ROCKINGHAM — Keeping the score close for the majority of Tuesday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference softball game, Richmond Senior High School couldn’t drum up a victory.
A night after falling by 15 runs to Southern Lee, the Lady Raiders’ kept second-place Union Pines High School in check.
On their home field, the Lady Raiders lost 5-1, their third defeat in four days.
Although the team came up short, head coach Mike Way said the Lady Raiders played a better game against the Lady Vikings.
“Tonight we were more competitive,” Way explained. “We hung around for the majority of the game and that was good to see. We gave ourselves a chance to win until the final inning.”
A scoreless ball game rolled through the first four innings until Union Pines (11-4, 7-1 SAC) plated two runs in the fifth.
Richmond answered with a run in the home half of the sixth, but the Lady Vikings added their three insurance runs in the top of the final frame.
Junior Maddie Pearson went all seven innings for Richmond from the circle. She gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits with two strikeouts.
Pearson retired Union Pines in order in the first and fourth innings and faced just four batters in the fourth and sixth frames.
An RBI single and an error with two outs scored the Lady Vikings’ two runs in the fifth to break the tie.
With the top of the lineup starting the bottom of the sixth, senior Katie Way (hit-by-pitch), freshman Emma Rusich (walk) and sophomore Hayden Robinson (walk) loaded the bases with one away.
Registering the Lady Raiders’ run was Perason on an RBI fielder’s choice. Way was thrown out at home on the force play, but Rusich ran home on a throwing error by the catcher trying to double up Pearson at first.
Union Pines scored its final three runs on an RBI double and a two-run home run.
The Lady Raiders had three hits in the loss, all singles. Registering a base hit apiece were Rusich, Robinson and senior Christi Jacobs.
The Lady Raiders (6-8, 5-5 SAC) close out the week at Lee County High School (5-8, 4-5 SAC) Friday at 6 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders edge past Union Pines
The Richmond junior varsity softball team earned a 5-3 win in five innings (time limit) over Union Pines Tuesday.
A fast start by the JV Lady Raiders saw them jump out to a 5-0 lead after the first two innings. They scored two runs in the first and three runs in the second.
Macie King went the distance in the circle, throwing five innings. Just one of the three runs were earned and she allowed four hits with four strikeouts.
Richmond scored two runs in the bottom of the first when Ashton Terry reached on an error with two outs. Kalynn McCormick and Navaeh Robbins, who both walked, scored.
Two runs on passed balls in the home half of the second were sandwiched around an RBI single to right field by McCormick to round out the scoring.
Addison Raines led the team with two hits, including a triple. Adding a single each were McCormick, Terry, Kinsie Lyerly and Madeline Carriker.
The JV Lady Raiders (7-2, 5-2 SAC) will play at Lee County Friday.
