ROCKINGHAM — Finding its offensive pop in the later innings Monday, the Richmond Senior High School baseball team shut out its opponent.
Starting the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament off on the right track, the No. 2 Raiders completed their three-game regular-season sweep of No. 7 Hoke County High School.
Pairing a five-run fifth inning with a combined pitching performance, Richmond rolled to a 8-0 victory.
The Raiders also scored a run in the fourth and two runs in the bottom of the sixth frame. In their three wins over Hoke County this season, the Raiders outscored the Bucks 19-0.
Getting the nod on the bump was junior righty Caden Nolan, who allowed no runs and just three hits in six innings of work. He retired 11 Bucks batters via the strikeout and had three three-batter innings.
Sophomore left-hander Collin Hill flashed zeroes across his stat line with a quick 1-2-3 top of the seventh thanks to a strikeout and two groundouts.
Both teams were scoreless through the first three and a half innings until Richmond took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
Sophomore Drew Gause reached on a fielder’s choice and later scored on a double steal with two outs. Taking off for second base to initiate the scoring play was senior Conner Phifer (hit-by-pitch).
Nolan stranded a pair of base runners in scoring position with one out in the top of the fifth, using consecutive punchouts to preserve the lead.
Sending 10 batters to the plate in the bottom half, the Raiders broke the game open with five runs. A one-out double by junior Evan Hodges to left field scored senior Jabari Douglas, who led off the inning with a single.
Senior courtesy runner Jeremiah Ritter, in for Hodges, was the next Raider to cross home plate when Hill reached on an error following an intentional walk to Nolan. A free pass to Gause loaded the bases for senior Jason Walker.
On the first offering from Carson Hewitt (4.2 innings, 6 runs, 4 hits), Walker barreled a two-RBI double to plate Nolan and Hill and make it a 5-0 lead.
Junior Jake Veach capped the big inning with an RBI single in the next at-bat, finding the outfield grass in left to bring in Gause.
Facing just four batters in the top of the sixth, Nolan ended his night by striking out the side and allowing the final of his three walks.
Richmond tacked on its last two insurance runs in the home half of the sixth. Loading the bases to start were senior Landon Taylor (double), Hodges (single) and Nolan (walk).
Moving every runner up 90 feet safely was Hill, who lasered a line drive single to shallow center plating Taylor. An RBI groundout by Phifer recorded another run a few batters later when Ritter, running for Hodges, scored.
Hill needed just 11 pitches to retire the Bucks in order in the seventh. Hoke County (2-20) suffered its 13th straight loss to end its season.
No. 2 Richmond (15-9) will host No. 3 Lee County High School (13-12) in the semifinal round of the SAC tournament Tuesday.
The Raiders swept the Yellow Jackets during regular season action. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at Raider Field.
