CHARLOTTE — The Richmond Senior High School varsity baseball team saw its 11-game winning streak come to an end Thursday on the road at non-conference Charlotte Christian School.
A night after sweeping a doubleheader at Seventy-First High School and taking sole possession of first place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference, the Raiders fell to the Knights 10-0 in five innings.
It was the first time Richmond had lost a game since losing to SAC foe Pinecrest High School on March 14.
Senior Hunter Parris started on the hill for the Raiders, allowing five earned runs on five hits in three innings. It was the first time he’d lost a game in seven starts this season, and he surrendered three longballs to the Knights.
Fellow seniors Cameron Carraway and Tyler Bass came in to close out the game, throwing an inning and two-thirds of an inning, respectively. Carraway gave up four runs on four hits, while Bass allowed one run on two hits.
“We just didn’t play very well tonight,” head coach Ricky Young said. “And when you don’t play well against a team of their caliber, you get a bad result.
“We’re going to put this one behind us and get focused on next week,” he added.
The Raiders scattered just four hits in their five innings at the plate, with Carraway going 2-for-2 with a pair of singles. Getting the other base knocks were seniors Nolan Allen and Garet Weigman.
Charlotte Christian’s Brett Adams earned the win, going 3.2 innings with three hits allowed and seven strikeouts. Calvert Clark and Matthew Silverling combined to close out the 1.1 innings of relief for the Knights (15-4).
The home team held a 3-0 lead through the first three innings thanks to an Adams solo shot, a JB Awolowo RBI single and a JT Killen home run.
A six-run bottom of the fourth put the game out of reach, starting with a Shane Russell two-run shot. JD Suarez added a two-RBI single, Killen doubled him home in the next at-bat and Silverling traded places with Killen before the inning’s end.
Judd Utermark ended the game early when he hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Jaxon Bryd.
Although its overall winning streak came to an end, the Raiders are still riding an eight-game SAC winning streak. During that span, they’ve swept Jack Britt, Hoke County, Lumberton and Seventy-First high schools.
The Raiders (15-4, 11-1 SAC) will return to the diamond Tuesday for senior night against rival Scotland High School. Currently, the Raiders still lead the SAC standings, and the Fighting Scots (8-7, 7-5 SAC) are in fourth place. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
