ROCKINGHAM — Relying on its pitching to set up its offense this week, the Richmond Senior High School baseball team recorded its second consecutive five-inning no-hitter Friday.
Following a no-no by senior Caden Nolan Tuesday, sophomore Devin Haynes replicated that performance with his first career zero-hit performance. Both outings helped complete the Raiders’ three-game regular-season sweep of Pine Forest High School.
Friday’s game ended in another shutout win for Richmond, its fifth of the season and fourth against a Mid-South Conference opponent.
In their three games against the Trojans this spring, the Raiders have outscored them 42-0. The team’s pitchers – Nolan, Haynes and senior Evan Hodges in game one – limited Pine Forest to just two hits and struck out 29 batters across 15 innings.
Haynes’ outing saw him finish the game four batters over the minimum (one error, one walk, two hit-by-pitches). He recorded 1-2-3 innings in the second and third frames, the latter of which saw him sit the Trojans down on three straight strikeouts. He finished the win with eight Ks.
“Any time you have to play a team three times in a season, no matter what the outcomes have been in the first two, it’s a tough accomplishment to achieve,” head coach Eric Brown said. “I commend the guys for taking all three games against Pine Forest seriously and for winning conference games that will ultimately matter in the long run.
“We’ve said from the start of the season that our pitching and defense will be our strongest assets,” he added. “Caden and Devin, along with Evan earlier in the season, proved that against Pine Forest. I can’t say enough about how each of them delivered when their number was called.”
Brown said Friday’s game was “the best one” Pine Forest has played against Richmond this season. The Raiders took some time to warm up their bats, scoring a run in the second and three runs in the third to take a 4-0 lead.
Helping break it open was a four-run bottom of the fourth frame. Leading 8-0, the Raiders sent six batters to the plate in the fifth to record their final two runs and put the mercy rule into effect.
Haynes got Richmond on the board when he helped himself out with a RBI groundout in the second. Scoring on the play was junior Drew Gause, who doubled to lead off the inning before later moving to third on a passed ball.
After Haynes mowed down the Trojans with three Ks on 13 pitches in the second, Richmond brought in its next three runs.
Making it 2-0 was Hodges, who belted the first of his two extra-base hits of the night down the line in left field, which traded places with senior Caden Nolan (double).
Hodges came in to score following an error, and sophomore Drew McCaskill recorded an RBI groundout when he hit a grounder to short, which plated Gause (single).
Stranding two runners in scoring position in the top of the third, Haynes and the Raiders went to work in their four-run home half. Freshman Noah Stubbs found the alley in right-center for a leadoff triple, and later scored on a wild pitch.
Senior Jake Veach drew a walk, stole second and moved to third on an error, which led to Richmond’s next run. A base knock to the opposite field by senior Maddox Locklear drove in Veach to make it 6-0.
With two gone and Locklear on first, Hodges sliced an RBI double to right field. Getting on his horse, Locklear scored all the way from first and Hodges unhitched the trailer to advance to third on the throw home.
Hodges became the final run of the inning one pitch into the next at-bat, as a passed ball gave him time to race home and make it an eight-run lead.
Ending the game early after another effective four-batter inning by Haynes in the top half, the Raiders used four free passes, a wild pitch and a passed ball to walk it off in the fifth.
With one gone and the bases loaded, Haynes (walk) scored from third, opening the lead to 9-0. Two batters later with Nolan at the plate, a wild pitch scooted to the backstop and scored Veach (walk).
Of the team’s eight hits, Hodges, Gause and Stubbs each had two. Hodges connected for a pair of two-baggers, while Gause had a single and a double, and Stubbs knocked a triple and a single.
A double from Nolan accounted for Richmond’s other extra-base hit. Locklear had a single.
Hodges’ two RBI were a game-high, followed by one RBI apiece from Locklear, McCaskill and Haynes.
The Raiders (8-3, 6-1 MSC) will play a two-game series against conference opponent Jack Britt High School next week.
Richmond will play at Jack Britt Tuesday (7 p.m.) and host the Buccaneers (5-7, 2-5 MSC) Thursday (7 p.m.).
JV Raiders also cruise past Pine Forest
In its game Friday against Pine Forest, the Richmond junior varsity baseball team used a fast start to also mercy-rule its opponent.
For the second time this week, the JV Raiders run-ruled the JV Trojans in three innings.
Friday’s final score was 18-2, and ironically, was the second straight three-inning no-hitter thrown by the team.
In their two wins over Pine Forest this week, Richmond outscored the JV Trojans 43-2.
The JV Raiders erased a one-run deficit in the bottom of the first with a 10-run inning. Two runs in the second made it 12-1 and the team iced the win with its final six runs in the third.
Freshman Cooper Gainey recorded a no-hitter, throwing all three innings in the win. He walked two batters and struck out six JV Trojans. His performance followed a three-inning no-no by freshman Jackson Parsons Tuesday.
Leading the team at the dish, freshman Sam O’Neal connected for three hits, all singles, and two RBI. Gainey had the team’s only extra-base hit, a double, and led the way with three RBI.
Sophomore Kerick Hairston Jr. and freshman Jacob Stogner both singled. Driving in a run apiece were Hairston Jr., Stogner and freshman Colton Nelson.
The JV Raiders (5–3, 5-2 MSC) will also play Jack Britt twice next week, starting on the road Tuesday and back at Raider Field Thursday. Both of those games will start at 4:30 p.m.
