ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior High School softball team suffered its first loss Thursday, albeit it was a “good game to play” head coach Mike Way said.
Playing on their home diamond for the first time this spring, the Lady Raiders lost 12-8 to non-conference Randleman High School.
Trailing by eight runs to start the bottom of the seventh inning, the Lady Raiders started a late-game rally and scored four runs, but the comeback attempt fell short.
“This was a good game to play, win, lose or draw,” Way said. “It’s a good game to have under our belt and to see a pitcher like that, and handle it the way we did, is good to see.
“The first inning or so, it looked like their pitcher was going to overwhelm us,” he continued. “But to fight our way through it and then score eight runs, it’s pretty impressive. I couldn’t be more happy about that.”
Richmond chipped away at two early deficits, taking a 2-1 lead in the second inning and tying the game 4-4 a frame later.
Junior pitcher Maddie Pearson threw 3.2 innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts. Throwing the other 3.1 innings was freshman Emma Rusich (five runs, four earned, five hits).
A throwing error in the top of the first gave the Lady Tigers a 1-0 lead, the runner scoring from third after leading off the game with a double.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Lady Raiders scored a pair of runs to take a one-run advantage. Junior Jakayla Steele started the frame with a double, her first of two two-baggers.
Freshman Jorja Moore laid down a bunt and reached on a throwing error, which allowed Steele to race in from second base. Courtesy runner Trinity Lockhart replaced Moore and moved to third base on a steal.
Senior Christi Jacobs played small ball and dropped a bunt down the third base line, sacrificing herself to allow Lockhart to score.
A solo home run and a two-run blast by the Lady Tigers (1-0) in the top of the third made it a 4-2 deficit for Richmond.
But answering in the home half, Rusich reached safely on a fielder’s choice with two outs to keep the inning going. Digging in was sophomore Hayden Robinson, who lasered an RBI double to the gap in right center to plate Rusich.
In the next at-bat, Steele followed suit with her second double of the game, trading places with Robinson and tying the game 4-4.
Three runs in the fourth, four runs in the sixth and another run in the top of the seventh opened Randleman’s lead to 12-4.
Down to their final three outs, Richmond made left-handed pitcher Kinzie Ivey (seven innings, eight runs, five earned, 14 Ks) work for the win.
A leadoff walk to junior Kennedy Fields and an infield single by Lockhart put runners on. A hard ground ball single back up the middle by junior Katie Way plated Fields from second and put runners on the corners.
Rusich doubled home Lockhart and moved Way to third base with a shot to the alley. A passed ball and a wild pitch allowed Way and Rusich to score, respectively.
But a popout and back-to-back strikeouts ended the game and Richmond’s hope to walk it off.
“We need to get ahead in counts more frequently,” Way closed. “We need to make sure we’re making routine plays.
“There were a lot of factors to the game tonight that didn’t go in our favor, but there were a whole bunch of good things that I saw that we can build on.”
The Lady Raiders (1-1) close out their series with Jack Britt High School (0-1) Friday at 7 p.m.
