ROCKINGHAM — A night after earning a win over Union Pines High School, the Richmond Rattlers’ junior varsity baseball team saw itself on the other side of the script.
In game two of the home-and-home series, the Rattlers would host Union Pines and fall by a final score of 13-4 in six innings due to reaching the game’s time limit.
Rising sophomore pitcher Matthew Walker started for Richmond, but lasted just two-thirds of an inning as Union Pines sent 14 batters to the plate in the top of the first. In the opening frame, the visiting team would plate nine runs on seven singles and a double.
Taking over for Walker with two outs was rising freshman Thomas Lampley, who gave up a pair of singles before getting a flyout to center field to end the inning.
The Rattlers would get two of those runs back in the bottom of the first inning, starting with rising sophomore Dexter Mabe leading off the inning with a single. Rising freshman Ashton Phifer drew a walk in the next at-bat, and both would later score thanks to an RBI single from rising freshman Emmanuel Gilliam and a 6-4 fielder’s choice by rising sophomore Caleb Talton.
Lampley allowed a walk and single to lead off the top of the second inning, and was replaced by rising freshman Ethan Locklear on the mound. Back-to-back singles by Union Pines put two more runs on the board, but Locklear settled in and got the next three batters out to end the threat.
Locklear helped his cause by leading off the home half of the second with a double, and rising freshman Timothy Crowder got on in the next at-bat thanks to an error at short. With two on and no outs, Walker delivered a two-RBI single to score Richmond’s final two runs of the night.
Union Pines would only score two more runs the rest of the game, as Locklear and rising freshman Brycen Goodwin found a groove in the later innings. In the third, Union Pines loaded the bases with two outs, but a Locklear strikeout didn’t allow any runs to score.
Goodwin entered the game in the fourth inning and inherited a two-on with no outs situation. An error led to the final Union Pines run, but Goodwin used a pair of fielder’s choices and a groundout to limit the damage. He pitched the rest of the game without allowing any runs.
Richmond’s offense went quiet the rest of the way, collecting just three hits and two walks in the final four innings.
The Rattlers (2-3) will look to return to the win column when they travel to Southern Lee High School on Thursday. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
