Orange Softball

Marvin Jones: A former Cedar Ridge track and field star, Jones finished second for North Carolina Central at the Raleigh Relays at N.C. State University on Saturday. Jones had a jump of 2.05 meters in the high jump. Virginia’s Brenton Foster captured the high jump championship. It was Jones’ first event since the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in February 2020, where he came in 3rd in the high jump. Jones’ personal best is 2.10 meters.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson was optioned by the Atlanta Braves to an alternate training site on Friday. The move came after Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said the Braves wouldn’t use a fifth starter for the first few weeks of the season. Wilson was in contention to be the fifth man in the rotation. So far in spring training, Wilson is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in four appearances with three starts. He has struck out nine batters in 13.2 innings.

Landon Riley: The Liberty baseball team won its 13th straight game with a 5-2 win over Bellarmine on Friday. Riley threw one-and-two-third innings, once again not allowing a run. He walked one and struck out one. Liberty’s winning streak ended with an 8-7 loss to the Knights on Saturday, but the Flames captured the series with a 5-1 victory on Sunday at Knights Field in Louisville, KY. Liberty will make another trip to the Triangle on Tuesday. They face Duke at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Joey Berini: #8 East Carolina defeated Elon 15-0 at Latham Park on Friday. Berini came in as a reserve shortstop and went 0-for-2. The Pirates are 17-5.

Phillip Berger: Berger took a no decision as Division III William Peace defeated Averett University 4-3 at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary on Saturday. Berger worked seven innings and surrendered ten hits, but only two runs. He struck out five and walked two. This season, Berger is 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA in eight appearances. The Pacers have won four in a row after sweeping the weekend series from Averett.

Mia Davidson: Davidson is now eighth in career home runs in Southeastern Conference history. On Sunday, Davidson hit a solo homer in the sixth inning against #12 Arkansas, giving her 60 career dingers. Davidson is already the all-time home run hitter in Mississippi State history. Arkansas swept the weekend series against Mississippi State. On Saturday, Arkansas held off the Bulldogs 8-7. where Davidson hit another home run. She went 0-for-3 in a 2-0 loss on Friday. Through 29 games, Davidson is hitting .337 with eight home runs and 20 RBIs. She’s tied for the team lead with 30 hits and leads the squad with seven doubles.

Montana Davidson: Montana started all three games against the Razorbacks at third base. She went 1-for-4 on Saturday. Montana has started all 28 games for Mississippi State and is hitting .287.

Jaden Hurdle: Patrick Henry Community College’s softball team swept a doubleheader against Surry Community College in Dobson on Friday. Hurdle went a combined 5-for-7 with four RBIS and four runs scored. In the second game, Hurdle drilled a 2-run homer in the Patriots’ 15-10 win. Hurdle finished the day 3-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored. She also doubled. Hurdle even pitched one inning, where she surrendered three runs (two earned) off two hits. She walked one and struck out one.

In the opening game, PHCC won 10-3. Hurdle finished 2-for-2 with one run scored and two walks. Patrick Henry is in 3rd place in Region 10’s West Division with a 4-4 conference record. The Patriots are 8-10 overall. Hurdle is hitting .447 with 21 hits, both the second-best marks on the team. Hurdle leads the Patriots with eleven extra base hits. She also has three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team’s weekend series against Caldwell Community College was postponed by rain. It will be played today. Last Wednesday, the Red Hawks swept a doubleheader from the Montreat JV on scores of 11-0 and 9-0 in Hickory. In the opener, Andrews had an RBI single and finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. In the nightcap, Andrews also went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. In Division II of Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, Andrew is tied for 3rd with 25 RBIs. She’s seventh with a .492 batting average. Andrews also has four RBIs. The Red Hawks are tied with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute for 1st place in Region 10’s Western Division with a 6-2 record.

Adam Chnupa: #20 Richmond defeated Elon 31-17 at Robins Stadium on Saturday in Colonial Athletic Association football action. Chnupa finished with a tackle for the Phoenix, who are 1-5 overall, 0-4 in the CAA.

Dylan Boyer: The former Orange High midfielder played as a reserve for the Division II Queen’s College men’s lacrosse team last week. Queen’s defeated Coker University 12-8 at Queen’s Sports Complex in Charlotte. On Saturday, the Royals defeated Tusculum University 12-8 to improve to 5-3 overall, 5-1 in the South Atlantic Conference.

Jaylin Jones: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team drilled Averett 26-3 at Campbell Stadium in Danville, VA on Saturday. Jones scooped up a ground ball for the Falcons, who have won five in a row and are 6-1 overall, 3-0 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

For the past five years, the Big 8 Softball Championship has resided in Hillsborough.

