SHALLOTTE, N.C. — Attempting a comeback win in the final innings Monday, Richmond Senior High School’s baseball team came up a few runs short.
One of eight teams participating in the Beach Diamond Invitational hosted by West Brunswick High School, Richmond opened its spring break tournament with a 5-3 loss to West Stanly High School.
Trailing by three runs after five innings, Richmond remained within striking distance with its final three runs in the last two innings. The Raiders managed to get the game-winning run on base in the final inning, but couldn’t score.
Another strong effort on the mound by senior pitcher Jason Walker yielded 6.2 innings of work. Taken out only because of the pitch count, Walker surrendered just one earned run on eight hits, while striking out five Colts.
Senior reliever Jeremiah Ritter got the final out for a third of an inning on the mound. Defensively, Richmond committed three errors in the loss.
West Stanly scored its first run on an RBI double in the top of the second inning.
To start the fourth frame, the Colts used an error and a single to get two runners on. A two-RBI base hit made it a 3-0 deficit for Richmond.
The Raiders answered in the bottom of the sixth with their first run after Walker stranded a total of three base runners across the tops of the fifth and sixth innings.
With two runners on and one out, senior Conner Phifer kept his bat hot with an RBI single. Scoring on the hard ground ball through the left side of the infield was junior Caden Nolan, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning.
An out on the base paths on Phifer’s single and a lineout thwarted the potential for a big inning.
After West Stanly scored its final two runs in the top of the seventh to make it a 5-1 lead, Richmond got to work trying to erase the deficit.
Junior Jake Veach singled to start the inning and senior Landon Taylor smacked the final of his team-high three hits to put runners on the corners.
Junior Evan Hodges delivered in the next at-bat, crushing a double to the alley in left-center to record a pair of RBI.
Down 5-3, Richmond later loaded the bases with two outs when Nolan singled and sophomore Drew Gause was hit by a pitch. With the tying run in scoring position, a 5-3 groundout ended the game.
Taylor (3), Nolan (2) and Phifer (2) combined for seven of Richmond’s 10 hits. Hodges, Veach and sophomore Collin Hill all had one hit.
The Raiders (13-8) will play their second game of the Beach Diamond Invitational Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Richmond will play the loser of West Brunswick and Southern Nash High School.
