ROCKINGHAM — An uncharacteristic inning during Friday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference game against Hoke County High School resulted in a loss for the Richmond softball team.
Leading 2-0 after three innings, the Lady Raiders surrendered eight runs in the top of the fourth, which led to a 14-7 loss to the Lady Bucks.
Suffering their second loss to Hoke County this season, the Lady Raiders made a push in the final two innings, scoring five runs. Richmond also committed eight errors in the field.
“We played a really good first three innings,” head coach Mike Way said. “And then it was like we were drinking from a fire hose, and we couldn’t keep up.
“A win tonight would have given us an automatic berth in the playoffs, and that would have been nice. But now we have to come back and keep winning every game we can.”
Richmond collected nine hits on Friday off starting pitcher Tamarah Lowery, including an RBI single by sophomore Katie Way in the top of the first inning. Lacing a shot to right field, Way brought in junior Makayla Parks (walk).
In the next at-bat, junior Quston Leviner mirrored Way, hitting an RBI base knock to right. That hit scored Way to put Richmond up 2-0.
With two outs in the top of the fourth, Hoke County (9-8, 6-3 SAC) scored eight runs to take the lead. Runs were scored on a passed ball, a three-run triple, a two-run double and an error.
Three more runs in the top of the sixth made it an 11-2 lead for the Lady Bucks. But junior Macy Steen got a run back when she collected an RBI single to left, plating Parks (single).
Another three-run top half of the seventh put Hoke County up 14-2. Senior Kenleigh Frye cut the deficit in the bottom half with a two-run blast to straight-away center field, bringing in courtesy runner Addy Hollingsworth.
An error on a Way ground ball and a double from Leviner put runners on second and third for Steen. On a 1-2 offering from Lowery, Steen barreled up a line drive single for her team-leading second and third RBIs of the game.
Leviner pitched a complete game for Richmond and allowed nine earned runs on nine hits, striking out three batters.
Richmond (10-3, 8-3 SAC) will take a break from conference action and travel to neighboring Anson High School (7-6) on Monday. Play will start at 6 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders collect walk-off win
Also hosting Hoke County on Friday, the Richmond junior varsity softball team earned an 11-10 walk-off win in the fifth inning (time limit).
Erasing a 10-6 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, the JV Lady Raiders scored the winning run on a passed ball.
Erin Fields, who led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, scored when a pitch rolled to the back stop with Kady Harris at the plate.
The JV Lady Raiders also scored four runs in the bottom of the second to close their deficit to 8-5. Jakayla Steele had two doubles and three RBIs in the win.
Maddie Pearson pitched a complete game and struck out eight batters, while allowing 10 earned runs on 10 hits.
The JV Lady Raiders improved their overall record to 5-6 with their win over Hoke County.