In 2016, Orange shared the title with Northwood. In 2017, Orange won the 3A State Championship behind the leadership of Mia Davidson and pitcher Christina Givens. In 2018, Cedar Ridge rode the arm of pitcher Rivers Andrews and league Hitter of the Year Tori Dalehite to the most successful season in school history, ending in the 3rd round of the playoffs. In 2019, Orange and Cedar Ridge shared the crown, but the Red Wolves won the final matchup at Orange to take the top-seed into the playoffs.

Only three games into 2021, nothing has been settled, but one thing is clear.

Orange is the team to beat.

The Lady Panthers started the season against possibly its three biggest challengers to the throne: East Chapel Hill, Cedar Ridge and Northwood.

None of the games went beyond five innings.

On Thursday, Orange (3-0, 3-0 in the Big 8) had its most impressive outing with a 18-0 win over previously undefeated Northwood (2-1, 2-1) at Orange Softball Field. The Lady Panthers scored 12 runs in the second inning to remove any drama. Sophomore Carson Bradsher went 4-for-4 with two doubles, four runs scored and three RBIs. Junior Mary Moss Wirt went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer in the fourth inning, ending a day that started with an exclamation point with another for good measure.

Orange’s start isn’t as much a new beginning for new coach Johnny Barefoot as much as it is the resumption of something that started two years ago across the other side of Orange’s campus.

Barefoot was the coach at Stanford Middle School in 2019, when Bradsher, Kelsey Tackett, Caden Robinson, Serenity McPherson, Savannah Wynne, Brianne Foster and Bree Harris all played for the Chargers. The Chargers romped through the Orange-Person Athletic Conference, going undefeated in the regular season and rolling past Culbreth Middle School in the OPAC title game in just three innings.

Barefoot, who was an assistant for Cedar Ridge for ten years, was set for another season to see if the Chargers could repeat. But the pandemic ended everything just one game into the season, and Barefoot thought his coaching days were over.

Or was it?

“The girls I knew at Stanford were already here,” Barefoot said. “I just made a comment one day that if the chance came open that I could come and take these girls and coach them through their high school years, I’d love to do it.”

Two weeks after Barefoot said that to a friend, Henry Horn retired as Orange softball coach. Barefoot was the most obvious replacement and Athletic Director Mike McCauley didn’t think twice.

Barefoot has a style that fits his team. There’s constant movement of baserunners. Bradsher, who had three steals against Cedar Ridge, scored Orange’s opening run against Northwood when she turned a single into a double on a standard grounder to left. She scored with a headfirst dive to the plate after a cue shot to the pitching circle by catcher Lauren Jackson was mishandled by the Northwood infield.

And there’s power. Lots and lots of power. Junior second baseman Mary Moss Wirt has two home runs, including a three-run blast in the first inning against Cedar Ridge, followed by another dinger against Northwood. McPherson homered against East Chapel Hill last week, and Robinson added an inside-the-park home run Thursday.

Most teams are only as good as its pitching, which may be where Orange is well ahead of its league rivals. Junior Gracie Walker earned her second win this season against Northwood. In the season-opener against East Chapel Hill, Walker struck out seven in three innings, and surrendered only two hits in three innings. On Thursday, Walker combined with Robinson and Courtney Watkins on a five-inning no-hitter. Northwood drew a two-out walk in the second inning. It was their only baserunner all day.

Tackett started Orange’s 12-run 2nd inning with a one-out liner to right field. That started a string of six straight Lady Panthers reaching safely. After McPherson was hit by a pitch, Bradsher plated Tackett with a double to the centerfield wall. Robinson cleared the bases with a two-run double that went over the left field’s head. With Jackson at bat, Robinson scored off a wild pitch. Wirt singled to left field and Wynne reached on a fielder’ choice where Bree Harris, running for Jackson, was thrown out at third. Wirt and Wynne each advanced a base on a double steal, leading to Wirt scoring off a bases-loaded walk by Walker. Tackett slapped a two-run single to right field. McPherson doubled to left center to bring in Delaney Shaffer (running for Walker) and Tackett. Bradsher then scored McPherson with a single, which was followed by Robinson’s inside-the-park homer.

Orange will travel to Chapel Hill on Tuesday night.

The Orange softball team served notice to the rest of the Big 8 Conference that they are a force to be reckoned with in this abbreviated season. The Panthers put up 12 runs in the second inning to roar past Northwood 18-0 in five innings on Thursday at Orange Softball Park. Sophomore Carson Bradsher jump started the offense, scoring the first run of the game with a head-first slide into the plate after a cue shot by Lauren Jackson was thrown away by Northwood. Bradsher finished 4-for-4 with two doubles, four runs scored and 3 RBIs. Sophomore Kelsey Tackett hit a one-out single to right field, which led to five consecutive Lady Panthers hit. Bradsher and Tackett each had two hits in the 2nd inning, and each scored twice. Orange is 3-0 in the Big 8 and is tied with Northern Durham for 1st place in the loss column. The Lady Panthers travel to Chapel Hill on Tuesday night at 6, its only game next week.

