LAURINBURG — Opening its two-game series against rival Scotland High School on Tuesday, the junior varsity Richmond Raider baseball team used some late runs to earn a 5-1 victory.
Head coach Corey Wallace and the JV Raiders continued their successful start to the spring season, collecting seven hits off the Fighting Scots to improve to 6-1.
Freshman pitcher James Eason recorded his first win, throwing six innings and allowing just one run on five hits. He also punched out 12 batters at the plate.
Sophomore pitcher Walker Lambeth cemented the win with a scoreless bottom of the seventh, striking out two batters.
Both teams played a scoreless first three innings, but the JV Raiders broke it open with three runs in the top of the fourth frame.
With the bases loaded and two outs, freshman catcher Cain Hunsucker singled home freshman Damon Bryant (single) with a line drive to right field.
In the next at-bat with the bases still full of JV Raiders, freshman Davis Faw reached safely on an error at third base. That allowed Lambeth and sophomore Bryce Goodwin to score and put Richmond up 3-0.
ROSports File Photo: Freshman Damon Bryant had a game-high 3 hits in Tuesday’s win over Scotland. (Kyle Pillar)
Scotland got on the board in the bottom half, using a steal of home to score its only run of the night.
But Hunsucker and Faw helped extend Richmond’s lead with two more runs in the fifth. Facing a new pitcher with the bases loaded, Hunsucker was hit by a pitch, which saw Bryant (single) trot home safely.
Three pitches into the next at-bat, Faw was plunked by a pitch which moved all three runners on base another 90 feet. Crossing home safely was freshman Vance Goodwin (error) for Richmond’s final run.
Bryant led the way with three hits for Richmond, all singles, and scored twice. Hunsucker, Lambeth, Bryce Goodwin and Isaac Hinshaw also recorded a hit, with Lambeth’s being a double.
Hunsucker recorded a team-high two RBIs, while Faw added one RBI in his second consecutive game.
The JV Raiders will look for the sweep of the Fighting Scots when they host Scotland on Friday at 5 p.m. Both teams will play another two-game series later in the season.
