ROCKINGHAM — Securing another Mid-South Conference series win Tuesday, the Richmond Senior High School baseball team ran away late against Overhills High School.
Facing the Jaguars for the second time this season, and in the first of two games this week, the Raiders again relied on the double damage done by senior Caden Nolan.
Pitching six innings of one-run baseball, Nolan delivered in the sixth inning with his team-leading fifth home run of the season as part of a 9-1 victory.
A run in the second inning, coupled with three runs in the third frame, gave the Raiders a 4-0 lead. Overhills scored its only run in the top of the fifth frame.
Richmond’s final five runs came in the home half of the sixth, four of which were credited to Nolan on a grand slam home run.
On the bump, Nolan allowed one unearned run on two hits and struck out 10 Jaguars batters. Pitching an inning of shutout relief was senior Colton Brown, who faced just four batters to preserve the win.
Through the first four innings, Nolan had two four-batter innings and back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the second and third stanza. An error erased the shutout in the fifth, but Nolan sat Overhills’ batters down in order in the sixth.
Helping get Richmond on the board was a one-out double to the opposite field in left by freshman Noah Stubbs. He scored two batters later when sophomore Drew McCaskill singled on a line drive to left field.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, junior Drew Gause extended the lead to three runs. He connected for a two-RBI backside single to right field, plating senior Jake Veach (single) and Nolan (fielder’s choice).
Before the end of the inning, sophomore Devin Haynes kept the inning alive with a single. That led to a hard ground ball single back up the middle for Stubbs, the second of his team-high three hits, which scored Gause to make it 4-0.
The Jaguars got two runners on base thanks to a walk and a single with two gone in the top of the fifth. An error on a grounder allowed the lead runner to score from second to make it a three-run game.
Singles by freshman Julius Bowden, McCaskill and senior Maddox Locklear loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Nolan squared up and sent a moonshot over the left field fence that banged off the top of the indoor hitting facility for a grand slam.
Keeping the inning going, Gause was hit by a pitch and later scored with two outs when Stubbs hooked an RBI single over the first baseman’s head for his third and final hit.
Getting some help from his defense, Brown erased a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh thanks to a 6-3 double play. Haynes caught a line drive behind the bag at second and doubled off a napping base runner at first.
Following another free pass, Brown got the final out of the game on a routine fly ball to McCaskill in right field.
Veach, Haynes and McCaskill all finished with two hits. Nolan’s four RBI were a game-high, as Gause and Stubbs each drove in a pair of runners.
Richmond (16-4, 11-1 MSC), still in a close second place in the conference standings, will go for the three-game season sweep of the Jaguars (5-12, 3-8 MSC) on the road Friday. Action will begin at 7 p.m.
JV Raiders return to win column
After their six-game winning streak was snapped over the weekend, the Richmond JV baseball team got back in the win column Tuesday.
Hosting Overhills, the JV Raiders steamrolled their way to a 17-2 win in four innings (mercy rule). It was their second win over the JV Jaguars in two games this season.
Dotting the scoreboard early and often, Richmond plated eight runs in the first inning, four runs in the second and capped its scoring with five runs in the home half of the third.
Freshman Nate Culbreth earned the win on the mound. He went the distance and allowed two unearned runs on five hits and struck out seven JV Jags.
The Nos. 1-3 hitters in the lineup — freshmen Sam O’Neal, Colton Nelson and Culbreth — each drove in three RBI. Nelson and Culbreth both had two hits, including a double apiece.
O’Neal had one hit and scored a team-high four runs.
Sophomore Kerick Hairston Jr. and freshman Cooper Gainey added to the scoring with an RBI each, with Hairston connecting for a base hit.
Adding a base knock as part of an eight-hit outing by the team were freshmen Brody Bryant and Nate Erwin.
The JV Raiders (10-4, 10-2 MSC) are set to play at Overhills Friday and start at 4:30 p.m.
