ROCKINGHAM – In the last two games, Richmond shortstop Savannah Lampley has won the Lady Raiders the game with two swift cracks of her bat, sending her first two home runs of the season over the outfield fence.
But Friday’s 10-inning 10-8 victory against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponent Jack Britt High School was perhaps the most exciting, as it ended with a late-game Richmond rally and a walk-off two-run home run for Lampley that soared over the scoreboard in right field.
Behind a total “team effort”, according to head coach Wendy Wallace, the No. 2-ranked Lady Raiders (7-1, 6-0 SAC) mounted a comeback in the game’s final five innings to send the Lady Buccaneers home with their second loss of the week to Richmond.
“We talked heading into the bottom of the sixth saying we had two innings to score,” Wallace said with a big smile after the game. “The biggest thing tonight was top to bottom everyone stepped up at some point in every inning. All the way through (the lineup), we hit well. It was a great game and we had the ability to score runs late.”
Richmond’s bats were cold through the first five innings, only plating two runs on back-to-back RBI singles by Kayla Hawkins and Taylor Parrish in the third inning. Brianna Baysek started the two-out rally with a double to the left field corner. Heading into the fourth inning, the game looked to be a battle of the pitchers Greyson Way and Carlie Myrtle.
But the Lady Bucs (7-3, 3-3 SAC) would break open the scoring in the top of the fifth and six innings, collecting three runs in each inning. Richmond fell behind 5-2 in the fifth thanks to an RBI single by Myrtle, and in the next at-bat, Rayven Shepard hit a line-drive two-run homer just over the center field wall.
In the sixth, Jack Britt would extend its lead to 8-2 on an Alyssa Norton solo home run, an RBI double by Myrtle and a Jessica McRae sacrifice fly. Down to their final six outs, the Lady Raiders needed to work some magic and make every one of them count.
And they did.
Hawkins started the bottom of the sixth with an infield single, but was called out during the next play on a close force out at second when Parrish reached safely on a fielder’s choice. Freshman Paige Ransom, who has been fighting for a starting spot in right field, dug into the box and crushed a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall to make it 8-4.
Junior pitcher Greyson Way made quick work of the Lady Bucs in the top of the seventh, getting the 7-8-9 batters to go down in order. Way, who pitched 192 pitches in the win, pitched all 10 innings to pick up her seventh win of the season.
Down by four runs and with only three outs separating them from their first SAC loss of the year, the Lady Raiders entered the seventh inning with the focus being “one batter at a time.” Owen Bowers stirred the pot when she launched a fly ball to the warning track that hit center fielder Kiara Ramos’ glove but fell to the ground. Head’s up base running by the senior catcher on the error put her on third base with one out.
Way reached first on the next at-bat when her pop fly fell into shallow left field, but it held Bowers at third. Baysek delivered with an RBI single to left, scoring Bowers and advancing Way to second with the score 8-5. Hawkins would strike out looking and the comeback looked grim for the Lady Raiders.
But Parrish would smash a double to the wall following the strikeout, bringing home Way and placing Baysek at third. Ransom came through for the second time in two innings, this time a laser off the wall in center which tied the game at eight. Richmond’s four-run seventh inning helped complete the biggest comeback it has compiled this season.
Paige Ransom stands on second base after her game-tying double in the seventh inning.
“Paige did an amazing job with the home run that brought us back within four,” Wallace said. “She hit a ball off the wall (in the seventh) and we were all hoping it was over the wall. But big hits at different points by different people was big.”
Heading to extra innings, neither team managed to do much in the eighth or ninth. Way went 1-2-3 again in the eighth, and Jadyn Johnson led off the bottom of the inning with a bunt single. Lampley moved her to second on a sac bunt, but Johnson was left stranded.
In the ninth, Richmond only allowed four batters to the plate, but went down in order in the home half. Key defensive plays in the top of the 10th by Hawkins (caught a pop up bunt) and Lampley (diving play to get a force at second) kept the Lady Buccaneers off the board of the for the fourth straight inning after having scored in three of the first six.
With the 8-9-1 batters coming to the plate in the bottom of the 10th, freshman Payton Chappell ripped a leadoff single between the middle infielders. Johnson laid a perfect bunt to move her over to second. With one out and a runner in scoring positon, Lampley squared up Myrtle from the left side of the plate.
On the first pitch she saw, Lampley made solid contact and it was without a doubt the ball was gone. Trotting around the bases with her arms up in triumph, the Lady Raider faithful went into a frenzy.
“As soon as I hit it, I knew it was out because I hit it really good,” Lampley explained. “It felt really good off the bat. Our team is really good at not giving up and getting runs late in the game when we need them. Greyson did a really good job battling through and getting big outs.”
In the win, Richmond collected 15 hits as every batter got at least one hit. Baysek, Chappell, Hawkins, Lampley, Parrish and Ransom all had two hits. Ransom’s four RBIs led all players. It was also the fifth time in the last seven games that the Lady Raiders scored at least 10 runs in a game.
Way’s line on the night was 10 innings, 10 hits, eight strikeouts and six walks. She improved to 7-1 on the season, and still maintains a 1.92 ERA. Wallace noted it was Way’s third game this week, and explained “adrenaline kicked in” to get her through the win. Lampley’s two hits put her at an even .500 batting average on the season, and her game-winning home run tied her with Hawkins for the team lead in RBIs (9).
Richmond will play a home-and-home series next Tuesday and Thursday against second place Hoke County (7-1, 3-1 SAC) before spring break. Tuesday’s game is on the road and scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
