FAYETTEVILLE — Double digits in the hit column and a complete game on the mound made a nice pairing for the Richmond Senior High School baseball team on Saturday.
Opening the Terry Sanford Easter Invitational, the Raiders clawed their way past the South View Tigers in a 9-3 win.
Using a big first inning for the second game in a row to jump ahead early, the effort by sophomore pitcher James Eason on the mound led to his first complete game of the spring.
Taking a 5-0 lead after the top half of the first, Eason used that cushion to allow just three runs (two earned) on three hits and struck out four batters.
Spreading 11 hits across seven players, the Raiders batted through the order in the top of the first against starting pitcher Jay Haggins (2.0 innings, 6 runs, 3 hits, 5 walks). The first eight pitches of the game were balls, putting seniors Alston Johnson and Cameron Way on base.
A bunt single by senior Matthew Walker loaded the bases, and senior Colin Wheeler recorded the first of his two RBIs with a sacrifice fly to left field for the team’s first run.
Senior Colin Wheeler connects for a sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
With two outs, junior Ethan Clayton lined an RBI single to right and sophomore Camron Seagraves (fielder’s choice) scored on a passed ball to make it 3-0.
The final two runs in the inning came on a bases-loaded walk to junior Ethan Locklear, and Eason (walk) scored on the same pitch when the throw back to the mound found the infield grass.
South View got a run back in the bottom of the first on an error to cut its deficit to 5-1.
Senior Cameron Way led off the top of the second with a single to center, and stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. That allowed Walker to sky a sacrifice fly to center to make it a five-run lead.
Helping maintain the lead were a pair of double plays turned by the Raiders’ infield, one in the second and one in the third inning. The first was a 4-6-3 double play, and the latter saw Way snag a liner at short and double off a runner at first to senior Jude Howard.
Back-to-back singles by Way and Walker to start the top of the fourth off relief pitcher Dylan Brown (5.0 innings, eight hits, three runs) resulted in two more runs for Richmond. Way scored on a passed ball and Wheeler brought in Walker with a line drive single to center.
Senior Cameron Way hustles home on a passed ball during Saturday’s win. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Way recorded Richmond’s final run of the game with an RBI groundout to short in the top of the fifth, allowing Johnson (walk) to score.
The Tigers (11-6) used a two-run home run by Dallas Capps in the bottom of the sixth to record their final two runs.
Eason shut the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, getting a flyout and his final two strikeouts to put the Raiders into the winner’s bracket of the tournament.
Leading the Raiders at the plate was Way, who had three base knocks and one RBI. Walker and Wheeler both added two hits and combined for 3 RBIs.
Also tallying a hit were Johnson, Seagraves, Clayton and Eason. Clayton and Locklear both recorded one RBI.
The Raiders (11-5) will play the winner of East Bladen and Terry Sanford on Monday in the second round of the invitational. The opponent and time are to be determined at the time of publication.
