ROCKINGHAM — Two was the magic number for the Lady Raider softball team in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over Hoke County High School.
Richmond and head coach Mike Way scored two runs in four different innings, used a tandem of pitchers to shut out the Lady Bucks and benefitted from two triples from senior infielder Payton Chappell to put the game out of reach.
The Lady Raiders also collected a season-high in doubles, using gap shots from junior Kenleigh Frye and sophomores Quston Leviner and Macy Steen to extend their winning streak to three games.
Senior right-hander Keartson Bruce started her second game of the spring and picked up the win after three innings of work. She allowed just one hit, and sat down Hoke County in order in each of the first three innings.
During that span, Bruce relied on her defense and collected six fly outs and three ground outs, which is part of the pitching-to-contact philosophy the Lady Raiders use.
After loading the bases to start the fourth inning, Way called in senior pitcher Paige Ransom, who got out of the jam unscathed and went the final four innings by allowing just one base runner in the seventh.
Wrapping up a two-game homestand by outscoring Jack Britt and Hoke County 21-3, head Way said an improvement in defense, coupled with exemplary pitching, were the keys to defeating the Lady Bucks (0-3).
“We played some really good defense tonight and our pitching did exceptionally well,” Way said. “That part was good and helped us tonight.
“Kearston faced the lineup once through three innings and she couldn’t have done any better than that,” Way said of Bruce’s efforts. “She got into a little jam in the fourth, and it worked out with Paige coming in and closing it out for us.”
The Lady Raiders jumped ahead early, scoring four runs through the first two innings against pitcher Adriana Miller. Back-to-back singles from juniors Allyiah Swiney and Frye to start the bottom of the first put two on with no outs.
A passed ball scored Swiney, who moved to third on Frye’s bunt single, and Frye raced to third on the same play after swiping second. With Chappell at the plate, a hard grounder to third plated Frye, the first of Chappell’s game-high four RBIs.
An inning later, Bruce raced to second following a throwing error with one out. Two batters later, Frye roped an RBI double to left field, scoring Bruce.
On an 0-2 count in the next at-bat, Chappell settled in and tripled off the right field wall, scoring Frye. Trying to make it an inside-the-park home run, Chappell was tagged out, but Way said that’s the type of aggressiveness Richmond will continue to play with.
“What gives me great hope for the rest of the season is that we still haven’t clicked on all cylinders on offense,” Way explained. “It’s spotty and we are much better than what we’ve done, it just has to happen all at the same time.
“It’s coming and you could see that tonight with Payton,” he added. “Seeing results is the best thing for the girls because that’s what they get the most joy out of when they see their hard work pay off.”
Richmond struck for two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, starting with an RBI groundout by Frye to second base. Steen, who led off with a single, scored on the throw to first.
Swiney, who reached on an error, scored a couple of pitches later when she stole third and trotted home after the throw sailed down the left field line.
Senior pitcher Paige Ransom throws the ball to Katie Way at first base to record a ground out in the later innings.
Chappell capped the game’s scoring in the home half of the sixth, connecting on the first pitch from relief pitcher Tamarah Lowery. Her two-RBI triple to the right field corner brought home Steen (leadoff double) and Swiney (hit by pitch).
“I’ve been really impatient the last few games trying to get a hit, and tonight I really sat back and waited since their pitching wasn’t as fast as we’ve seen,” Chappell explained of her success. “I was trying to lift the team up and it feels good to finally get a couple of quality hits and it built my confidence.
“We haven’t had a lot of practices this season, so now our defense is gelling together,” she added of Richmond cutting down on its errors. “We’re not as nervous about making errors so we’re going after making plays a little more aggressively.”
The offensive spark shown by the Lady Raiders the last three games, which include two mercy-rule wins, is encouraging to Way. And he said that energy is what will continue to see the team have success.
“We talk about coming out here and winning games we’re supposed to win,” Way said. “Early on tonight, we were going through the motions. We have to learn to play with joy and be that team that everyone hates because we’re so happy. That’s when we’ll play our best.
“I hope what we’ve done in practice the last few days has helped our defense get better,” he added. “We want to play with the freedom to make mistakes, and we want the girls to make mistakes so they make great plays later like Allyiah did tonight.”
In the top of the fifth, Swiney made an athletic diving stop on a hard ground ball up the middle by Shonte Marby and popped up to get her at first base.
Steen went 2-for-3 at the dish with a single and a double, while Chappell and Frye both added 2-for-4 performances. Adding to Chappell’s four RBIs, Frye had two. Rounding out Richmond’s nine-hit night were knocks from Leviner, Ransom and Swiney.
“It feels good to win three in a row and hopefully we can keep it going,” Frye said of the streak. “Our defense has been really good and at the plate, everyone has adjusted to the different speeds we’ve seen the last couple games.”
Richmond (3-1) will hit the road Monday and look to keep the streak going against Lumberton High School (3-1). First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders earn first win of season
Playing for just the second time this spring, the JV Lady Raiders held off Hoke County for a 5-2 victory on Wednesday.
After going down 2-0 in the third inning, the JV Lady Raiders scored five unanswered runs. Sophomore pitcher Sydney Smith was credited with the win in the circle.
Richmond scored four runs in a decisive fourth inning. Addyson Hollingsworth led off with a walk and a steal, and Chaslie Holden advanced her to third with a sacrifice bunt.
Christi Jacobs drew a walk and Ryelan Lyerly reached on an error. Smith followed with a triple and two RBIs, and scored safely on a passed ball.
Head coach Jordan Fortune said there were “several more big hits” and the team played “solid defense the whole game.”
“Once we got past the first few innings, it felt like we found our rhythm not just in the game, but as a team,” she added.
The JV Lady Raiders (1-1) will return to action Monday at Lumberton, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
