RAEFORD — Facing Hoke County High School for the second of three times this season, the Richmond Senior High School junior varsity baseball team rallied to win Tuesday’s game.
Erasing a deficit of as many as four runs, the JV Raiders defeated the JV Bucks 8-5 in six innings (time limit).
Notching their fifth straight victory, the JV Raiders scored seven unanswered runs in the final three innings.
After plating a run in the top of the first, Richmond saw its lead slip away when the JV Bucks scored two runs in the second and three runs in the third.
Down 5-1, the JV Raiders started chipping back with two runs in the fourth. A three-run top of the fifth regained a 6-5 lead and Richmond added two insurance runs in the sixth.
Freshman Jackson Parsons started on the mound and pitched three innings, with fellow freshman Nate Culbreth pitching three innings of relief. Parsons allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits with one strikeout.
In his three innings of relief, Culbreth hung zeroes in the hits and runs columns. He walked just one batter over that span.
Freshman Cooper Gainey finished the game with one of Richmond’s four hits and led the team with four runs batted in. Freshman Jaxton Watson added a hit and two RBI.
Recording a base hit and an RBI was freshman Colton Nelson and Culbreth added the other hit, a double.
Watson gave the JV Raiders a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when he grounded into an RBI ground out. Scoring from third was Nelson (walk).
Hoke County went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the second thanks to an RBI single and an error. An inning later, three more runs were scored to make it 5-1 on a couple of base hits.
Watson came through again early in the top of the fourth to start the rally. He singled on a line drive to right field, which scored Culbreth (leadoff double).
Playing small ball, Richmond recorded its second run of the inning when Gainey brought in his first RBI on a sacrifice bunt back to the mound. Racing home to make it 5-3 was Watson.
Culbreth tallied a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, paving the way to Richmond’s three-run top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and two away, Gainey hit a liner to right field that scored freshman Sam O’Neal (walk) and Culbreth (walk). Parsons (walk) scored on the relay.
In the top of the sixth, an RBI base hit by Nelson scored freshman Nate Erwin (walk) to make it a two-run lead. O’Neal (hit-by-pitch) scored the team’s final run before an inning-ending fielder’s choice double play.
Culbreth allowed two of the first three batters on base in the bottom half, but a lineout and a pop out ended the game.
The JV Raiders (8-3, 8-2 MSC) will close out their series with the JV Bucks at home Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Sports Editor’s Note: Game information and statistics provided by Richmond’s GameChanger.
