should be able to compete. It will be more interesting to play with the new teams.”

When Bradsher graduates from Orange in two years, she will journey to Boone. But she won’t exactly be going away, because she’ll go to a place that reminds her so much of the Cedar Grove Ruritan Club, where she first put on a glove.

“This will be like home to me,” Bradsher said.

If there was ever a clearer sign of how bright the future of the Orange softball team is, one simply needs to look at the list of All-State honors from the North Carolina Softball Coaches Association.

Released Friday, the Lady Panthers placed three players on the 3A All-State team. None of them are seniors. Two are sophomores.

Junior catcher Lauren Jackson joined shortstop Carson Bradsher and centerfielder Serenity McPherson on the squad

All three players were named to the All-Big 8 Conference team last month, when Orange won the Big 8 Conference Championship with the first undefeated regular season in school history. The Lady Panthers hosted Southwestern Randolph in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs, a 7-5 loss that was its only defeat of the season. Orange finished 12-1, 7-0 in the Big 8.

Jackson led Orange with five home runs in 2021, including four in her final four games. In the regular season finale, Jackson knocked two over the fence in a 12-0 win at Northern Durham on April 29. For the season, Jackson hit .526 with 17 RBIs. In Orange’s closest game of the regular season, a 12-9 extra innings win over Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Softball Field on April 15, Jackson reached three times and had an RBI single that scored Bradsher in the sixth inning. At the time, it put Orange ahead 8-1 and felt like an extra layer of icing on the cake. It turned out to be crucial when Cedar Ridge tied the game with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

In Orange’s 11-1 victory over Vance County on April 14, Jackson had a two-run triple in the fourth inning. She also knocked in Bradsher after she reached on an error in the third inning.

Bradsher, in her full varsity season, led Orange in eight offensive categories. She hit .700, scored 24 runs, registered 28 hits, knocked in 20 runs, hit seven doubles and four triples. She also drew five walks, tied for the team lead with senior Emma Puckett.

Though McPherson almost always hit first for Orange, Bradsher had the numbers of a classic leadoff hitter. She led the team with a 1.814 on-base percentage and had 16 stolen bases. Against Northwood on April 23, Bradsher went 4-for-4 with three runs scored in a 13-2 Orange victory in five innings. In Bradsher’s first game against Northwood on March 25, she went 4-for-4 with two doubles and four runs scored. Against the Chargers, the Lady Panthers piled up 12 runs in the 2nd inning, a frame where Bradsher had two hits, two RBIs and scored twice.

In her first full varsity season, McPherson was third on the team with a .533 batting average. She had 24 hits, second on the team behind Bradsher. She also scored 22 runs. In Orange’s first tilt against Cedar Ridge on March 23, McPherson went 3-for-3 with three runs scored in a 20-0 Lady Panther win. In the third inning, McPherson had an RBI double to bring in Grace Colley.

Despite hitting leadoff, McPherson was still fourth on the team with 16 RBIs. In the season-opener against East Chapel Hill, only the fifth game of McPherson’s varsity career, she hit a three-run homer. McPherson hit safely in all 12 games she played in 2021. She will enter her junior season with a 15-game hitting streak, which includes the final three games of her freshman season, where she registered hits against Person, Roxboro Community School and East Chapel Hill.

McPherson, Jackson and Bradsher were all instrumental parts of an Orange team that clinched the Big 8 Championship outright for the first time since the 2017 3A State Championship season. Despite playing a reduced schedule because of the pandemic, Orange dominated the Big 8 Conference, winning eleven of its 12 games by either run-rule (ten run lead after five innings) or forfeit.

Bradsher, McPherson and Jackson are all slated to return to the Lady Panthers next season as they enter a new conference full of traditional softball powers, including 2019 3A State Champion Eastern Alamance, Western Alamance, Cedar Ridge and Person.

