Perhaps a bit rustic and definitely bucolic, the Orange High School field that hosts the Panthers’ lacrosse games also is one of the most scenic upon which any local team will play.

The handful of faithful spectators who showed Tuesday viewed the game from a lush, grassy knoll, with vibrant orange clouds at sunset visible over the trees on the field’s western edge.

On the eastern side, players sat under a thick row of cedar trees with branches within 10 feet of the sideline.

Just off the southeast corner of the field sat Orange High’s agriculture facilities, whence a couple of Black Angus bulls could see some of the action.

Inside the classic red barn, a few more goats and pigs reside, noted Orange coach David O’Neal, who wears cowboy boots to school every day and returns home to his own farm on the edge of town every night.

Their presence, and their strong odor, lend an unusual atmosphere to the proceedings.

"We can’t help but notice it every time we go over there," Chapel Hill senior captain Stephen Winsor said.

The pastoral setting, with music blaring from the baseball game next door, made Tuesday’s lacrosse match seem much less "official" and more like a club match.

"Oh, say, …" The weather Wednesday at East Chapel Hill High School was just as perfect as Tuesday’s at Orange.

After what seemed like weeks of wet days in the Triangle, the sunny skies were most welcome by area baseball teams, and their fans.

The two rows of wooden bleachers just past the right field fence at Wildcat Field were packed with students who seemed to be enjoying the sunshine as much as their team’s win over archrival Chapel Hill.

One of the more unusual sights Wednesday came during the pre-game national anthem.

As the first few bars of the recorded anthem blared over the public-address system, girls lacrosse, field hockey and softball players one by one stopped their practices on the field next door and stood at attention, facing the flag.

Some of them, with one hand over their heart and the other holding a bat or stick, sang along.

No cigar, yet: Please excuse Northwood’s Connor Lawrence if he’s feeling ever so snakebit. Last Tuesday at home, Lawrence had a no-hitter going in the top of the last inning before he gave up a triple. Two outs later, it was over and Northwood (9-0, 6-0 conference) had collected another win.

On March 6, Lawrence also had a no-hitter going in the last inning until he gave up a single with two outs and two strikes to the penultimate batter. He struck out the next man to close out Northwood’s 6-0 win over Voyager Academy.

Briefly: Northwood’s baseball game with South Granville and its ace pitcher Matt Fuhr has been postponed to April 18. … East Chapel Hill coach Bill Renner is counting the days, literally, to the start of football practice. He sent out an email to note that "there are only 142 days remaining until our season opener [Holly Springs] and 156 days until our first home game [Cedar Ridge]." … Word has it that Renner’s son Bryn, who grew up playing his dad’s "five-wide" attack in Virginia, loves first-year UNC coach Larry Fedora’s wide-open offense.

— chn —