PEMBROKE — Nearly a week in between games because of wet weather didn’t seem to impact the Lady Raider softball team, as a big fifth inning helped it notch a win Wednesday.
Playing at Purnell Swett High School in their Sandhills Athletic Conference opener, the Lady Raiders tallied six runs in the top of the fifth inning to cruise past the Lady Rams 8-1.
Wednesday’s game was originally scheduled to be played Tuesday, but wet field conditions pushed it 24 hours.
Battling cold temperatures, something head coach Wendy Wallace commented on, senior pitcher Greyson Way pitched a complete game three-hitter and struck out 12 batters for the second straight game. It was also her second win of the season.
At the plate, Richmond knocked seven hits, and saw junior Madison Jordan and freshman Allyiah Swiney each drive in two RBIs.
“It’s always good to get that first conference win early to keep us going the rest of the season,” Wallace said. “We battled through the cold, but we’re still behind in hitting. We’re working on getting in a rhythm, and by the third and fourth inning, we seemed to adjust a little better.
“Our defense was much better tonight than it was against Anson,” she added. “We were more focused in the field and at the plate.”
Senior Savannah Lampley got the scoring started in the first inning, scoring from third on a Taylor Parrish double to the left-field corner. Richmond would take a 2-0 lead in the top of the third thanks to a Kayla Hawkins RBI base hit to left, plating Way.
In the circle, Way worked herself out of an early jam in the bottom of the first, striking out Katlyn Jones after walking the bases loaded. She would sit the Lady Rams down in order in innings two through four, and get a nifty 6-3-5 double play to end the fourth.
To start the sixth, Way drew a leadoff walk and Hawkins reached on a single to left. Jordan would bring the pair home with her first hit of the season, slapping a single to let field and advancing to second on the throw.
Freshman Kenleigh Frye, who made her first start of her career, followed up by reaching first on an error at short. A stolen base put her in scoring position, and in the next at-bat, Swiney recorded the first two RBIs of her career with a base knock up the middle, scoring Jordan and Frye.
Before the inning was over, a wild pitch by Jaileana Deese and a couple of errors from the infield allowed Swiney and Lampley to score the final two runs for Richmond.
Way gave up her first hit of the night in the bottom of the fifth, a bloop shot over a drawn in infield to Trinity Locklear. Lampley nearly kept the no-hitter intact, diving backwards, just missing the ball.
An Angelica Locklear single in the home half of the sixth would lead to Purnell Swett’s only run, scoring Chandra Locklear, who led off with a single. Way would come in and shut the door in the seventh, striking out the side in order for the win.
Both Jordan and Swiney went 1-for-4 at the dish with a pair of RBIs, Hawkins had a team-high two hits and an RBI, and Parrish finished 1-for-3 with Richmond’s only extra base hit and an RBI.
“We have different people stepping up at the plate and we know that’s going to be crucial for us this year,” Wallace said. “Our conference has seen Savannah, Greyson and Taylor for three years so they’re not going to get good pitches to hit. It’s good to see new people able to produce.
“Greyson was trying to find the zone in the first inning, and then she really settled down in the middle innings,” she concluded. “It’s tough to pitch in the cold, but she did a good job not giving up any runs until the very end.”
Richmond (2-0, 1-0 SAC) and Purnell Swett (0-1, 0-1 SAC) will meet again Thursday in Rockingham. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, but was rescheduled due to rain in the forecast. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