Joey Berini: Berini saw action for #12 East Carolina during its Super Regional series against #4 Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field in Nashville, TN. The Commodores swept the best-of-three series to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, NE. On Saturday, Berini entered the game as a pinch-hitter replacing Bryson Morrell. He flew out to right field. Berini played the 9th inning at shortstop. Berini also played in Friday’s game, a 2-0 Vanderbilt win, pinch-hitting for Ryder Giles. He grounded out to second base. The Pirates struggled against Vanderbilt pitching all weekend. ECU managed just three hits on Friday and two on Saturday. East Carolina ends the year 44-17. In his freshman year, Berini played 15 games for the Pirates. He hit .250, including an RBI single against Charlotte in the Greenville Regional on June 5. On May 13 against Cincinnati, Berini had a putout and three assists at shortstop. Berini will play summer baseball with the Asheboro Copperheads of the Coastal Plain League, who played its home games at McCrary Park. 

Bryse Wilson: Wilson won his third game of the season for the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East on Wednesday. The Stripers defeated the Memphis Redbirds 5-4 in a seven-inning game at AutoZone Park in Memphis. In five innings, Wilson gave up four runs off seven hits. He had one strikeout with one walk. In 79 pitches, Wilson threw 51 strikes. Wilson is 3-1 this season for the Stripers. Gwinnett entered Sunday’s game against Memphis with an 18-17 record. 

Phillip Berger: The Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League started its second full week of the season. On Wednesday, the Kingsport Axmen defeated the River Riders 4-3. Berger faced five batters. He threw one-and-one-thirds shutout innings with two strikeouts and one walk. On Saturday, Elizabethton defeated the Bluefield Ridge Runners 6-2 at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark to end a four-game losing streak. Elizabethton is 3-5. The River Riders will travel to Burlington to face the Sock Puppets on June 22 and June 23 at Burlington Athletic Stadium. 

Jaden Hurdle: Hurdle was named to the Region X All-Academic team for the Patrick Henry Community College softball team. In her freshman season with the Patriots, Hurdle played 40 games. She hit .328 with ten home runs and 32 RBIs. She also made 17 pitching appearances with two starts. In the circle, Hurdle went 4-3 with a 4.61 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 17 walks. The Patriots finished 2nd in the Region X Western Division with a 13-7 record, one game behind Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Patrick Henry was 22-20 overall. Hurdle was a member of two Big 8 Softball Championship teams at Orange and started at first base as a freshman on the 2017 3A State Championship team. 

After graduation ceremonies over the weekend, there will be some Cedar Ridge Red Wolves and Orange Panthers who will make their debut for Alumni Update this August. Congratulations to all of these graduates. Among them will be:

Emerson Talley-Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team

Kessel Summers-Bluefield College Wrestling 

Grady Ray-Methodist baseball

Will Walker-Pitt Community College

Bryce Clark-Lenoir Community College

Matt Hughes-Brunswick Community College 

Ivy Gardner-N.C. State women’s soccer team

Robert Jones: After capturing the gold medal at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships in the high jump, former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf Robert Jones earned his third victory of the season. Last weekend, Jones finished first in the men’s high jump at the Aggie Classic Twilight at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Jones’ winning jump was 2.05 meters. This season, Jones has not finished outside the top-five in any of the events he’s competed in. He now heads to the NCAA Eastern Regional Championships, which will start Thursday inside Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team’s season came to an end over the weekend in the Stillwater Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament. The Bulldogs opened play with a 3-1 win over Boston University on Friday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater, OK. On Saturday afternoon, #5 Oklahoma State defeated Mississippi State 9-3. In the elimination game on Saturday night, Mississippi State easily defeated Campbell 12-0 in five innings. Oklahoma State eliminated the Bulldogs 10-2 in five innings on Sunday afternoon. Mia Davidson opened the tournament going 1-for-3 against the Terriers. She had an RBI fielder’s choice to score Aquana Brownlee in the fifth inning. In the first game against the Cowgirls, Mia went 1-for-3. Against Campbell, Davidson hit the 69th home run of her career. That moved her into sole possession of 2nd place all-time in Southeastern Conference history. It was also her third home run in the NCAA Tournament for Mississippi State, another school record. Mississippi State broke a school record with four home runs in an NCAA Tournament game. In the third inning, Mia tagged out Campbell’s Katelyn Chisholm at the plate. Davidson went 1-for-2 in her final game of the season. Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning after Davidson drove in a run with a single up the middle. It was her seventh career RBI in the NCAA Tournament, which is third in school history. She also reached base for the 20th straight game, a new career-high. Mia ended the year with a .311 batting average after starting all 60 of the Bulldogs’ games. She was second on the team with 17 home runs. She also registered 42 RBIs. Davidson, who was accepted into graduate’s school last month, will enter her senior season only two home runs shy of the SEC record, held by Florida’s Lauren Haeger.

