ROCKINGHAM – The base paths were lined with chalk for the first time this spring at Richmond Senior High School’s softball field Wednesday night – and the Lady Raiders looked as crisp and cool as the outfield grass they played on.
Welcoming in Anson High School for the preseason’s first scrimmage, the Lady Raiders waited until the bottom of the fourth inning to get on the scoreboard. But a swift bottom half of innings four through six saw them breeze past the Lady Bearcats 9-0.
Coming off a 25-6 season in 2017 that saw the team make it to the semifinal round of the North Carolina 4A state playoffs, Richmond appeared to not have lost a step despite losing key senior pitchers NaLee Jacobs (12-4, 2.10 ERA) and Mackenzie Ward (13-4, 1.63 ERA).
Surrounded by her team in left field following Wednesday’s win, head coach Wendy Wallace, who is entering her 12th year at the head of the program, had a couple of simple questions for her 11-player squad. The first of which was “what went well” during the team’s first live-action affair, and all the signs point to a strong core of pitching and defense.
“They (the players) know what we do well and what we need to work on,” Wallace said following the scrimmage. “First and foremost, they said the pitching looked really good. Greyson (Way) did a really good job stepping in.
“With pitching being as good as it was (Wednesday), we didn’t have to do a whole lot of defense,” Wallace continued. “But for the most part, that looked really well. We did a good job on bunt coverages. I was really pleased with our pitching and defensive performances tonight.”
Way, who is a junior and, according to Wallace, will serve as the team’s “ace pitcher” this season, took to the mound and delivered five innings of shut-out ball against Anson. Having not been tasked with many pitching responsibilities during her freshman and sophomore seasons, Way, who is a UNC-Greensboro commit, looked at home as she struck out 10 opposing batters, while only allowing a lone hit to the Lady Bearcats.
Juniors Taylor Parrish (Pfeiffer commit) and Savannah Lampley (UNC-Wilmington commit) each contributed to a dominating pitching performance, closing the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. Parrish collected a strikeout while giving up a single, and Lampley, who will serve as the team’s power-hitter from the left side of the plate, put the Lady Bearcats down in order in the final frame to secure the win.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, and senior catcher and Florida SouthWestern State College commit Owen Bowers on first base, senior Brianna Baysek broke the tie with a well-struck double into the right-center gap. Baysek would move to third base on a passed ball, setting up an RBI opportunity for sophomore Kayla Hawkins, as she raced to third following a misjudged ball to right field. Hawkins would push the lead to 3-0 when she dashed home on a wild pitch.
The best offensive inning on the night for the Lady Raiders came in the home half of the fifth, as the heart of the lineup proved true when it mattered. The five-run inning started with freshman Paige Ransom roping a triple into the right-field corner. A Lampley shot down the third base line on the ensuing at-bat, which culminated in a double, brought Ransom home.
After taking third base on another Anson passed ball, Lampley would safely cross the plate when Bowers looped a single into left field. A succession of walks to Way and Baysek on the next two at-bats led to Hawkins delivering with the bases loaded when she hit a deep fly ball to right field that was misplayed and rolled to the fence. Bowers and Way would trot home to make it 7-0, and Baysek would end the inning’s scoring by sliding across the plate on a pass ball.
To cap off the night’s scoring, senior Mackenzie Webb started the bottom of the sixth with a hard ground ball through the wickets of the pitcher. Webb would take second, and be moved to third when Lampley and Bowers drew walks. A wild pitch that zinged off the backstop, something that plagued Anson all night, allowed Webb to seal the deal.
Reflecting on her team’s first contested go of the new season, Wallace noted that it’s her and her players’ desire to up the ante on offense.
“Something we need to work on is hitting,” Wallace commented. “But at this point in the year, pitching is normally ahead of hitting. One of the big goals from last year to this year is to reduce (our) number of strikeouts. And (the players) were hard on themselves about that. But I reminded them it’s early – and we’ll get better at that since this was only the first time seeing live pitching this season.
“We now have a better estimate of where we thought we were and where we actually are after our first scrimmage,” Wallace concluded.
The Lady Raiders will continue their preseason play Saturday, as they’ll head to North Davidson High School in Lexington, N.C. Wallace noted they’ll play three “quality” programs in Orange, North Davidson and West Stokes high schools. The first game is set for 11:15 a.m. against West Stokes.
The Richmond Observer will be releasing its official Richmond softball preview in the coming days. Richmond will open its regular season at home on Wednesday, February 28, against Marlboro Academy (Bennettsville, S.C.) at 6 p.m.
