ROCKINGHAM — Trying to get their games in before the rain, the Richmond Senior High School baseball and softball teams saw their Sandhills Athletic Conference openers come to an early end on Tuesday.
Both games were called in the first couple of innings due to wet weather and unsafe playing conditions. With the postponement, the teams will try to finish the games at a later date.
Lady Raiders jump ahead early despite postponement
A nine-run first inning by the Lady Raiders helped put them up 11-3 before the game was called with one out in the bottom of the third inning.
Junior Quston Leviner started the game in the circle and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first that led to the nine spot in the bottom half.
Sending 14 batters to the plate, Richmond collected five hits in the inning, including two home runs. The Lady Raiders also used five base on balls and a hit-by-pitch to break it open.
Senior Kenleigh Frye hit an RBI triple to left field to score Allyiah Swiney (walk) for the game’s first run. Frye scored a few pitches later on a wild pitch by Albani Hooker.
Junior Makayla Parks (walk) also scored on a wild pitch, and Leviner helped her cause with a two-run homer, her first of the year, to straightaway center. Scoring was sophomore Katie Way, who also drew a walk.
Two pitches later, junior Macy Steen lasered a solo homer to left-center for back-to-back jacks for the Lady Raiders to make it 6-0. It was Steen’s first longball of the spring.
Sophomore Ryelan Lyerly added an RBI double two batters later, plating Christi Jacobs (HBP). Capping the inning after a pitching change to Parker Lynch, was a line drive single by Way to right, scoring two runs.
An error and a single in the top of the second allowed the Lady Cavaliers to cut their deficit to 9-3.
Steen singled to right field in the bottom of the second and used two errors by Southern Lee to race all the way home for another run.
Parks recorded Richmond’s third homer of the game with one out in the bottom of the third, blasting a solo shot over the center field fence. Two batters later with Leviner at the plate, the game was called.
“Nine runs in the first inning can cure a lot of ills,” head coach Mike Way said. “It was tough for everybody with the weather, especially the pitchers. We got through it in the first and Quston did a great job battling through it.
“In the three innings we played, we did a better job of handling the weather than they did,” he added.
Way noted that no official make-up time to finish the game has been announced at the time of publication, but said the tentative plan is Wednesday.
Note: The Richmond junior varsity softball team did not play on Tuesday because Southern Lee didn’t field a team this spring. The JV Lady Raiders return at home on Thursday against Montgomery Central at 5 p.m.
Raiders struggle early against Southern Lee
The Raider baseball team saw its game called before the bottom of the second inning got underway on Tuesday, with Richmond trailing the Cavaliers 8-0.
Southern Lee scored five runs in the top of the first, before adding three runs in the top of the second. Richmond’s pitching allowed 8 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits, two walks and three errors.
Senior Alston Johnson was Richmond’s lone baserunner in the game, leading off the bottom of the first with a hit-by-pitch.
Fellow senior Matthew Walker was set to lead off the home half of the second when the game was called.
Head coach Rob Ransom said the plan is for the Raiders and Cavaliers to finish the SAC game at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
“We gave up a few walks and (Southern Lee) was able to capitalize with a few hits,” Ransom said. “We didn’t make plays and we let a couple of balls get by us in the infield and outfield. You can chalk it up to it being wet, but both teams played on the same field.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get back in the game whenever we resume it.”
Richmond (3-0) will travel to non-conference Jack Britt High School (2-1) on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
JV Raiders lose first game of season
Prior to the varsity rain-out, the Richmond junior varsity baseball team lost 9-2 to Southern Lee. The game was called after five innings due to the time limit.
The JV Cavs scored two runs in the first and added five runs in the third inning. Southern Lee tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth.
Scoring the Raiders’ first run in the bottom of the fifth was sophomore Cain Hunsucker (fielder’s choice), who stole home.
Freshman Riley Brown drew a base on balls, stole second and third, and crossed home plate safely on a passed ball.
Head coach Ryan Mercer said the loss was a “learning experience” for the JV Raiders and noted that the season is still young and he hopes to see the team grow from the loss.
The JV Raiders will also play at Jack Britt on Wednesday, starting at 4 p.m.