Montana Davidson: Montana started all four of Mississippi State’s games at third base in the NCAA Tournament. Against Boston University, she singled up the middle in the sixth to knock in Christian Quinn for the game’s final run. Montana finished 1-for-3 against the Terriers. She went 0-for-3 against Oklahoma State. Later in the day against Campbell, Montana finished 1-for-3. She scored in the 3rd inning off a Carter Spexarth. On Sunday, Davidson drove in the final Mississippi State run of the year with a single in the 2nd inning. For the season, Montana finished with a .252 batting average in 58 games. She had three home runs and 21 RBIs. Mississippi State finished the year 34-23, which included an 8-game winning streak down the stretch. Montana is a senior, but can opt for another year of eligibility after the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2020 season before the NCAA Tournament started.

Tori Dalehite: After winning the Southern Conference Championship for the first time, the UNC Greensboro softball team participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time this weekend. Duke defeated the Spartans 2-0 in the opening game of the Athens, Georgia regional at the University of Georgia. Western Kentucky ended the Spartans season 8-4 in the elimination game at Jack Turner Stadium. Dalehite, a freshman, didn’t play in either game. This year, Dalehite appeared in 12 games, almost exclusively as a pinch runner. She had one at-bat, walked once and scored six runs. UNCG finished 34-17, 14-4 in the Southern Conference.

Photo by Lindsay Chamberlain

Jaden Hurdle: Hurdle was named to the Region 10 All-Tournament team for the Patrick Henry Community College softball team. The Region 10 Tournament was held at Springwood Park in Burlington on Friday and Saturday. Patrick Henry was eliminated on Friday. The Patriots captured the opening game as they edged Florence-Darlington Technical College. Hurdle completed a 5-run third inning for the Patriots with a three-run homer to right field, which put Patrick Henry in the lead for good. She finished 1-for-3. Later in the day, top-seeded Louisburg shut out Patrick Henry 5-0. Hurdle threw five innings agains the Hurricanes and struck out seven. Louisburg would go on to win the tournament championship. Florence-Darlington would eliminate Patrick Henry 2-1 to end the day on Friday. Hurdle completed her freshman season with a .328 batting average. She was tied for the team lead with ten home runs and ten doubles. Hurdle also had 31 RBIs, which was third on the squad. In 17 pitching appearances, Hurdle was 4-3 with a 4.51 ERA. Patrick Henry finished 22-20, 13-7 in Region 10.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team captured the Southern Conference Championship with a 9-4 victory over Western Carolina at UNCG Softball Stadium on Sunday. On Thursday, the Spartans advanced to the semifinals as they subdued Mercer 3-2. Dalehite entered the game as a pinch runner in the 1st inning after designated player Kayleigh Wilis walked. On Sunday night, UNCG learned they would face #13 national seed Duke in the opening round of the Athens Regional on Friday at noon. The irony is that Tori, her father Danny and her younger brother Landon are all Duke fans. As for her mother Beth, rooting against Duke is second nature.

Mia Davidson: On the strength of winning eight consecutive Southeastern Conference games down the stretch of the season, Mississippi State earned a trip to the NCAA Softball Tournament on Sunday night. The Bulldogs will travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma regional to face Boston University on Friday afternoon. Mississippi State is the #2 seed. Oklahoma State, the host and #5 national seed, will face Campbell in the opening round. On Thursday, #4 Florida eliminated Mississippi State 6-2 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals in Tuscaloosa, AL. Davidson went 0-for-1 with two walks. She scored off a home run from Jackie McKenna in the 2nd inning.

