LAURINBURG — The Richmond Senior High School softball team put up a tough fight against the first-place team in the Sandhills Athletic Conference Tuesday.
Closing out its first of two regular-season rounds of SAC action, the Lady Raiders’ pitching and defense kept Scotland High School in check but couldn’t produce at the plate.
Dropping their third straight game, the Lady Raiders lost 4-0 on the road. With the win, the Lady Scots (7-0, 6-0 SAC) kept their lead atop the conference standings.
Junior pitcher Maddie Pearson made her first varsity start against the Lady Scots and surrendered four runs (two earned) on just four hits in a complete game performance. She struck out five batters and didn’t allow any walks.
Pearson battled against Avery Stutts in the circle, who also threw a complete game. Stutts gave up one hit and struck out 13 batters.
Richmond and Scotland traded scoreless 1-2-3 half frames in the first. Junior Jakayla Steele recorded the Lady Raiders’ lone hit, a one-out double, in the top of the second inning.
In the top half of the second, Richmond managed to load the bases but stranded all three runners without scoring.
The Lady Raiders had only one other base runner in the game after the second. Senior Ryelan Lyerly was hit by a pitch in the top of the sixth inning with two outs but was left on base.
Scotland scored a solo run in the third and added three insurance runs in the home half of the fifth.
The Lady Raiders (4-4, 3-3 SAC) will get an extended break and return to action April 9 at Pinecrest High School (0-9, 0-6 SAC) to continue conference action. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders also come up short
The Richmond junior varsity softball team couldn’t hold on to an early lead at Scotland Tuesday.
The JV Lady Raiders gave up a two-run lead in the bottom of the first and fell to the JV Lady Scots 12-8 in five innings (time limit).
Freshman Macie King threw four innings for Richmond and gave up 12 runs (10 earned) on five hits and seven walks. She struck out six batters.
The JV Lady Raiders scored two runs in the top of the first but trailed 8-2 after the opening frame. They added three runs in both the third and fourth innings.
Richmond tallied seven hits, including two by freshman Kalynn McCormick (both doubles). Addison Raines roped a triple and Ashton Terry had a double.
King, Kinsie Lyerly and Madeline Carriker each had a single. A two-RBI single from Carriker accounted for both runs in the first.
An error, an RBI triple by Raines and an RBI groundout by Carriker scored the three runs in the third.
In the fourth, Richmond scored on a King RBI single, Terry’s RBI double and an error.
The JV Lady Raiders (3-2, 2-2 SAC) will also play at Pinecrest April 9 at 4:30 p.m.
