HUDSON, N.C. - What can simply be described as an extraordinary run during the 2018 North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs by the Richmond Lady Raiders softball team, all came to a heartbreaking end Thursday during game two of the Western Regional Finals.
But it wasn’t without its controversies.
A night after losing game one of the three-game series by a single run to South Caldwell High School, the No. 1 Lady Raiders looked to have struck gold to force a game three as they took a 9-4 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning on the road.
But unfortunately for Richmond and head coach Wendy Wallace, a combination of timely Lady Spartans hitting, a pinched strike zone in the home half of the sixth inning and some calls by the umpires that Richmond fans deemed unfavorable, resulted in a South Caldwell win by a score of 10-9.
It was South Caldwell’s 25th straight win and the second time in as many seasons that Richmond was swept in the Western Regional Finals. With the win, the Lady Spartans (28-2) advanced to the state championship series, which will be played against either Jack Britt or South Central high schools from the Eastern Region.
At the onset of the season, Richmond’s primary goal was to win its first state title in program history. While that dream may have been dashed Thursday, the Lady Raiders (24-5) didn’t go down without a valiant effort while trying to overcome some inimical odds.
Junior starting pitcher Greyson Way, who has pitched the entirety of every one of Richmond’s games this season, set the tone early in the bottom of the first as she worked herself out of a one-out bases loaded jam. After a single and two walks, Way canned Graclyn Green and Addison Blair in back-to-back at-bats to end the inning without allowing a run.
But it was Way’s opposite number, South Caldwell’s sophomore starting pitcher Anna King, who lit the scoreboard first. After Way allowed a walk and a bunt single to start the bottom of the second, King battled in an eight-pitch at-bat that resulted in a three-run line drive homer to center field to give the Lady Spartans a 3-0 lead.
It didn’t take long, however, for the Lady Raiders to answer back. Entering Thursday’s game, Richmond had belted 54 homers on the season, which was tied for the second-most in a single season in NCHSAA history. Junior Taylor Parrish would give Richmond a share of the all-time lead of 55 home runs (previously set by Madison High School in 2014).
Junior Savannah Lampley sent a ball to right field to lead off the inning, and moved to second base when first baseman Katie Wright obstructed her running lane round the bag. Senior Owen Bowers and Way followed up with back-to-back walks to load the bases, with Way fouling off seven straight pitches before taking the free pass.
With no outs and the bases jammed with Lady Raiders, King managed to get two strikeouts in a row. But Parrish, who has quietly delivered in clutch situations all year, dug in and raked the first King offering she saw straight into the student section in left field. It was her first career grand slam, and it gave Richmond its first lead of the game 4-3.
Richmond would extend its lead by a run in the top of the fourth inning when sophomore Madison Jordan reached first on a bloop single to shallow right field. After freshman Payton Chappell sacrifice bunted Jordan to second, Bowers teed up on one and sent a rocket back at King in the circle, hitting her in the abdomen, as the ball rolled out of reach and allowed everyone to advance safely.
Jordan would dash home on a wild pitch by King to make the game 5-3. After allowing a single to senior Brianna Baysek to load the bases yet again, King managed to get one of her four total strikeouts to end the threat.
South Caldwell’s Reagan Weisner would make it a one-run game when she slapped a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth, her second homer in as many games.
Having only scored two runs in game one against the Lady Spartans’ athletic defense, Richmond continued to pelt the field with hits in game two. King was pulled after five innings of work and Jenna Pittman, who threw all of game one, entered in relief. But the Lady Raiders’ had her number, as she lasted just a third of an inning and gave up four runs, before King was put back in the circle.
Lampley started the top of the sixth by smoking a double to center field, and Bowers took first base on a walk. Way helped her own cause by scoring Lampley on and RBI single to left field, and advancing Bowers to second. Sophomore Kayla Hawkins delivered after a Baysek sac bunt, with an RBI single to score Bowers.
Way came home a couple pitches later on a wild pitch. Richmond would end the four-run inning with Parrish bringing home Hawkins for her fifth RBI of the game.
Entering the bottom of the sixth with its largest lead of the series, up 9-4, Richmond seemed poised to head back to Rockingham with the series tied. But then that’s when things got a little dicey.
Way gave up a leadoff walk on five pitches to Pittman, and Wright reached safely on an infield error. After a fielder’s choice by Lampley at short got Pittman out at third, another walk, and a second fielder’s choice by Hawkins to Bowers at the plate for a force out, the situation seemed under control.
But the next four at-bats saw all four Lady Spartans reach base safely, resulting in six runs. Way walked freshman Ciara Hanson on six pitches, and to the dismay of the Richmond faithful who had made the three-hour trek, several pitches called for balls appeared to be in the strike zone. Hanson’s walk came with the bases loaded and scored a run.
In the next at-bat, Weisner was plunked on a Way pitch, which allowed another South Caldwell run to score. Frustrated, Way removed her mask and addressed the umpire, arguing that Weisner turned into the pitch. Not getting an answer, Way went back to work, again getting pinched with the tight strike zone. However, Green and Blair hit consecutive doubles to score four runs and give the home team a 10-9 lead.
Down to their final three outs and their season on the line, the Lady Raiders sent Chappell to the dish, with Lampley and Bowers due up. On the first pitch of her at-bat, Chappell was plunked by King, but the home plate umpire declared that Chappell had turned into the pitch and didn’t award her first base. Instead of being on first with no outs, Chappell lined out softly to the second baseman.
Lampley and Bowers got on base to represent the tying and go-ahead runs, but King got two fly ball outs to seal the deal and end Richmond’s playoff run.
The ROSports department will be publishing a comprehensive season recap next week, along with an all-conference article once Jack Britt’s season is over.