Montana Davidson: Montana started at third base against Florida. She finished 0-for-2. Mississippi State goes into the NCAA Tournament 33-23.

Bryse Wilson: Upon his return to the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East, Wilson had a no-decision in Sunday’s game against the Louisville Bats at Coolray Field. Wilson threw six innings and surrendered four runs off ten hits. He struck out three and walked none. Wilson had won seven consecutive starts for the Stripers, a franchise record.

Landon Riley: The Liberty Flames baseball team took two-out-of-three games against Kennesaw State over the weekend. On Saturday, the Flames won 12-11. Riley threw two-thirds-of-an-inning and surrendered five runs off three hits. He struck out one and walked two. It was Liberty’s eighth straight win, but the Owls snapped the streak after a 7-4 win on Sunday. Liberty finished as the Atlantic Sun Regular Season champion. Starting Friday, Liberty will host Bellarmine in a best-of-three series at Worthington Field. The winner of the series will face either Kennesaw State or Lipscomb in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in another three-game series in Jacksonville, FL starting May 27.

Jaylin Jones: The most successful season in Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse history came to an end on Saturday. In the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, #4 Lynchburg defeated the Falcons 26-11 at Shellenberger Field. Jones, who was named to the All-USA South Conference first-team as a short-stick defensive midfielder, had two ground balls. Pfeiffer finished 12-2 after they reached the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history.

Kate Burgess: During the ACC Rowing Championships at Lake Hartwell in Clemson, SC on Saturday, former Orange women’s basketball center Kate Burgess helped UNC’s varsity four win the Petite Final. Burgess joined coxswain Isabelle McGimsey and rowers Gigi Maroney, Jackie Wilhelm and Jessica Judge to finish the 2,000 kilometer course at 7:58.10. They edged Miami and Boston College. UNC finished ninth in the team standings with 19 points.

True to the makeup of a team that achieved success despite limited varsity experience, five Orange softball players were named to the All-Big 8 Conference team.

Most notably, three of the honorees had not played a full varsity schedule before this season.

Junior 2nd baseman/3rd baseman Mary Moss Wirt, junior catcher Lauren Jackson, sophomore shortstop Carson Bradsher, sophomore centerfielder Serenity McPherson and freshman right fielder/pitcher Caden Robinson were all named to the first-team following a poll of the Big 8 Conference’s coaches.

In addition, Orange’s Gracie Walker was named Big 8 Pitcher of the Year.

Orange finished the regular season 12-0 and lost to Southwestern Randolph in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs last Monday. It was the first Orange softball team to ever finish the regular season undefeated.

Wirt, who committed to Elon University before the season started, hit .457 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. She hit home runs in Orange’s opening games against East Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge, which was the beginning of a season’s worth of domination for Orange. While Wirt’s offensive contributions were impressive enough, her biggest value came on defense. During a three-game stretch where 3rd baseman Emma Puckett was out of the lineup, Wirt took over her spot while freshman Delaney Shaffer played second. Wirt had a team-high five assists in Orange’s 11-9 win over Cedar Ridge in nine innings on April 15, a classic game where the Red Wolves scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning after trailing 9-2. Wirt made two huge defensive plays during Cedar Ridge’s rally. The first came after Cedar Ridge’s ShiLi Quade laid down a gorgeous bunt towards third with runners at first and second. Wirt, realizing that discretion was the better part of valor, opted to hold the ball and surrender the hit instead of potentially throwing it into right field.

After Cedar Ridge tied the game 9-9, the Red Wolves had the bases loaded with two out when Wirt fielded a grounder hit by Emma-Rae Sharp. Instead of going to first, Wirt threw to Jackson at the plate to retire Marlee Rakouskas, the potential winning run, and send the game into extra innings. Wirt scored the game-winning run and recorded the final out.

Jackson, a junior, hit .526 in her third year as a varsity starter. She led the team with five home runs and was tied for second with 17 RBIs. She hit four home runs in Orange’s last three games, including two against Northern Durham in a 12-0 win, which concluded the regular season. Against the Knights, she went 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Jackson hit safely in eleven of Orange’s 12 games, and it would have been 12, but she was walked and hit by a pitch against Southern Durham in her only two plate appearances. Against Vance County, Jackson had a two-run double in the fourth inning for a victory that officially clinched the conference championship.

