RALEIGH — Unlike its first scrimmage Saturday, the Richmond Raider baseball team had the opportunity to show its grit during the later innings.
Played at Wakefield High School, both scrimmages were six innings. Also, to keep the game speed up, innings were limited to six batters.
Dotting the scoreboard in the first, third and fifth frames, the Raiders broke a pair of ties to finish the preseason jamboree 2-0.
Breaking in the team’s pitching staff early, first-year head coach Eric Brown followed the same game plan as earlier in the day, throwing three different pitches two innings apiece.
“Of the guys who threw today, they will likely be our six main guys this season,” Brown shared. “We’re still figuring out who will be our one and two starters for conference play.
“Today was about extending their game action and to see what they looked like through multiple innings,” he added. “We wanted to get their pitch count up to be ready for the start of the season.”
Getting the nod was junior Jeremiah Ritter, who had a clean sheet save for a hit-by-pitch in the second inning. He recorded three strikeouts.
Ritter sat the Patriots down in order in the top of the first on a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.
Senior James Eason recorded his lone run batted in during the home half of the first to give Richmond the early lead. Lining a single to left field, he scored sophomore Evan Hodges (one-out base on balls) from second.
Richmond managed to load the bases thanks to patience at the plate by senior Isaac Hinshaw and Ritter, but the inning ended due to the batter count before the Raiders could add on.
The Patriots knotted the score in the top of the third with sophomore Caden Nolan pitching in relief. He allowed one earned run on one hit and three walks, while striking out two batters across the third and fourth innings.
With two outs and runners on first and second, Apex Friendship plated a run with an RBI single to right field.
Undeterred, Nolan erased the run by recording a two-RBI single to right field in the next half frame. Junior Landon Taylor (error) and Hodges (walk) were on third and second, respectively, after a wild pitch.
Nolan skied a fly ball to shallow right, which landed between two Patriots for a base knock, scoring Taylor and Hodges to make it a 3-1 lead.
Richmond’s defense helped keep the score the same in the top of the fourth after Nolan allowed a leadoff walk.
With that runner on second base, senior catcher Cain Hunsucker lasered him out at third base on a steal attempt. Hinshaw tagged him out and a strikeout looking ended the threat.
Becoming the third pitcher used in the scrimmage, and sixth pitcher to throw two innings between both contests, Hodges struck out three batters. He also gave up two runs (one earned) on a hit and a walk.
A leadoff single and a walk by the Patriots in the top of the fifth yielded two runs. A passed ball and a wild pitch tied the game 3-3.
Similar to Nolan in the third inning, Hodges played a role in putting the Raiders ahead for good in the home half.
Sophomore Preston Fann led off by reaching second base following an error on a fly ball to center. With Hodges at the dish, who eventually drew a walk, Fann scored on a passed ball.
A single by Eason moved courtesy runner Marquan Martin to second, who later swiped third to put runners on the corners with one out.
Nolan knocked in his team-leading third RBI of the game on the sixth pitch of his at-bat, barreling a line drive to center to score Martin.
With two on and two outs, Eason dashed home for the game’s final run on a wild pitch to extend the Raiders’ lead to 6-3. The inning ended early following Richmond’s sixth batter.
Hodges retired the Patriots in order in the top of the sixth on a strikeout, groundout and fly out.
Because it was a scrimmage, the Raiders batted in the bottom of the sixth despite being ahead, but also went down in order.
Eason and Nolan split the team’s four hits, while the Raiders used seven free passes, including three apiece to Hodges and Ritter.
“Today I wanted to see what everything would look like with our roster,” Brown explained. “Especially how they interacted with each other and how they reacted to me coaching them in a game situation for the first time.
“The dugout energy was good,” he closed. “I love the fact that when we gave up two runs we came right back and scored three runs (in the fifth). It showed we were in it and that the guys were pulling for each other.”
The Raiders will officially open their season on Feb. 27 at non-conference West Cabarrus High School. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
Below are photos of the Raider baseball team’s scrimmage against Apex Friendship taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar.
