SANFORD — Ending a three-game losing streak to start the season, the Richmond Senior High School softball team entered the win column Tuesday.
The Lady Raiders opened their Sandhills Athletic Conference schedule on the road at Southern Lee High School and held on for a 7-5 victory.
Leading by six runs at the start of the bottom of the seventh inning, Richmond closed the game with the tying run at the plate to give head coach Caroline Wilson her first career victory.
Pitching a complete game, senior Madelynn Pearson set a personal single-game career-high with 13 strikeouts. She allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk.
Pearson recorded three innings of work facing just four batters and also had two 1-2-3 innings in the win.
The Lady Raiders broke a scoreless game in the top of the fourth inning with two outs. Junior Kinsie Lyerly got the scoring started with an RBI double, plating sophomore Jorja Moore (single).
Following a base-on-balls to sophomore Emma Rusich, freshman Lexi Smith barreled a two-RBI double to the gap to extend the lead to 3-1.
Southern Lee (1-3, 0-1 SAC) answered in the bottom half with one run thanks to a wild pitch.
Richmond padded its lead with four runs in the top of the seventh, enough to thwart a comeback attempt by the Lady Cavaliers in the home half.
A double by Pearson and a base knock from sophomore Kalynn McCormick put runners on the corners with one out. Junior Hayden Robinson kept her bat hot to start the season with a two-RBI line drive single to left field.
Leading 5-1, Richmond used RBI singles from junior Addison Connor and Lyerly to add its final two runs in the game.
Southern Lee chipped away in the bottom of the seventh with four runs on a pair of two-RBI doubles with one out. But Pearson settled in and recorded a strikeout and ground out to Robinson at third base to end the game.
The Lady Raiders (1-3, 1-0 SAC) travel to Pinecrest High School (1-2) Friday for another conference game. Action will start at 6 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Statistics and game information provided by Richmond’s Game Changer. The junior varsity team didn’t play Tuesday.
