RICHMOND COUNTY — Monday marked the official start of the spring sports season for several Richmond County middle schools.
Rockingham Middle School had its boys’ and girls’ soccer, baseball and softball teams all on campus, and the four teams all walk away with win No. 1 of the season. Rockingham hosted in-county opponent Ellerbe Middle School and Scotland County’s Carver Middle School.
Rockets baseball pulls ahead late to grind past Ellerbe
The Rockets played host to Ellerbe, and thanks to scoring some insurance runs in the later innings, Rockingham escaped with an 8-3 win.
On the hill for head coach Jamie McDonald was Cameron Seagraves, who pitched just two innings of middle relief to earn his first win of the season. Ellerbe’s Julian Cline started the game strong, but ended up with the loss after a couple of hiccups in the middle innings.
Rockingham’s leading hitter was Shoan Hodges, who went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Matching his three-hit performance was teammate James Eason, who knocked three singles. Ethan Clayton went 2-for-4, as fellow Rockets Ashton Phifer, Walker Lambeth, Emmaunel Gilliam, Isaac Hinshaw (one RBI) and Seagraves all had one hit.
For Allen Adeimy’s Wildcats, Bryce Goodwin started his season off with a 2-for-5 performance at the plate, and also threw in relief of Cline. Brent Hayes and Garret Mabe also managed to get a hit in the loss. Mason Murray spent some time on the hill in his first middle school game.
Rockingham (1-0) will be off until Monday at West Hoke Middle School, and Ellerbe (0-1) will travel to Cordova Middle School on Wednesday.
Lady Rockets softball run-rules Ellerbe in three innings
Adjacent to the baseball field, the Lady Rockets earned their first win of the season with an 18-0 win over the Lady Wildcats, implementing the run rule after three innings.
Rockingham’s Sydney Smith threw a one-hitter, a base hit given up to Ellerbe’s Katelyn Cagle. Smith struck out nine batters in the win, while also going 1-for-1 at the dish with a home run and two walks.
Olivia Meacham went 1-for-1, Savanna Mullins was 1-for-1 with a triple and two walks, Keyoni Nichols added a triple and a walk, and Molly Erwin rounded out the lineup with a single.
Like the baseball teams, Rockingham (1-0) won’t play until early next week at West Hoke, and Ellerbe (0-1) will look to rebound with a win at Cordova on Wednesday.
Rockingham soccer sweeps Carver Eagles
Both the Rockingham boys’ and girls’ soccer teams shutout Carver Middle School on the soccer pitch Monday, earning win No. 1 of the spring. The Rockets blanked the Eagles 3-0, and the Lady Rockets handed Carver a 6-0 loss.
In the first game of the afternoon, the Lady Rockets scored all six goals in the first half. A trio of players each had two goals for Rockingham. Eighth grader Karter Walker netted two goals, and was helped by seventh graders Evie Howell and Allie Rodgers.
The boys’ game was a little tighter, and saw the Rockets hold only a 1-0 lead at halftime. Eighth grader Chris Lopez netted the first goal in the first 15 minutes following a hand ball in the box, scoring on the ensuing penalty kick.
Fellow eighth grader Mason Iacovone scored on an identical play in the second half, another penalty kick as a result of a hand ball, to make it 2-0. His younger brother Logan Iacovone punched in the last goal in the closing minutes on a slow cross in the middle of the box.
Both Rockingham soccer teams are 1-0 on the season. They will play on Wednesday at home against Anson Middle School.
For Hamlet Middle School’s softball recap, a 7-0 win over Uwharrie Charter Academy, read contributor Deon Cranford’s story here.
To report scores to sports editor Kyle Pillar, email scores and game details to kpillar@richmondobserver.com. Game information provided by Allen Adeimy, Morgan Davis and Jamie McDonald.
