ROCKINGHAM — The comeback train ran out of steam late in Wednesday’s Richmond Renegade baseball game.
Facing the Lee County Spinners for the second time in as many nights, the Renegades fell 15-11 in a high-scoring affair.
A slow start by Richmond saw Lee County jump out to a six-run lead through the first two innings.
But the Renegades chipped away through the middle and later innings, cutting its deficit as close as one run in the bottom of the sixth.
“We struggled early in the game to make fundamental plays and we didn’t swing the bat as well as we could have to start off,” coach Corey Wallace said. “But battling back at the end of the game is what kept us in it.
“We scratched a couple of two-run innings and made it close with five runs in the sixth,” he added. “Having that mentality to not give up when we were down by so many runs, that’s a big improvement.”
Junior Jason Walker started on the mound and threw 3.0 innings. Although he allowed six runs on five hits, only two of those runs were earned. Richmond committed three errors in the game.
A four-run top of the first inning was added onto with two runs in the second to give the Spinners a 6-0 lead.
Richmond cracked the scoring column in the bottom of the third when junior Sam Thompson (walk) scored on an error following a bunt by junior Jabari Douglas.
Lee County added a pair of runs in the top of the fourth off senior reliever Isaac Hinshaw, who threw 3.0 innings and allowed five runs on three hits.
The Renegades answered with two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to cut into their deficit. Senior Zane Searcy recorded an RBI groundout and Hinshaw (single) scored on a passed ball in the fourth.
After Hinshaw faced just four batters in the fifth, Richmond plated two runs when Walker (error) scored on an error committed on a grounder by junior Sam Thompson and senior Davis Faw (walk) reached home on a passed ball to make it 8-5.
A three-run top of the sixth was partially erased when the Renegades rallied to plate five runs in the home half. Sending nine batters to the box, junior Conner Phifer started the rally by reaching on a leadoff error and scoring three pitches later on a passed ball.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Hinshaw drilled a two-RBI double down the line in right field, plating junior Landon Taylor (error) and sophomore Evan Hodges (single).
Sophomore Caden Nolan (walk), who moved to third on Hinshaw’s two-bagger, scored in the next at-bat on another passed ball. Making it a one-run deficit with two outs, junior Riley Brown belted an RBI single to left field to score Hinshaw.
Trailing 11-10 entering the seventh, junior Jabari Douglas took over on the mound. In his 1.0 inning of work, he allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits.
Down to their final three outs and facing a five-run deficit, Richmond got one run back. Thompson dug in and lasered a line drive off the pitcher for an RBI infield single, bringing home junior Garret Mabe (walk).
With two outs and the tying run on deck, a strikeout ended the game.
Richmond tallied nine hits in the loss, with Brown, Hinshaw and Hodges each recording two hits apiece. Faw, Phifer and Taylor all had a single.
Registering RBI were Hinshaw (2), and Brown, Searcy and Thompson (1 each).
“We’ll hopefully bounce back (on Thursday) by being ready to play at the get go,” Wallace closed. “We need to hit the baseball early and often and steal bags and score runs when we need to.”
The Renegades (3-3) will play again on Thursday at Western Harnett, beginning at 6 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Wednesday’s game soon.
