ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Renegade varsity baseball team couldn’t overcome a slow first inning during Thursday’s game.
Hosting Scotland in their second contest of the summer, the Renegades fell 7-2.
Scotland managed to jump ahead with five runs in the top of the first, and Richmond couldn’t regain its footing during the final six innings.
The Renegades committed seven errors in the game, including three in the five-run top of the first.
Sophomore pitcher Landon Taylor started on the mound for Richmond and allowed seven runs (all unearned) across four innings of work.
The lefty kept the Scots scoreless in the second and third before allowing two more runs in the fourth. Taylor gave up four hits and struck out two batters.
Sophomore Mason Murray tossed two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, before senior Ashton Phifer struck out the side in order after allowing a leadoff walk in the seventh.
The Renegades managed to just collect four hits in the loss, and stranded six runners on base.
Junior Davis Faw got the team’s first hit with a single to left field in the bottom of the third and senior Ethan Clayton also connected for a base knock an inning later.
Murray had a team-high two hits and got Richmond on the board in the home half of the fourth. With two outs and Clayton on first, Murray belted a two-run homer over the left field wall for his first long ball of the summer.
In the bottom of the seventh, Murray also beat out an infield single to third for Richmond’s final hit.
Other base runners for Richmond were Clayton, Taylor, Cain Hunsucker and Zane Searcy, who all drew a walk.
Richmond (1-1) will return to play on Tuesday at Southern Lee High School and begin play at 6:30 p.m.