In her first full season at the varsity level, Bradsher led Orange in nine offensive categories. She hit .700 with 28 hits, 20 RBIs, 24 runs scored, seven doubles, four triples, 16 stolen bases, a 1.075 slugging percentage, and a .739 on-base percentage. McPherson and Bradsher occupied the top two batting slots in Coach Johnny Barefoot’s batting order in almost every game. The combination triggered an offense that outscored opponents 172-23. In her season debut against Cedar Ridge, Bradsher went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Against Northwood on April 23, Bradsher went 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs and three runs scored. Stretching back to her freshman year, limited to four games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradsher has hit safely in 15 of 16 career games. The only exception was a 22-0 win over Chapel Hill, where she was walked three times.

McPherson hit .533 with 24 hits and 22 runs scored. She was second on the team in all of those categories. McPherson also was fourth on the team with 16 RBIs. In Orange’s first meeting with Northern Durham, McPherson started the game with a triple and scored off a sacrifice fly by Bradsher. The following inning, McPherson laced a three-run homer to centerfield to put the Lady Panthers ahead 5-2. In the fifth inning, she threw out Northern shortstop Macey Ellis at the plate trying to score, which secured an Orange win that guaranteed a playoff spot.

Robinson, who usually hit third in Orange’s order, finished with a .429 batting average. She was second on the team with 17 RBIs. Robinson was also the backup pitcher to starter Gracie Walker. In the circle, Robinson was 5-0 in ten appearances with four starts. She had a 0.70 ERA with 34 strikeouts and three walks. In her first varsity game, Robinson went 4-for-4 with a double and a triple against East Chapel Hill. The following week against Cedar Ridge, she went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, including two doubles. She hit safely in all of Orange’s regular season games. Against Northwood on March 25, Robinson had four RBIs during a 12-run second inning. She started with a 2-run double, then drilled a two-run homer to centerfield.

Walker and Kelsey Tackett were named honorable mention. As Orange’s top pitcher, Walker went 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA. She had 37 strikeouts and eleven walks. Walker, who also played right field, hit .407.

Tackett, as a designated player, hit .462. Of her 12 hits, five were doubles.

Mia Davidson: The inevitable finally happened this weekend as Mia Davidson became the all-time home run hitter in Mississippi State history. On Saturday, Davidson blasted a solo homer against Georgia for her 68th career home run. She surpassed Rafael Palmeiro for the most home runs in Mississippi State history, softball or baseball. The accolade included a congratulatory video from Palmeiro:

Davidson is now tied in Southeastern Conference softball history with Georgia’s Alyssa DiCarlo for second place on the all-time home run list. The career leader is Florida’s Lauren Haeger with 71. Davidson went 1-for-3 on Saturday. On Friday, Mia finished 0-for-2, but scored a run after she walked in the fourth inning. She was driven home off a single from Jackie McKenna. On Sunday, Davidson went 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs. She hit a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning to score Brylie St. Clair. In the first, Davidson had an RBI single.

Montana Davidson: Mississippi State concluded the regular season by sweeping the weekend series from Georgia. On Friday, Montana went 1-for-3 when she reached on a bunt single and stole a base in the third inning. It was her fourth stolen base of the season as Mississippi State won 4-2. On Saturday, Montana drew a bases-loaded walk in the 2nd inning. In the fourth inning, she scored off a fielder’s choice. In Sunday’s 4-3 win, Montana went 1-for-3. Mississippi State finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, which matches the 1999 team for the second-longest SEC winning streak in school history. The Bulldogs are 32-22, 8-15 in the SEC. They will open the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss on Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team has claimed the Southern Conference regular season championship. On Sunday, the Spartans completed a three-game sweep of Western Carolina at UNCG Softball Stadium and will host the Southern Conference Tournament this week. UNCG will start play against Mercer on Thursday.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team completed its first full season in the opening round of the Region X Tournament on Saturday. Top-seeded Louisburg swept a best-of-three series from the Red Hawks at Sheila Cotton Field in Louisburg. The Hurricanes won game one 24-5 in five innings and the final game 8-7. Andrews went a combined 0-for-5. It was the first time all year that Andrews went hitless in consecutive games and ended a seven-game hitting streak. In her freshman year at Catawba Valley, Andrews led the team with 41 RBIs and 53 hits. She finished with a .442 batting average (2nd on the team), with eight home runs (also 2nd on the team). Catawba Valley ends the season 23-13 overall, 12-8 in the Region X West Division.