It was a special night for the Orange softball team. The Lady Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 20-0 in five innings at Orange softball field. Orange jumped right on the Red Wolves with six runs in the opening inning, punctuated by a three-run homer from junior second baseman Mary Moss Wirt. Recently, Wirt committed to play softball at Elon University, where her father, Todd, played baseball. In the circle, freshman Caden Robinson earned her first varsity win by throwing two shutout innings. On top of that, Robinson went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles, 3 RBIs and three runs scored. Orange is atop the Big 8 Conference after knocking off the two-time defending Big 8 Champions. Now, Orange will travel to face Vance County on Wednesday before a big home game against powerful Northwood on Thursday in Hillsborough.

Jaden Hurdle: The former Orange High first baseman had a big weekend as Patrick Henry Community College swept Cleveland Community College in a doubleheader on Sunday. Collectively, Hurdle went 6-for-7 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs as the Patriots swept the doubleheader 5-3 and 23-3 in Shelby. In the opening game, Hurdle went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and a run scored after a home run. According to records from the National Junior College Athletic Association, it was Hurdle’s second home run this season. In the second game, Hurdle went 4-for-4 with two double. She scored twice with two RBIs. Hurdle closed the second game as pitcher. She threw two-and-two thirds innings. She surrendered three hits, one run and one walk with two strikeouts.

Mia Davidson: #5 Florida swept the Mississippi State softball team over the weekend at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS. In Friday’s 1-0 loss to the Gators, Davidson hit a double.

Montana Davidson: Montana started all three games against Florida at third base. The Bulldogs are 15-11 overall, 0-6 in the Southeastern Conference.

Tori Dalehite: Dalehite scored in the opening game of the UNC Greensboro softball team’s doubleheader against Elon on Friday. In the Spartans’ 11-3 win over the Phoenix, Dalehite replaced Kayleigh Willis as a pinch runner. Dalehite scored off a wild pitch in the 4th inning to increase the Spartans lead to 6-1. UNCG split the Friday doubleheader, but swept Elon in another doubleheader on Saturday. UNCG is 13-6.

Kaylen Campbell: A member of Orange’s 2016-17 Big 8 Women’s Basketball Conference Championship team, forward Kaylen Campbell was honored on Senior Night for the Division III Trinity College over the weekend. Campbell’s senior year was canceled because of the pandemic, but the Bantams played two exhibition games against Connecticut College on Saturday and Sunday. Campbell was named a Captain for this year’s team. Last year, Campbell played in 20 games for the Bantams and averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds. She is majoring in music at Trinity and is the co-founder of Trinity’s Athletes of Color Coalition. At Orange, Campbell was the Captain of a team that won a school-record 21 consecutive games to open the season, swept the Big 8 regular season and postseason tournaments and reached the third round of the 3A state playoffs.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson had a strong spring training start for the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. He allowed one run over 4 and two-thirds innings as the Braves defeated Boston 8-2. Wilson is 2-0 this spring. He surrendered five hits and three walks with three strikeouts. In the first at-bat of the game, Wilson had a comebacker go off his calf, but remained in the game until the fifth inning.

Landon Riley: The Liberty Flames closer didn’t get a save this weekend. He got his first win instead. On Saturday, Riley threw the ninth inning in Liberty’s 3-2 win over VCU. He entered with the game tied 2-2 and threw another shutout inning. He surrendered two walks and struck out one batter. The Flames got the win in the bottom of the ninth when Aaron Anderson hit a walkoff double to left field. Liberty has won eleven in a row, including a two-game sweep of UCF and two midweek wins over North Carolina.

Joey Berini: #9 East Carolina fell to UNC Wilmington 10-2 at Brooks Field in Wilmington last Wednesday. Joey Berini entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter and grounded out to third base. East Carolina rebounded to sweep a weekend series against Illinois State. Berini has played in three games this season for the Pirates.

Phil Berger: The former Cedar Ridge pitcher started the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Brevard College. Brevard swept the doubleheader, taking the nightcap 9-7. Berger earned a no-decision. He completed four innings and surrendered four hits, two runs and one walk. Berger struck out six. Through six games, Berger is 2-1 with a 2.14 ERA for the Pacers. He has ten walks and 16 strikeouts.

