ROCKINGHAM — The early-season struggles continued Monday for the Richmond Senior baseball team as it opened Sandhills Athletic Conference play against Purnell Swett.
Hosting the Rams and looking for their first win of the spring, the Raiders would struggle offensively and fall by a final score of 10-0 in six innings.
The story of the game belonged to Purnell Swett starting left-handed pitcher Jeremiah Locklear, who threw a complete game and no-hit the Raiders.
He threw just 85 pitches, walked one batter in the sixth inning and allowed two other Raider base runners on errors. Locklear added 10 strikeouts to his line.
First-year Raider head coach Rob Ransom noted his team “didn’t throw enough strikes” in the loss, and added the Raiders aren’t stringing together enough quality innings at the plate.
Richmond used a committee of pitchers in the game, seeing junior lefty Nygie Stroman make his first start of the season. Stroman went 2 and 2/3 innings, allowed three unearned runs on six hits and struck out three batters.
Also taking to the hill for the Raiders in relief were sophomore Harley Honeycutt (1 1/3 innings), senior Dallas Cowick (1/3 of an inning) and junior Michael Pettitt (1 and 2/3 innings).
Honeycutt allowed two earned runs on a hit and four walks, Cowick gave up four runs (three unearned) and Pettitt surrendered an earned run on one hit and three walks.
The Raider defense also struggled behind the four-pitcher effort, committing five errors throughout the game.
Purnell Swett (3-0, 1-0 SAC) scored its first three runs in the top of the third, starting with a sacrifice fly to right field by Troy McGirt. Following an error and a single, an infield single by Blake Scott scored a run and a fielder’s choice on a Jonathan Jacobs ground ball plated another.
The Rams broke the game open with six runs in the top of the fifth inning, using an error, a fielder’s choice and an RBI single from Jalyn McIntyre to record the first four runs.
A ground ball by Scott with the bases loaded brought home McGirt, and another error in the next at-bat allowed McIntyre to cross the plate.
Trailing 9-0 entering the top of the sixth, the Raiders allowed a bases-loaded fielder’s choice to score the eventual mercy-rule run.
In the bottom of the sixth, senior Austin Talton put the ball in play for the Raiders, but was thrown out at first.
With two outs and senior Harrison Chance on first following a walk, sophomore Cameron Way nearly broke up the no-hitter with a bloop shot to shallow right, but was hauled in by second baseman Ashton Scott.
Richmond (0-3, 0-1 SAC) will look to redeem itself on Friday when it travels to Pembroke for the regular-season series finale against the Rams. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
