ROCKINGHAM — A seven-run first inning and a complete game shutout by freshman pitcher JD Lampley made Richmond’s junior varsity baseball game against Northwest Guilford High School a pretty easy afternoon.
Hosting the Vikings, the Raiders run-ruled their non-conference opponent 10-0 in five innings. The win capped off a three-game week, as Richmond improved to 7-2 overall.
Lampley earned his second career win on the bump, tossing five innings, giving up just two hits and striking out three batters. In his five innings pitched, he sat the Vikings down in order three times. He also went 1-for-2 at the plate with a double and two RBIs.
“Today was the best we looked offensively,” head coach Ralph Butler said. “We jumped on them early, we attacked the fastball and put some good swings on it.
“JD got his first start and was great pitching a complete game shutout,” he added. Defensively behind him, we were really good with several tough plays made by (Cameron) Way, (Hunter) Hancock and (Alston) Johnson.”
The Raiders sent 12 batters to the dish in the bottom of the first after Lampley got out of a two-on, two-out jam. Freshmen Alston Johnson (single), Cameron Way (walk) and Colin Wheeler (single) led off to load the bases.
After NW Guilford recorded the first out, Lampley dug in and blasted a ball that hit the warning track and bounced off the left-center wall for a 2-RBI double.
Sophomore Hunter Hancock followed suit with a 2-RBI single to right field in the next at-bat, scoring Wheeler and courtesy runner CJ Tillman to give Richmond a 4-0 lead.
Hancock would swipe second base and come home when fellow sophomore Trevor Johnson singled to left field. Freshman Harley Honeycutt kept the inning going in the No. 8 hole, scoring Trevor Johnson from third (two stolen bases) on a 5-3 fielder’s choice.
With two outs, sophomore Matthew Walker was hit by a pitch and moved to third base on a throwing error when Vikings pitcher Andrew Poon airmailed a pickoff attempt. With Alston Johnson up for the second time in the inning, he lined a single to left for the final run.
A 1-2-3 top of the second by Lampley set up another big inning for the Raiders at the plate. With one out in the bottom of the second, Lampley and Hancock reached safely, and Trevor Johnson drew a walk to load the bases again.
Honeycutt would record his second RBI of the afternoon, grounding out in another fielder’s choice, but scoring Tillman (courtesy runner) from third. Walker grounded a ball up the middle for an infield base hit in the next at-bat, scoring Hancock.
Richmond’s final run of the game came when Alston Johnson hit an RBI single to left field, plating Trevor Johnson.
Lampley, Hancock and Honeycutt would all finish the game with two RBIs apiece, and Lampley, Hancock and Trevor Johnson each scored twice. Alston Johnson was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The Raiders will be back in action Tuesday, when they travel to Sandhills Athletic Conference opponent Hoke County High School at 5 p.m.