Dylan Boyer: The Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team, ranked #5 in Division II, defeated # 12 Queen’s University 15-7 on Saturday night at Dickson Field in Charlotte. Former Orange High midfielder Dylan Boyer actually helped the Royals build a 3-1 lead. He scored two goals, including an unassisted marker in the first quarter. Boyer added a man-up goal in the fourth quarter. It was his first goals at the college level. Queen’s is 3-3 overall, 3-1 in the South Atlantic Conference.

Jaylin Jones: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team defeated William Peace 21-9 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Raleigh on Wednesday night. Jones scooped up a ground ball for the Falcons. On Sunday, Pfeiffer defeated Methodist 18-8 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. Jones also played for the Falcons and had another ground ball.

Luke Hernandez: Hernandez, a member of Cedar Ridge’s 2017 Eastern Regional Championship team, entered the game as a defenseman for the Falcons in the victory over Peace. Hernandez has played in two games this season. Pfeiffer is 5-1, and sits atop the USA South Athletic Conference at 3-0.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon Phoenix football team fell to William & Mary 31-10 at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, VA on Saturday. Chnupa, the former All-Conference selection in football at Cedar Ridge, got some snaps on offense for the Phoenix.

The Cedar Ridge softball team seemed to do it all in its conference opener against Northwood.

Be on the verge of losing in five innings? Check. Come back from a seven-run deficit to take the lead? Check. Score 12 runs in a span of three innings? Check.

Unfortunately, the list of accomplishments also included losing in extra innings.

Northwood’s Shakhai Mole scored off a grounder by freshman Carolina Garner in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel the Chargers past Cedar Ridge 17-16.

As you may have guessed, it was a night of offense. The two teams combined for 35 hits, eight extra base hits and 18 walks.

It was a costly loss for the Red Wolves since the Big 8 Conference standings will only include the first games against league opponents, the same format that was used in volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball this year.

In what will probably be a theme this season, Cedar Ridge’s Takia Nichols hit a solo homer to lead off the third inning, then was intentionally walked in her final four plate appearances. That included an intentional pass in the fifth inning–with the bases loaded.

Even with Nichols’ powerful bat taken out of her hands, Cedar Ridge still managed to erase an 11-4 deficit in the fifth inning, incredibly starting a seven-run rally with two outs. After Olivia Aitkin reached on an infield single Marlee Rakouskas lined a hit to center field. Alexandria Matthews’ bloop to the outfield scored Aitkin. Sophomore Anaya Carter walked to load the bases, which led to the Nichols walk, bringing in Matthews.

ShiLi Quade reached on a bunt to first to score Matthew. Junior Ava Lowry came up with a three-run double to clear the bases. Aitkin, in her second at-bat in the inning, double to left to score Lowry and tie the game at 11-11.

Northwood took the lead back with a run in the fifth when Caroline Dorshimer scored off a groundout by Garner.

The Chargers led 14-11 when Cedar Ridge scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning. Carter hit a leadoff single, followed by the obligatory Nichols walk. Quade loaded the bases with another bunt single. Lowry’s sacrifice fly to left scored Carter. Aitkin hit another sacrifice fly to plate Nichols. Senior Reagan Rhul doubled to left center to score Quade and Lowry and give Cedar Ridge a 15-14 lead. Hayley King legged out an infield single to bring in Ruhl and Cedar Ridge extended its led to two runs.

Northwood forced extra innings when Zoe Hatzidakis doubled down the left field line, leading to a run from Carlee Harris. With two outs, Sarah Warfford reached on an error, leading to Hatzidakis tying the game.

Quade, now playing catcher, went 4-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Aitkin finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and 4 RBIs. Ruhl was 2-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs. Lowry finished 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs, two doubles and three runs scored.

Cedar Ridge will host Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon at 5:30. That game can be heard on Hillsboroughsports.com.

HILLSBOROUGH-Johnny Barefoot’s debut as the coach of the Orange softball team didn’t have very much drama. But there was plenty of hitting and even better pitching.

Orange rolled past East Chapel Hill 14-1 in five innings at Panther Softball Field on Wednesday afternoon. It was the season opener for both teams.

Junior Gracie Walker earned the victory in the circle. She threw three innings and finished with seven strikeouts. Walker surrendered two hits, one runs with one walk. Freshman Kaden Robinson and junior Courtney Watkins finished out the final two innings in mop up duty.

The Lady Panthers amassed eleven hits with every player in the starting lineup getting aboard. In her first varsity game, Robinson finished 4-for-4, nearly hitting for the cycle. She had a double and a triple.

Junior Mary Moss Wirt, who has committed to play at Elon, went 2-for-3 with two doubles and 2 RBIs. Senior Emma Puckett went 1-for-3 with a double.

Orange (1-0) had a game scheduled against Vance County on Thursday but it was rained out. The Lady Panthers will host Cedar Ridge on Tuesday in what will be the only game between the crosstown rivals that will count in the Big 8 standings.