LAURINBURG — A tough loss on senior night earlier in the week was made tougher Thursday when the Richmond Senior High School baseball team was swept by rival Scotland High School.
Two nights after getting one-hit by the Fighting Scots, the Raiders struggled again to muster enough offense to beat Scotland. Thursday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference showdown ended with the Fighting Scots winning 7-2.
The back-to-back losses to Scotland, coupled with a loss last week to Charlotte Christian School, has the Raiders (15-6, 11-3 SAC) on a season-high three-game skid. It was the first time in the rivalry since 2016 that the two teams hadn’t split (Richmond swept Scotland in 2015).
Thursday’s game marked the end of the regular-season conference schedule, with the Raiders taking second place behind Pinecrest High School (12-2 SAC). Richmond held a half-game lead over the Patriots heading into the conference finale series with Scotland.
Senior right-hander Cameron Carraway got the start on the mound and lasted just 1.2 innings before being replaced. He allowed five runs (four unearned) on five hits. The Raider defense committed four errors on the night, something uncharacteristic for head coach Ricky Young’s team.
Richmond took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly to center by senior catcher Garet Weigman. He scored senior Tyler Bass, who led off with a walk against Scots’ pitcher Tyler Barfield.
The only other run the Raiders would plate would come thanks to an error committed at shortstop on a Carraway ground ball. Senior Jake Ransom (single) scored.
Scotland tied the game at one in the bottom of the first, before adding four more runs in the bottom of the second. Two errors by Richmond, along with a triple and a single by Tyler Faulk and Stewart Evans, respectively, opened the game up.
Bass replaced Carraway on the bump and went four innings, allowing just two runs on three hits. Senior Evan Hudson was the final Raider pitcher to throw in relief, recording one out in the bottom of the sixth.
The Fighting Scots added their final two runs in the sixth against Bass, using two-out doubles by Faulk and Nick Callahan.
Richmond only had two hits on the night, courtesy of Ransom and senior Brett Young. The Raiders managed to draw five walks off Barfield.
Richmond will also make a trip to to the beach over spring break and compete in the Beach Diamond Invitational at West Brunswick High School. A schedule has not been announced at the time of publication.
