SHALLOTTE, N.C. – It hasn’t happened very often this season, but the Lady Raiders softball team found itself down late in a game Monday in the opening round of the Beach Diamond Invitational at West Brunswick High School.
But thanks to timely hitting by several players, strong pitching from Greyson Way and a solid defensive front behind her, Richmond mounted a come-from-behind win to defeat Whiteville High School 4-2.
“We don’t like to come from behind, but we made adjustments at the plate late in the game,” head coach Wendy Wallace noted. “We were trying to pull it outside in the first five innings, but we talked about it (heading into the sixth). We did what we needed to do to get ahead, but if we make those adjustments earlier, we won’t have to play from behind.”
Returning to the tournament after taking last year off to play in Greenville, N.C., the 4A No. 2-ranked Lady Raiders (10-2) squared off against a tough Lady Wolfpack (9-2), which is ranked No. 14 in the 2A classification. Ironically enough, both of Whiteville’s losses on the season have come at the bats of the Lady Raiders, having lost the first meeting on March 21 courtesy of a Savannah Lampley first-inning home run in a 1-0 game.
In the last three meetings between these two teams, all wins for Richmond, the Lady Raiders have outscored Whiteville 16-2.
A battle of dominant pitching ensued in the second meeting this season, much like the first, as Way and senior Whiteville ace Ivy Hayes squared off. Way bested her right-handed counterpart, tossing seven innings, giving up six hits, one earned run and striking out 11 batters. Hayes was good early, but gave up three of Richmond’s four runs in the final two innings. Her line consisted of seven innings, seven hits, four earned runs and only six strikeouts.
The Lady Wolfpack hit its way to the game’s first lead in the bottom of the first inning. Kiara Wilson bunted her way on with a one-out single, but was thrown out trying to steal second base courtesy of a rocket by senior catcher Owen Bowers from her knees.
In the next at-bat, Kourtney Grainger reached first on a dropped third strike, and Hayes followed up with a hard ground ball single that was just missed by a diving Jadyn Johnson at second base. Both runners would advance a base when Way threw an errant pitch, and with two on and one out, Lauren Hilbourn roped an RBI single to centerfield to put Whiteville up 1-0.
But Richmond would have an answer at the dish in the top of the third inning when freshman power-hitter Paige Ransom drilled her team-leading fifth home run of the season on a 2-2 count. Her shot over the left-field wall tied the game at one.
However, Whiteville’s bats responded in the home half of the inning to regain the lead. Reaganne Sholar led off the inning with a single to center, but was forced out on a 1-6 fielder’s choice, but left Wilson safe at first. Wilson would dash to second on a wild pitch and score when Grainger hit a single to right field.
Both teams would trade the fourth and fifth innings for no runs, and it wasn’t until the sixth inning that Richmond “made the adjustments” to start connecting off of Hayes.
With one out in the top of the sixth, Lampley hit a towering shot to right field that fell between center fielder Wilson and right fielder Santana Best. Using her speed out of the left-hander’s batter’s box, Lampley slid headfirst into third base ahead of the relay throw. Bowers knotted the game at two when she connected on a backside pitch and scored Lampley on a sacrifice fly to Best in right field.
With two outs, Richmond struck gold when senior Brianna Baysek split the right-center gap for a standup double. Way traded places with her in the next at-bat, driving a double in the same direction, and easily scoring Baysek from second. The Lady Raiders gained their first lead of the game, 3-2, and never looked back.
Way and Johnson came up big defensively in the sixth inning for Richmond, as they were able to sit down the 3-4-5-6 hitters without any damage done. Johnson flashed the leather at second base on back-to-back hard ground balls by Granger and Hayes to start the inning, getting putouts at first base.
After a two-out single by Hilbourn, Johnson found herself charging at a softly hit ball on the right side of the infield, but was run into by Hilbourn advancing to second base, and runner’s interference was called for the third out.
Head’s up base running and a costly mistake by Whiteville would secure the Lady Raider’s fourth and final run in the top of the seventh inning. With two outs, sophomore Madison Jordan hit a single to left field, and freshman Payton Chappell remained patient and drew a walk.
Lampley came up to the plate and smashed a two-hopper to Grainger’s left at short, who found herself in no-man’s land. With the second baseman not covering the bag, Grainger attempted to tag the base to get Chappell out with the force, but missed the bag by lunging past it, allowing Chappell to slide in safely. Jordan, meanwhile, never stopped running and crossed the plate to make it 4-2.
Way (10-2) would strikeout two of the first three batters in the bottom of the seventh inning, with Johnson ending the game with a 4-3 putout.
“Greyson’s job is to throw strikes and a lot of times she gets a lot of strikeouts,” Wallace said. “Whiteville put the ball in play, and that’s one of the things we pride ourselves in every year, is being able to make the plays (in the field) and take care of ourselves on defense.”
Richmond will continue in the tournament Tuesday at 1 p.m. against the winner of the North Brunswick High School and Forbush High School game which was currently in progress at the time of this publication.
