ROCKINGHAM — A large lead didn’t hold up for the junior varsity Richmond Renegade baseball team on Tuesday.
Starting their Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League season at home, the JV Renegades tied Northwood 9-9 in five innings. The game was called due to the time limit ahad of the varsity game.
Richmond jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the third inning and led 9-1 at the end of four complete. But the Chargers rallied to score eight runs in the top of the fifth to tie it up.
Starting on the mound for Richmond was Chase Woody, who gave the team 4 innings of work. He allowed just one run on one hit and had three strikeouts.
The JV Renegades loaded the bases with the first three batters in the bottom of the second and Braden Baucom recorded the first RBI of the summer with a base on balls. Crossing home was Colton Brown (single).
Starting some two-out magic, Hayden Wheeler singled to right field with the bases loaded to score Keith Cummings (walk). Jason Gainey followed in the next at-bat with a two-RBI single to the right side, extending Richmond’s lead to 4-0.
A passed ball scored Wheeler and an error on a Preston Fann grounder to third capped the big inning for the JV Renegades.
Woody faced a total of 11 batters through the first three innings before giving up a run in the top of the fourth. The JV Chargers scored their first run on an RBI groundout to second.
Richmond added its final three runs in the bottom half. A walk, an error and a Jake Richardson infield single loaded the bases with one away.
Woody helped his own cause when he drew a free pass to score Gainey. A passed ball allowed Tristian Chavis to dash home and Jackson Webster recorded the final RBI on another bases-loaded walk, one of eight walks drawn by Richmond.
Leading 9-1, the JV Renegades went to the bullpen in the fifth. Adan King pitched two-thirds of an inning (four hits, eight runs, two strikeouts) and Jake Veach recorded the final out. Only one of King’s runs was earned.
Northwood cut into its deficit with an RBI single, a passed ball, an RBI double and an RBI single to make it 9-5. A two-RBI single, a wild pitch and a passed ball completed the comeback for the JV Chargers.
Needing just one run to walk it off, Richmond went down in order in the bottom of the fifth.
Richmond had just four hits, one apiece from Wheeler, Gainey, Brown and Richardson. Gainey’s two RBI were a team-high, as Baucom, Woody, Wheeler and Webster plated one run each.
The JV Renegades (0-0-1) will return to action on Wednesday and host Pinecrest. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
Note: Stats and information provided by Game Changer and the Richmond coaching staff.
