ROCKINGHAM — Rising sophomore Riley Brown filled up the strike zone and let his defense work behind him during Wednesday’s game.
The Richmond Renegade junior varsity baseball team picked up its second win in as many nights, defeating Southern Lee 6-0 in six innings (time limit).
Brown was dialed in from the start and tossed a complete game shutout. He collected six strikeouts, allowed three hits and stranded three runners.
A 1-2-3 top of the first led to a four-run bottom half for Richmond. Brown, who led off with a single, scored following an error and a rundown between third and home. He beat the throw at the plate to make it 1-0.
Back-to-back bases-loaded walks to Garret Mabe and Caden Nolan plated two more runs. Crossing home on the free passes were Sam Thompson and Conner Phifer, who both reached on errors.
The final run of the inning came on a sacrifice fly by Jason Gainey to center field, allowing Jabari Douglas (walk) to score.
Richmond flashed the leather in the top of the second, starting with Evan Hodges making a diving catch to his right at shortstop for the second out.
Hodges then started a 6-2 inning-ending double play during the next at-bat. He caught a fly ball in shallow left and fired home to Douglas, who recorded the third out on a runner trying to tag.
In the top of the fourth, Thompson also got an inning-ending double play started. Charging on a blooper to shallow right, Thompson made a sliding catch and threw to Tyler McKenzie at first to pick off the runner.
The JV Renegades added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, courtesy of a McKenzie single.
With two outs and the bases loaded, McKenzie slashed a hard ground ball to left field, scoring Nolan (hit-by-pitch) and Hodges (walk).
Brown induced a fly ball and two groundouts to sit Southern Lee down in order in the sixth to clinch the win.
McKenzie finished with two hits and two RBIs and Brown had Richmond’s only other hit. The JV Renegades drew six walks and capitalized on two errors.
JV Renegades defeat Union Pines on Tuesday
On Monday, the JV Renegades picked up their first win of the season 7-5 over Union Pines on the road.
Erasing a 2-0 deficit after the first inning, Richmond scored two runs each in the second, third and fifth innings, before adding another run in the sixth.
Nolan started on the mound and pitched 2.0 innings, before Hodges closed the final 5.0 innings to get the win. In his two innings, Nolan struck out six batters and Hodges added four Ks.
At the plate, Nolan had two hits and recorded three RBIs. McKenzie also produced a two-RBI single.
The JV Renegades (2-1) will play another home game on Thursday against Scotland. Action will begin at 4:30 p.m.
