ROCKINGHAM — When the Richmond Raider baseball team won its playoff game against Butler High School in early May, it marked a couple of milestones for the program.
Continuing our honorable mentions for the top sports stories from the 2025-26 school year, the Raiders notched their first playoff win since 2022 with a 5-0 victory.
It was also the first playoff win for head coach Eric Brown since he took over his alma mater in 2024.
Scoring all five of its runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Richmond advanced to the third round of the state playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Here is the original article published May 8, 2026:
ROCKINGHAM — A season of milestones will continue for the Richmond Senior High School baseball team following its NCHSAA 7A West playoff win Friday.
Taking the bark and the bite right out of the No. 11 Butler Bulldogs, the No. 6 Raiders used a complete game pitching performance and a late burst of runs to keep their postseason alive.
Fresh off their first round bye, the Raiders defeated the Bulldogs 5-0. Richmond scored all of its runs as part of a five-run bottom of the sixth inning.
With the victory, the Raiders are headed to the third round of the state playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Ending a playoff win drought spanning back to the first round of the 2022 season, Friday’s win was also the first playoff victory for head coach Eric Brown since he took over the program in 2024.
Lights out on the mound for the Raiders was senior Caden Nolan, who pitched a complete game shutout. Making his 11th start of the season, Nolan pitched a two-hit dandy in what was his fifth scoreless complete game effort this spring.
Working the outer part of the plate, and finding his quick-tempo rhythm early, Nolan struck out 11 batters. Now with 111 Ks on the season, which leads the entire 7A classification, Friday’s playoff win marked his eighth double-digit strikeout performance this season.
The Belmont Abbey College signee stranded three base runners and recorded four 1-2-3 innings in the game. Nolan sat the Bulldogs (20-8) down in order in the second, third and fourth frames, part of a stretch where he retired 12 batters in a row, which spanned back to the first inning.
Impressive through the first five innings for the Bulldogs was starter Chase DeCurtis. He finished with a line of five innings pitched with five earned runs on eight hits.
Making adjustments at the plate to DeCurtis’ off-speed arsenal in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Raiders plated five runs when they sent nine batters to the plate.
DeCurtis’ night ended after Richmond took a 3-0 lead. Inheriting runners on first and second and no outs was Ethan Chryst, who pitched the final inning for the Bulldogs and gave up just one hit.
Leading off the home half of the sixth, senior Maddox Locklear connected for a base hit on a line drive to left field. Locklear, who had two hits, moved into scoring position when Nolan drew a base on balls in the next plate appearance.
Senior Evan Hodges, Nolan’s battery mate, rose to the occasion like he has many times this season when Richmond needed to score. Facing an 0-2 count, Hodges brought in the eventual game-winning run batted in when he hit a hard ground ball single that split the left side of the infield.
Locklear turned on the jets to beat the throw home and score from second base. Junior Drew Gause followed in the next at-bat with an infield single, the second of his two hits, when he poked a bunt into no-man’s land between DeCurtis and the shortstop to load the bases.
Wasting no time to add insurance runs, sophomore Devin Haynes barreled DeCurtis’ second pitch in the next at-bat for a two-RBI single that found the outfield grass in center field. Racing home were Nolan and sophomore courtesy runner Drew McCaskill (running for Hodges).
Later in the inning with one away, and with Chryst pitching, Gause swiped third base. On the same sequence, an errant throw by the catcher allowed Gause to pop up and score to make it 4-0.
Capping the big inning for Richmond was freshman Noah Stubbs, who hit a backside double down the left field line to score Haynes.
Needing just three outs to advance the Raiders, Nolan faced four batters in the seventh. Haynes caught a lineout at short for the first out, and Nolan sandwiched his final two Ks around an error.
Three of Richmond’s nine hits in the win went for two-bags – one apiece by Stubbs, Nolan and senior Jake Veach. Gause and Locklear led the way with two singles each, and the other two base hits scored runs off the bats of Hodges and Haynes.
The No. 6 Raiders (19-6) will continue their chase in the 7A state playoffs Tuesday in the third round when they get another home game and host No. 19 Ballantyne Ridge High School.
The Wolves (11-17) pulled off a major 3-2 upset over No. 3 Grimsley High School to give the Raiders another home game. The start time for Tuesday’s third round game has yet to be determined at the time of publication.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Friday’s playoff win soon.
