ROCKINGHAM – Coming off a three-game Sandhills Athletic Conference losing streak, the Raiders baseball team desperately needed a win, and that’s exactly what they got when they defeated Hartsville High School (S.C.) 6-2 Wednesday night at home.
Early on in the game, the Raiders struck first going up 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning, however, Hartsville would answer right back in the top of the third to get even 1-1.
The two teams would trade scores as the Raiders put two more runs on the board in the bottom of the frame, followed by Hartsville closing the gap in the top of the fourth to bring the score to 3-2 in Richmond’s favor.
Richmond would get back to business in the fourth when Jonathan Lee would hit a sacrifice fly to center field. Hartsville centerfielder Dariyan Pendergrass seemed to forget how many outs there were, allowing Lee to tag up and score from second base.
After a walk to catcher Gordon Pihl, Tyler Bass came in to pinch run and found himself on third base shortly thereafter following an errant pickoff throw from the Red Fox pitcher. Another poor throw from catcher Wiedner Wilfong into left field allowed Bass to score easily, making the score 5-2.
The score would remain the same until the bottom of the sixth when Lee would double down the right field line, then immediately steal third. First baseman Jake Ransom was intentionally walked and then subsequently caught in a pickle, but stalled long enough for Lee to score before being tagged out.
Head coach Ricky Young acknowledged after the game that his team needed the win after what he called a “little slide here lately,” adding that not being able to make the routine plays recently has been the problem during the losing streak. His guys, though, have not lost their fire.
“I liked our intensity tonight. I really liked the guys’ attitude,” Young said after the game. “Even though things haven’t been going well for us, they still are up, they’re having fun, they’re playing hard, so we’re going to get it turned around.”
A strategy that the Raiders have tried to implement all season is to get on base and try to move runners over either by stealing bases or by bunting, and that was something they applied heavily Wednesday night.
“That’s what we want to do,” Young said about being on the base paths. “I think part of the reason we’ve struggled is we got away from our identity. That’s what we do. We want to be aggressive, we want to put pressure on people. Obviously when we do, it works.”
The Raiders (6-5) will finish up the week before spring break tonight at home against Hoke County High School and will look to get some revenge on the Bucks from a loss earlier this season. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Raider Field, and Young finished up Wednesday saying it’s the fundamentals that will carry the Raiders to victory moving on.
“We’ve just have to continue to do what we did tonight and be intense and make the routine plays,” said the coach. “If you make the routine plays, you’ve got a chance to win any game.”
