FAYETTEVILLE — The third time was a charm for the Richmond Raider baseball team, which routed familiar foe Pinecrest High School to clinch the Terry Sanford Easter Invitational championship on Tuesday.
Having lost their previous two meetings against the Patriots this season, and snapping a five-game losing streak to Pinecrest, the Raiders brought home the holiday hardware with a convincing 13-1 win.
Scoring at least one run in every inning except the first, the Raiders and head coach Rob Ransom used a five-run top of the fourth inning to break the game open.
The 12-run loss by the Patriots was their largest margin of defeat dating back to the 2009 season.
Seniors Matthew Walker and Cameron Way, along with sophomore Camron Seagraves, were named to the All-Tournament team, which saw Richmond defeat South View, Terry Sanford and Pinecrest.
Senior Colin Wheeler, who pitched a 6.1-inning gem and got the championship win, was named the Tournament MVP. He allowed just one unearned run on five hits and struck out six batters.
At the plate, Wheeler had one of Richmond’s eight hits in the victory, a two-RBI double down the left field line in the top of the fourth. Also posting a two-RBI night were Way and senior Alston Johnson.
Senior Colin Wheeler throws a pitch during the third inning of Tuesday’s championship win. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
After Wheeler stranded two Patriots in scoring position in the bottom of the first, freshman courtesy runner Landon Taylor (running for junior Ethan Clayton, walk) scored on a Pinecrest error for the team’s first run.
An inning later, junior courtesy runner Jullian Cline (running for Wheeler, walk) crossed home plate safely following another Pinecrest error to make it a 2-0 lead.
Pinecrest’s starting pitcher Noah Arnett lasted 2.2 innings and allowed two runs on one hit and five walks.
A 1-2-3 bottom of the third from Wheeler paved the way for nine Raiders to come to the plate in the top of the fourth. A leadoff single from senior Jude Howard and a Johnson hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second with one out.
Facing relief pitcher C.J. Woolard, one of five Patriots to pitch on Tuesday, Way got the big inning started when he lasered a two-RBI double to the right-center gap. Both Howard and Johnson raced home to score.
Skyler Mathis replaced Woolard in the next at-bat and plunked Walker with a pitch to put two runners on. Wheeler helped his cause when he laced a two-RBI double inside the chalk in left field, extending the lead to 6-0.
Senior Cameron Way celebrates his two-RBI double in the top of the fourth. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Seagraves dug in and dropped an RBI single to shallow right field in the next at-bat, plating Wheeler and capping the five-run inning.
The Patriots (14-5) scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the fourth, using an RBI groundout by Grayson Hudgins to Way at third. Scoring was Cam Bunker (single).
With one out in the top of the fifth, and the bases loaded, Walker recorded an RBI with a sacrifice fly to left field off Cove Mashburn. Trotting home from third was junior Ashton Phifer, who led off the inning with a walk.
An inning later, also with the bases loaded, relief pitcher Zach Wiley hit Johnson with a pitch, plating Taylor to make it a 9-1 advantage.
Wheeler used another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth to maintain the lead. Richmond scored its final four runs in the top of the seventh. Walker (walk) scored on a throwing error, and Clayton roped an RBI single to center to score Cline.
Two batters later, Phifer connected for an RBI single to center to score Taylor and a fielder’s choice to short by junior Ethan Locklear allowed sophomore James Eason (single) to cross home plate safely.
Way and Wheeler both had a double for Richmond, while Johnson, Seagraves, Clayton, Eason, Howard and Phifer all had a single. Adding solo RBIs were Walker, Seagraves, Clayton, Phifer and Locklear.
Pinecrest was led at the plate by Nick DiCarlo, who had two hits in the loss. Hudgins had the team’s lone RBI.
Richmond (13-5, 5-5 Sandhills Athletic Conference) will return to conference play on Tuesday with a road game at rival Scotland High School (14-4, 8-2 SAC). First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
The 2022 Terry Sanford Easter Invitational champion Richmond Raiders. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