Marvin Jones: Jones earned the gold medal in the high jump during the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro on Saturday. Jones, a senior who lettered at Cedar Ridge, leaped 2.09 meters for his first collegiate gold medal. It was his second career MEAC medal. He claimed a bronze in the 2020 MEAC Indoor Track c& Field Championships.

Jaylin Jones: For the first time in school history, the Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team is going to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Falcons defeated Piedmont 17-13 to win the USA South Conference Tournament at Lefko Field in Misenheimer on Sunday. Jones, who was named All-Conference as a defensive midfielder last week, had one ground ball for the Falcons. Pfeiffer will face Lynchburg College in Shellenberger Field for the opening round of the Division III Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

Bryse Wilson: After being optioned by the Atlanta Braves last week, Wilson made his first start for the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East on Thursday night. Wilson threw five scoreless innings to earn the victory as Gwinnett defeated the Charlotte Knights 4-0 at Truist Field. He became the first pitcher in Gwinnett history to win seven consecutive starts. Dating back to July 21, 2019, Wilson is 7-0 with a 0.80 ERA for Gwinnett. Against the Knights, Wilson scattered four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in his first Triple-A start of the season.

Cooper Porter: The Pensacola State baseball team had its season come to an end in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8 Tournament. The Pirates lost to Santa Fe College 10-0 on Friday night in Lakeland, FL. In the opening game last Wednesday, Pensacola State edged Seminole State College of Florida 4-3 in ten innings. Porter entered the game as a pinch hitter. In 18 games this season, Porter hit .256 with one home run and six RBIs. He also pitched in three games. In one-and-two-thirds innings, Porter gave up two hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Savannah Wynne broke her nose in the first inning of Orange’s playoff game on Monday night. She wanted to stay in anyway.

A passing thunderstorm that cut through Hillsborough hours before the first pitch between the Lady Panthers and Southwestern Randolph had created a bumpy outfield, despite the best efforts of Orange softball’s coaching staff that worked on the field right up past game time. Randolph’s Alley Lowe lined a 3-2 fastball through to the outfield, which took a sudden, violent hop off the grass and into Wynne’s face.

Immediately, blood started coming out of her nose, which was covered with a towel by Orange trainer Emily Gaddy right away. It was only after lobbying from Gaddy that Wynne agreed to be replaced by freshman Delaney Shaffer. But she told Gaddy “I’m going back in.”

And she did. In the fifth inning, Wynne was back in left field. Most players who return from injury in the middle of the game aren’t effective. Wynne, however, lined a double to right field to drive in Emma Puckett to continue building an Orange rally after Southwestern Randolph jumped ahead 6-0. The Cougars would hold on to win 7-5.

Afterwards, Wynne’s mother drove her to UNC Primary Care, where she walked in still wearing her uniform. Doctors had to glue the top of her nasal cavity back together. But she had to go back in the game because, well, as her mother says, “softball is in her heart.”

Chances are several Cedar Ridge players would have done the same thing.

In its final year in the Big 8 Conference, Orange rolled to the league title. They scored at least eleven runs in every game. Only one team came within nine runs of beating the Lady Panthers during the regular season.

Naturally, that team was Cedar Ridge. On April 15, it appeared Orange won on its way to its eighth straight win in dominant fashion. They led 9-2 going into the bottom of the seventh behind three runs scored by Carson Bradsher and two more from Serenity McPherson.

