TROY, N.C. — Starting the season with a bang, the Richmond Senior High School softball team hit for the cycle, and much more, against Montgomery Central on Thursday.
Collecting 11 hits, including five for extra bases, the Lady Raiders defeated the Lady Timberwolves 10-2.
Head coach Mike Way said he was most proud of the way the Lady Raiders “played together” from start to finish.
Six players recorded a hit in the victory, led by three apiece from seniors Kenleigh Frye and Allyiah Swiney. The pair of middle infielders combined for five RBIs, and both went 3-for-4 at the plate.
Frye had a game-high 3 RBIs, plating runs on a solo homer, a single and a sacrifice fly. She also had a triple in the third inning.
Swiney was equally impressive, collecting a triple in the first at-bat of the game and added her 2 RBIs on a double in the top of the seventh. A single rounded out her three-hit night.
Junior Quston Leviner earned the win from the circle, tossing 6 innings and giving up just 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits. She helped her cause at the plate with two hits (triple, single) and one run driven in.
Junior pitcher Quston Leviner delivers a pitch during the sixth inning of Thursday’s win over Montgomery Central. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Facing starting pitcher Hannah Nichols, who pitched just one inning, the Lady Raiders plated two runs in the top of the first.
Swiney led off with a three-bagger and scored on the next at-bat when Frye lifted a sac fly to center. Junior Makayla Parks reached safely on a single to left for her only hit of the game, and scored when sophomore Katie Way laced an RBI base knock to left.
Freshman pitcher Kyndal Rush replaced Nichols in the second and went 5.2 innings in the loss. She allowed 8 runs (7 earned) on 6 hits and 8 walks.
Leviner allowed just one base runner through the first two innings and extended Richmond’s lead to 3-0 with an RBI triple in the top of the third. She scored Way (walk) with a shot to the center field wall.
Retiring the Lady Timberwolves in order in the bottom half led to a two-run top of the fourth for Richmond. With two outs, walks drawn by sophomore Addyson Hollingsworth and Swiney put two runners on.
Frye hit an RBI single to center to plate Hollingsworth in the next at-bat, and Swiney made it 5-0 by scoring on a passed ball.
Senior Allyiah Swiney (1), who had 3 hits and 2 RBIs, scores during Richmond’s non-conference game. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Montgomery Central got on the board in the home half thanks to an RBI infield single from Morgan Maness.
A key momentum shift in the game, according to Way, was the inning-ending double play.
Hollingsworth tracked down a line drive by Rush on the warning track in center for the second out and then doubled off Destiny Brown at first who didn’t tag up.
A sacrifice fly by junior Macy Steen in the top of the fifth made it a 6-1 lead, and a diving play at short by Swiney to get a force out at second in the bottom half ended a threat by Montgomery Central.
A fielder’s choice in the bottom of the sixth allowed Montgomery Central to score its final run of the game.
For good measure, the Lady Raiders added three more runs in the top of the seventh. Leviner, who was hit by a pitch, scored on an error.
With two outs, Swiney doubled to the gap in left-center and plated Christi Jacobs (walk) and Keyoni Nichols (walk).
Sophomore Addy Hollingsworth hauls in an out that led to a double play in the fourth inning. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Parks pitched the final inning for Richmond, and retired three straight batters after allowing a leadoff walk. Frye made a nice scoop on a short-hop at second to fire the ball to first for the final out.
The Lady Raiders (1-0) will get the weekend to prepare for a three-game homestand next week.
Richmond will open Sandhills Athletic Conference play against Southern Lee High School (1-0) on Tuesday, followed by Montgomery Central and Pinecrest on Thursday and Friday. All three games will be at 7 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders open season with a loss
Also opening their season against Montgomery Central on Thursday, the junior varsity Lady Raiders let an early lead slip away.
Richmond lost 9-5, despite holding a 5-1 lead through the first three and a half innings.
Montgomery Central scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game, before adding its final four runs in the last three innings.
Richmond took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when freshman Jakayla Steele and sophomore Keyoni Nichols both scored on a passed ball.
Steele collected two RBIs on a double to right in the top of the third, bringing home Kady Harris and Christi Jacobs.
The JV Lady Raiders’ final run was scored when sophomore Caroline Hunsucker doubled to center in the fourth, scoring Nichols.
Head coach Jordan Fortune and the JV Lady Raiders (0-1) will also play Southern Lee on Tuesday, beginning at 5 p.m.
