Orange Softball

Like many people, Lauren Jackson had some doubts during the pandemic. When the 2020 season was stopped, Jackson was only four games into her sophomore year. Her dreams of playing in college was in question after summer travel season was greatly reduced. Jackson responded with a great junior season for Orange, where she led the team with five home runs. On Monday night, Jackson officially signed her letter of intent to play with Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory. Jackson has started for four seasons at Orange. She has been a starter on two Big 8 Conference championship teams. As a freshman in 2019, Jackson led the team with five home runs and was second on the team with 21 RBIs. In her junior season, Jackson had 17 RBIs, second only to Carson Bradsher She was also third on the team with 20 hits. Joining Lauren for the ceremony at Orange High Softball Field on Monday night was her mother Christy and her father William, along with Orange softball coach Johnny Barefoot, assistant Wayne Bradsher, Principal Jason Johnson and Athletic Director Mike McCauley. A couple of Lauren’s travel coaches, Rick Webster and Craig Apple, were also on hand. The Orange softball team returns to action on Tuesday night with a road trip to Burlington to face Walter Williams. 

In its first game since spring break, the Orange softball team rolled to a 10-0 win over Northwood in Hillsborough on Wednesday night. Senior catcher Lauren Jackson hit her 14th career home run as the Lady Panthers improved to 6-3 overall, 4-2 in the Central Carolina Conference. Freshman Sadie Cecil made her first career start at 2nd base. Cecil went 2-for-3 with an RBI single. On Monday night, Jackson will formally sign with Lenoir-Rhyne College. Jackson has started for four years as the Orange catcher. In her career, she has 57 career RBIs and a career .462 hitter. Cecil is the latest young prospect to learn on the job for the Lady Panthers. She played her middle school softball at Gravelly Hill. Orange will make the journey to Western Alamance on Friday night to face the Warriors, her are currently in third place in the Central Carolina Conference. It will start a four-game road trip for Orange. Next week, the Panthers travel to Burlington to face Williams (Tuesday), to Roxboro to take on Person (Wednesday), and then across town to take on Cedar RIdge.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore pitcher and left fielder Caden Robinson. On March 18, Robinson hit two home runs against Walter Williams in a 17-1 Panther victory in Hillsborough. Robinson hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the third inning. In the second, she parked a ball over the centerfield wall. Robinson also earned the win in the circle, striking out nine batters over three innings. This season, Robinson is 3-0 in the circle for the Lady Panthers. Through the opening eight games of the season, Robinson is hitting .577 wit 15 hits, 13 RBIs and seven doubles. In Orange’s 14–10 win over Cedar Ridge on March 22, Robinson went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple. Robinson started last season as a freshman as Orange won the Big 8 Conference championship following an undefeated regular season. She went 4-for-4 against Northwood in a 12-0 victory on March 11. Robinson had three doubles against the Chargers. On Tuesday, Orange will resume its season against Eastern Alamance, the 2019 3A State Champions. The Eagles and the Panthers will face off in Hillsborough starting at 6:30.

It’s a new world for Hillsborough’s softball teams.

In the old model known as the Big 8 Conference, a team was only as good as its defense. Now, in the Central Carolina Conference that has brought Orange and Cedar Ridge league rivals from Alamance County, the team with the best pitching will be at the top of the standings once mid-May rolls around.

Realignment has made pitchers Eastern Alamance’s Kenna Raye Dark (who committed to UNC as a freshman) and Western Alamance’s Taylor Apple (who has committed to East Carolina) league rivals, which makes the margin for error microscopically small.

It’s something Orange coach Johnny Barefoot and Cedar Ridge head coach Allan Byrd, and his players, knew before the season even started. That notion was only reinforced after the first week of conference play.

On Monday, Western Alamance’s Taylor Apple threw a one-hitter against Cedar Ridge in a 11-0 victory at Red Wolves Softball Stadium. In as solid an all-around game as humanly possible, Apple struck out 15 batters, including the first nine Red Wolves she faced. At the plate, Apple hit a two-run homer in the game’s second at-bat, then added a three-run inside-the-park home run in the third.

Cedar Ridge’s only put four balls in play. Shortstop Ava Lowry, who singled in the fourth, was the lone baserunner of the day for the Red Wolves.

The next day, Western Alamance defeated Orange 2-1 at Orange softball stadium in a nail biter. The Warriors scored both of its runs off of a Panther error, with two out, in the first inning. This time, Apple threw a two-hitter, but Orange pitcher Gracie Walker hit a solo homer in the sixth. Orange’s defense held the Warriors to seven hits, and despite the early miscue, kept the Warriors off the scoreboard the rest of the way.

On Friday, the offense returned for both Cedar Ridge and Orange. Sophomore Caden Robinson hit two home runs, including an inside-the-park grand slam, in a 17-1 win in five innings over Walter Williams. Junior shortstop Carson Bradsher, who has committed to USC-Upstate, added her first home run of the season. The first eight Lady Panthers to come up to bat all scored. Bradsher hit twice in the first inning, leading off with an infield single. She stroked a first-pitch fastball over centerfield later in the frame. Orange sent eleven batters to the plate in the first inning.

Robinson struck out ten to pick up her second win of the season. Centerfielder Serenity McPherson went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Alexa Latta-Harshaw went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Meanwhile in Pittsboro, Cedar Ridge earned its first conference win over Northwood 15-5 in six innings. Senior Takia Nichols finished 4-for-4 with and RBI double. Freshman Kimber Shambley went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Catcher Reagan Simmons, also a freshman, finished with a career-high four RBIs, going 3-for-5 with a double.

Cedar Ridge opened with four runs in the first inning. The Red Wolves loaded the bases following a leadoff walk by Anaya Cater, a line drive single to right by Nichols and another walk to senior Olivia Aitkin. Senior Ava Lowry sent a fly ball to left field that landed for a double to bring in Carter and Nichols. Shambley sent a two-run single on a grounder up the middle.

In the second inning, Nichols drove in Carter, who reached on a fielder’s choice. Lowry lined to left field to bring in Nichols. Simmons knocked in her first run with a liner to left, plating Aitkin, who has committed to Amherst College in Massachusetts.

Freshman pitcher Charlotte Lowry, who has split time in the circle with Hayley King, earned the complete game win. Lowry is 5-2 on the season.

The Red Wolves (6-2, 1-2 in the CCC) face Orange (4-2, 2-1) on Tuesday at Panther Softball park.