ROCKINGHAM — A double dose of inning-ending double plays late in Monday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference game helped the Richmond Raider baseball team extend its winning streak to three games.
Moving its game up a day due to impending rainy weather, Richmond hosted Lee County High School. Behind a solid start from sophomore Camron Seagraves on the bump, the Raiders held on for a 1-0 win.
Going the distance, Seagraves tossed a two-hit complete game and struck out five Yellow Jackets. It was his second win in as many starts, as Seagraves also pitched five innings in a victory over Southern Lee last week that started the streak.
Richmond’s starting pitching produced back-to-back complete games by its starting pitchers for the first time this spring.
Also doing his job at the plate, Seagraves recorded the game’s lone RBI when he singled home senior teammate Matthew Walker (fielder’s choice) in the bottom of the third inning.
With one out, Seagraves knocked a base hit to right field off starting pitcher Walker McDuffie (6.0 innings, 8 hits, 1 run, 6 strikeouts). Walker trotted 90 feet home to score the eventual game-winning run.
Seagraves gave up a leadoff hit in the top of the first, but Richmond turned a 1-6-3 double play and used a strikeout to get out of the inning.
Settling in, Seagraves retired the Yellow Jackets (7-6, 5-2 SAC) in order in the third and fourth frames, and faced four batters in the second and fifth innings.
The Raiders collected eight hits, including a team-high two singles from senior first baseman Jude Howard. Walker had a double, and Seagraves, Cameron Way, Alston Johnson, Colin Wheeler and Ethan Clayton all had one single.
Despite committing five errors in the field, Richmond’s defense got Seagraves out of a pair of jams in the sixth and seventh innings to preserve the win.
The Yellow Jackets had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the sixth with Thomas Frazer at the plate. Frazer lifted a fly ball to center fielder Ethan Locklear for the second out, and a head’s up play by Locklear got the final out at third.
Locklear fired the relay throw to Way at third, who tagged out B.J. Brown, who was trying to tag. Way applied the tag before Eli Garrison could cross the plate and tie the game.
An inning later, Lee County had runners at second and third with one out. Trying to move the runners up, Nolan Brown attempted a bunt, which was popped up near the first base line.
Seagraves charged the ball and made the catch for the second out, and turned and recorded the double play to Way at third, catching Blake Carlyle off the bag.
Richmond (9-4, 5-4 SAC) returns to play with a non-conference road game at Uwharrie Charter Academy (2-7) on Wednesday, before completing the season series at Lee County on Friday.
Note: The Richmond junior varsity baseball team did not play on Monday.
