ROCKINGHAM — Looking to avoid the summer sweep by the Lee County Spinners Thursday, the Richmond Rattlers’ junior varsity baseball team was on the wrong end of a mercy-rule decision.
Playing their third game in as many nights in the opening week of the Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League, the Rattlers (1-2) fell to the Spinners by a final score of 11-0 in five innings.
To open the season Tuesday on the road, Lee County also run-ruled the Rattlers 12-1.
Making his summer pitching debut was rising freshman Ethan Locklear, who pitched two innings and gave up six runs on four hits. The Rattlers defense made fewer errors than in the first matchup, but coach Ty Bostick noted “missed strikes early in the count” led to his pitchers having to throw it down the middle to try and get outs.
Pitching in relief for Richmond were a pair of sophomores in Jude Howard and David O’Neal. Howard, who started Tuesday, pitched 1.1 innings and allowed five runs on six hits, while O’Neal’s 1.2 innings of relief saw him throw shutout baseball.
In the top of the first, Locklear worked out of an early jam by stranding runners on second and third base. Lee County’s bats came to life in the second, as the Spinners hung up a six spot. With the bases loaded and two outs, Locklear plunked a batter to score a run and walked the next batter to make it 2-0.
Before the final out of the frame was recorded, back-to-back two-RBI hits would give Lee County a 6-0 advantage.
Howard took over to start the third, and allowed a lone run on an RBI single. In the fourth, Lee County tacked on its final four runs, using a pair of doubles and a single to help put the game away.
At the plate, Richmond managed just two hits on the afternoon. Rising freshman Shoan Hodges had an infield base knock in the bottom of the first, but was stranded on base, along with fellow freshman Emmanuel Gilliam (base on balls) and rising sophomore Caleb Talton (base on balls).
Rising freshman catcher Ethan Clayton, who has proven to be one of the team’s most consistent hitters this summer, roped a single in the bottom of the third to center field for Richmond’s final hit of the game.
A total of nine Richmond runners would be stranded on the base paths during the game.
The JV Rattlers will take the weekend off and look to regroup Tuesday when they travel to Union Pines High School. First pitch is set for 4 p.m in Cameron, N.C.
