ROCKINGHAM — Camron Seagraves had some of his best stuff on the mound this season during Tuesday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference baseball game.
Behind a complete game three-hit outing by Seagraves, the Richmond Raiders recorded a 5-1 victory over visiting Union Pines High School.
Seagraves threw 97 pitches for his first seven-inning complete game of the spring, while giving up one earned run and one walk. He sat down nine Vikings via the punchout.
Through the first three innings, Seagraves faced just four batters in the first frame and retired Union Pines in order in the second and third innings.
He faced a total of nine batters between the fourth and fifth innings, struck out the side in order in the sixth and closed the win out by facing just four batters in the seventh.
The Raiders capitalized on one of the Vikings’ five errors in the game to take an early lead in the first. With one out, senior Ethan Clayton recorded one of Richmond’s four hits, a single to right field.
Two pitches later to junior James Eason from starter Ryan Wallace (6.0 IP, 4 hits, 5 runs), Eason reached on an error at third. That miscue allowed Clayton to score and moved Eason to third.
Junior Isaac Hinshaw kept his bat hot with an RBI single in the next at-bat, beating out an infield single to short. Eason crossed home to make it 2-0.
Adding a pair of runs in the bottom of the third following two quick innings from Seagraves, Richmond started the inning with Seagraves reaching on an error.
Eason stepped in two batters later and laced a single to right field. Another error, this time by the right fielder, kept the carousel going, scoring Seagraves and putting Eason at third.
Hinshaw delivered again with his game-high second RBI of the night, this time lifting a sacrifice fly to left field. Eason tagged up on the play and slid head first safely under the tag to extend the lead to 4-0.
Two innings later, Seagraves helped his own cause again by scoring his second run of the game. Reaching on another error, Seagraves later scored from third on a wild pitch from Wallace.
Union Pines scored its lone run of the game with one two away in the seventh, courtesy of a Wallace sacrifice fly to right field.
Making the catch was senior outfielder Ashton Phifer, who head coach Rob Ransom credited for his defensive play. Phifer recorded five putouts in right field, including an athletic running catch in the gap to end the fifth.
Richmond (9-3, 5-2 SAC) will go for the series sweep of the Vikings (6-7, 2-3 SAC) on Thursday in Cameron. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
JV Raiders add another win
A complete-game shutout by sophomore pitcher Riley Brown paced the Richmond junior varsity baseball team to a 4-0 win over Union Pines on Tuesday.
Playing on the road, the JV Raiders scored two runs in the first and recorded solo runs in the third and fifth frames.
Brown went the distance, limiting the JV Vikings to just two hits. He struck out six batters and had four 1-2-3 innings.
Helping his cause in the top of the first, Brown barreled up a two-RBI double with the bases loaded. Scoring to make it 2-0 were Evan Hodges (error) and Brooks Calhoun (walk).
Following a leadoff walk to Jeremiah Ritter in the third, Calhoun reached on an error, which let Ritter score..
Richmond’s final run came courtesy of a Jason Walker sacrifice fly to center field in the fifth. Hodges, who had a one-out single, raced home.
Walker had a hit in the win and C.J. Jenkins added a pair of singles for Richmond.
The JV Raiders (7-2, 5-1 SAC) will host the JV Vikings on Thursday at 5 p.m.
