ROCKINGHAM – With April showers comes, unfortunately, postponed Richmond Senior High School athletics events.
As the final week of regular season play for several Raiders and Lady Raiders teams was scheduled to begin Monday, Mother Nature’s presence postponed all of Monday’s and Tuesday’s scheduled games and matches.
Below are the affected sports and their tentative make-up dates and times:
Monday’s Postponements and Make-Ups
Lady Raiders Softball (16-3, 12-0 SAC): Perhaps one of the most-anticipated matchups of the year, the Lady Raiders were scheduled to travel to Bennettsville, S.C., Monday and square off against Marlboro Academy and its junior ace Jenna Greene for the second time this season.
To open the season on February 28, Greene and the Lady Dragons blanked Richmond (its only scoreless game this season) in a 4-0, one-hit nail-biter. Richmond ace Greyson Way and company are looking to avenge the loss, but will have to wait until pre-determined date in the future. Because of trying to squeeze in Sandhills Athletic Conference games before the tournament set to begin next week, the Marlboro Academy rematch may not happen.
Both the No. 7-ranked Lady Dragons (21-3) and the No. 1-ranked Lady Raiders have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games.
Lady Raiders Soccer (13-4, 9-3 SAC): Head coach Bennie Howard is approaching his final couple of games after spending the last 30 years growing Richmond’s boys and girls soccer programs. Monday’s matchup against last-place Seventy-First High School (1-14, 0-12 SAC) has been moved to Friday, still at Seventy-First with a 6 p.m. start time.
The Lady Raiders are currently riding a three-game winning streak, and have won four of their last five matchups. Richmond will host Scotland High School on Wednesday for senior night, and look to continue its winning ways behind the hot foot of junior Morgan Hooks (team-leading nine goals this season), as the hunt for a tied spot in second place (with Jack Britt High School) continues.
Raiders Golf: The Raiders golf team, which is comprised of several freshman and other underclassmen, will have to wait to play its season finale at Pinehurst Resort. With the wet conditions not ideal to play in, no make-up date has been decided for the final regular season match of the year.
Richmond has consistently finished in fifth place the majority of the season, landing in the No. 5 slot in four of the five regular season matches. The Raiders’ best finish was during week two’s match at Gates Four in Fayetteville when they edged Scotland High School for fourth place. Richmond sits 133 strokes back of the Fighting Scots, and will likely finish in fifth place heading into the NCHSAA regional playoffs.
Tuesday’s Postponements and Make-Ups
Raiders Baseball (16-5, 8-4 SAC): After starting the season with a disappointing 5-5 overall record, the Raiders have gone a tear since March 28, winning their last 11 games and making a steady climb in the SAC standings. Richmond’s hot play has leapfrogged it past rival and regular season finale opponent Scotland High School (13-8, 7-5 SAC) and into a three-way tie for second place in the standings with Hoke County and Jack Britt high schools (all 8-4 in the SAC).
With heavy rain expected to continue into Tuesday, Richmond’s game scheduled for Tuesday night has been postponed and rescheduled for Wednesday at Scotland. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Senior night is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.
Lady Raiders Softball: Just like their Raider counterparts, the Lady Raiders’ road game Tuesday has been postponed for Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Lady Raiders, who clinched their sixth-straight conference title in Friday’s record-breaking 34-1 win over Seventy-First, are looking to finish SAC play undefeated for the second straight year. Senior night is also scheduled for Friday at home, when Brianna Baysek, Owen Bowers and Kenzie Webb with be recognized.
All RSHS postponements were confirmed by the school’s athletic director Ricky Young. Any future changes will be added/updated to this article.
