ROCKINGHAM — Prior to the start of the season, Richmond head baseball coach Eric Brown said despite a younger roster, the Raiders’ pitching and defense would be some of the program’s strengths.
Buttoning up the regular season Friday with their third straight win, the Raiders used their pitching and defense, as well as their bats, to shut down visiting Union Pines High School.
Completing the season sweep of the Vikings, Richmond rolled to a 10-0 mercy-rule win in six innings.
While the offense came alive in the later innings to rout Union Pines, it was Richmond’s pitching that dominated early.
Riley Brown made his first start of the season on the mound and threw a complete game shutout.
The junior right-hander etched the Raiders’ third complete game in as many wins this week. Also going the distance were James Eason and Jason Walker, both against Scotland High School.
Painting the zone, Brown blanked the Vikings on seven hits, one walk and five strikeouts. He also relied on his defense to work out of some jams, stranding a total of eight runners on base.
Richmond tallied solo runs in the first, second and fourth innings. A three-run fifth frame was followed by a four-run bottom of the sixth to end it early. Junior Jeremiah Ritter belted a two-RBI single to walk it off with two outs.
A 1-2-3 top of the first by Brown led to a 1-0 lead after the first for Richmond. The Raiders loaded the bases to start the game with singles from junior Landon Taylor and Walker and a hit-by-pitch to senior Isaac Hinshaw.
With one away, sophomore Evan Hodges recorded a run batted in on a fielder’s choice to second base.
Brown left two runners in scoring position in the top of the second and Taylor made it a two-run lead in the home half.
At the plate with two away, Taylor recorded the second of his three hits and the first of his three RBI, both game-highs. He smoked an RBI single over first base down the line, plating freshman Collin Hill (leadoff walk).
Dialed in, Brown faced just four batters in the third and five batters in the fourth, leaving three runners on base between the two frames.
A walk to Eason, a single by Hill, one of his two hits, and a walk to Ritter loaded the bases again for the Raiders with one gone in the fourth.
Taylor opened the lead to 3-0 with an RBI groundout to second base, which ended starting pitcher Dylan Benedict’s outing (3.1 innings, three runs, five hits, three walks).
Hill helped break the game open in the home half of the fifth. Stepping in with the bases loaded and one out, Hill ripped a two-RBI line drive single to center field. Scoring were sophomore Caden Nolan (single) and senior courtesy runner Marquan Martin, running for Hodges (single).
Leading by five runs, the Raiders used an RBI infield single to no-man’s land between first and second base by Taylor off relief pitcher Tyler Lewis (2.1 innings, six runs, six hits) to up the lead to 6-0.
Brown dealt in the sixth, erasing a leadoff single with a pop out to Nolan at third base and his final two strikeouts.
With two gone in Richmond’s half, the Raiders rallied to score their final four runs. Brown drew a free pass with the bases loaded against Caleb Wagner to score Nolan (error).
Martin made a quick read on a wild pitch to make it 8-0. He was running for Hodges, who recorded his second hit of the game earlier in the inning.
On the next pitch with Hill (walk) and junior courtesy runner Conner Phifer (running for Brown) in scoring position, Ritter hammered the game-ending two-RBI single through the right side of the infield.
With the regular season finished, the Raiders recorded a 13-8 overall record and placed second in the SAC standings with a 9-3 mark. The second-place finish is the team’s best since 2019.
The SAC tournament will begin Monday with the No. 2 Raiders hosting No. 7 Hoke County High School (2-20, 0-12 SAC) at 7 p.m.