Then Cedar Ridge came up with a rally for the ages. They scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. For context, Orange had not surrendered four runs in a game yet, and they still didn’t until this past Monday night.

Cedar Ridge would have won if it wasn’t for the defensive reliability of Mary Moss Wirt, normally a second baseman who played third against the Red Wolves because Puckett was out of the lineup. Forgotten in the avalanche of runs that Cedar Ridge scored in the seventh was Wirt making the final out on a short grounder hit by Emma-Rae Sharp. Wirt, two steps in front of third base, fired to catcher Lauren Jackson, who retired Marlee Rakouskas.

The talk after the game among Cedar Ridge coaches, among other subjects, was “What if we played in a smaller ballpark?” For a brief moment, Red Wolf shortstop Ava Lowry appeared to win the game for Cedar Ridge with a long fly ball to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning. The only problem was she hit it to right center, which extends to 227 feet–the longest part of the stadium. The ball landed two feet shy of the wall and Lowry settled for a triple. Carson Bradsher made the final out of the inning to extend the game into the ninth, which led to another reminder of how bright the future of Hillsborough softball truly is.

Shaffer, a freshman who made just her second start, had the game-winning hit when she drove in Wirt in the ninth inning. Shaffer finished 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs. After her heroics at the plate, Shaffer made the game’s biggest defensive play in the bottom of the ninth when she caught a sinking popup off the bat of Alexandria Matthews at second base, then threw to first for a double play.

Years ago, Cedar Ridge 2nd baseman Tori Dalehite and Orange 1st baseman Jaden Hurdle started a tradition where they would pose together for a picture after every game they played against each other, regardless of who won. In 2017, Orange dominated the Red Wolves en route to the 3A State Title. In 2018, Cedar Ridge swept Orange on its way to the first softball conference championship in school history. Each time, the following morning, Dalehite and Hurdle would be on their mother’s Facebook feed, smiling with softballs in their hands and their arms around each other.

Last month, Cedar Ridge pitcher Hayley King and Orange’s Carson Bradsher continued the tradition.

For King, it’s been a tough 2021. In January, she lost her grandmother to COVID-19. Sherry Carter never missed any of Haley’s games. Not during the sweltering heat of summer travel ball, which usually included a new town every weekend. Not during the early games of a regular, non-pandemic season when the spectators are often bundled up amidst blustery weather like they’re at Lambeau Field, except it’s a softball diamond.

Against Orange, Haley’s grandfather brought along a t-shirt that Sherry wore to many of Haley’s games. Hayley kept that in her back pocket during games for the rest of the season. She rubbed it whenever she needed inspiration.

As the Cedar Ridge seniors gathered together on Friday night after its doubleheader sweep of Southern Durham, ShiLi Quade, Rakouskas, Matthews, Sharp, Reagan Ruhl, and Lajoan Stuart hoped that wouldn’t be the end. The Red Wolves ended the season with four straight wins, but the following day their hopes of a state playoff spot was dashed.

Cedar Ridge Coach Allen Byrd didn’t want to talk like it was the end on Friday night, but started to reflect on a group that help bring two Big 8 Conference championships and a 50-11 record since 2017 to the program.

“Those six kids devoted their lives to this program,” Byrd said. “They helped build this program. We played a little down this year. We’ve lost a lot over the last few years but they never gave up. It’s said it ended for them.”

The future is bright for both programs. Next season, Cedar Ridge third baseman Takia Nichols will be a senior, but her name is firmly embedded in the Red Wolf record books for generations to come. She’s already the all-time home run hitter, softball or baseball, in school history with 26 dingers after 42 career games. Her teammate, shortstop Ava Lowry, has already committed to play at North Carolina Wesleyan and will also return.

Orange only loses two seniors in first baseman Gracie Colley and third baseman Emma Puckett. Of Orange’s ten starters on Monday night, half of them were either freshmen or sophomores.

Combined with the fact that Orange, Cedar Ridge and Northwood will join a new league that includes defending 3A State Champion Eastern Alamance, powerful Western Alamance and longtime contender Person, 2022 may make this spring’s thrill ride look like a merry-go-round.