ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior High School baseball team celebrated its 12 seniors Tuesday ahead of its Sandhills Athletic Conference showdown with rival Scotland High School.
This year’s group of 12th graders include: Nolan Allen, Alex Anderson (Johns Hopkins University commit), Tyler Bass (Brunswick Community College commit), Cameron Carraway (Wingate University commit), Evan Hudson, Jahan Jones, Logan Moore, Hunter Parris, Jake Ransom, Garret Richardson, Garet Weigman (Guilford College commit) and Brett Young.
“It’s really a special group of guys to me,” Raider head coach Ricky Young said of his senior players. “They have worked really hard to make this year a success. They have great chemistry and have made it fun coming to the field every day.”
Despite a complete game from Parris, which included five innings of no-hit baseball, the Fighting Scots would steal a win on the road 1-0. The two teams combined for just three hits, with the Scots getting a pair of singles in the fifth to make the difference.
Entering the night, the Raiders (15-5, 11-2 SAC) held a half-game lead over Pinecrest High School for first place. The two teams are now tied for first with matching conference records.
The loss to the Fighting Scots (9-7, 8-5 SAC) also snapped the Raiders’ eight-game SAC winning streak. During that span, Richmond had swept Jack Britt, Hoke County, Lumberton and Seventy-First high schools.
Bass would record the team’s lone hit of the night off of Scots’ pitcher Michael Johnson in the bottom of the first inning. Parris held his own on the hill, striking out six batters and not allowing any walks.
Both the Raiders and the Fighting Scots stranded three runners on base during the game.
Scotland would use a leadoff single from Tyler Barfield in the top of the sixth inning to get a runner on base. A jam-shot by Matt Sellers to shallow right field two batters later scored the eventual game-winning run.
The Raiders put together a seventh-inning rally that came up just short. Young led off on an eight-pitch walk, and Ransom reached safely in the next at-bat on an error at second base. Despite having two on with no outs, two fielder’s choices and a ground out ended the game.
Richmond will be back in action Thursday at Scotland to wrap up regular-season conference play. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. in Laurinburg.
