ROCKINGHAM – An old sports cliché notes, “it’s how you finish a game” that matters. And while that may be true, perhaps the adverse was in affect for the Richmond Raiders baseball team Saturday as they got off to a slow start while hosting non-conference opponent Charlotte Christian School.
Playing for the third day in a row, and coming off an 11-inning, four-hour 9-8 win against Purnell Swett High School Friday, the Raiders (4-1) couldn’t muster enough solid pitching and fell to the visiting Knights 10-7. This was the second time in two seasons Richmond was unable to beat the Knights (3-2).
Because of exhausting pitchers Jonathan Lee (5 innings) and Drew Loving (5.1 innings) in the extra-inning win, head coach Ricky Young entered Saturday’s game with no other option than to platoon his guys together to try and scratch out the win. So, it was junior pitcher Cameron Carraway that got the nod against the Knights.
And Carraway held his own through the game’s first two innings, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in first after plunking two batters, and escaped a two-on, one-out threat in the second inning. But a sluggish set of Richmond bats didn’t do him a favor, as nine of the first 10 batters were put down, save for Trey Watkins reaching on an infield error.
And while Richmond would rally in the sixth inning and put up six runs to make it a 10-7 ball game, Young felt his team could have performed better through the first couple of times through the order.
“I think if we would have had that same focus and energy early in the game, it may have been a different result,” Young said of his team’s efforts. “I don’t think we competed very well early in the game. I guess some people will look at last night as an excuse, but I don’t want to use it as an excuse. If we come out and compete like we’re supposed to, I wish we would have done that a little earlier.”
The Knights got a run in the top of the third inning thanks to a one-out RBI single by Jonathan Jagielski to right field, scoring Reid Mayers from third (having led off the inning with a walk). But it was the top of the fourth inning that did the most damage, as Charlotte Christian sent 12 batters to the plate and scored six runs on five hits.
J.T. Killen, who silenced Richmond’s bats by pitching five innings and allowing just one run on two hits, got the sixth started with a bang as he sent a line-drive home run over Lee’s head and the right field wall. A walk to Matt Mayers quickly resulted in a 1-3 double play on the next at-bat when J.B. Awolowo popped a bunt to Carrarway, who caught it and picked off Mayers at first.
But the next six Knights batters would reach base safely (three singles, two walks and a double), sparking a two-out rally that put them up 7-1. Carraway was replaced by Hunter Parris on the mound, and the sophomore pitcher battled hard, but didn’t end the inning until four more runs were scored.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Raiders started to find their bats as senior Gordon Pihl hit a double to the left field corner, and was replaced by courtesy runner Tyler Bass. Junior Jake Ransom hustled down the line in the next at-bat and was safe at first thanks to a Knights’ throwing error, allowing Bass to reach third base. With runners on the corners and one out, Watkins sliced an RBI single to get Richmond on the board.
Pihl and Ransom would start things off again in the bottom of the sixth inning, now trailing 10-1. Pihl drew a one-out walk, and Ransom blasted a double. And with the help of a throwing error, Pihl crossed the plate and Ransom advanced to third to make the score 10-2.
Three consecutive singles by Chris Austin, Evan Hudson and Nolan Allen got the crowd into the game. Austin’s single brought home Ransom, and he moved to second on Hudson’s single. Allen would beat out an infield single to load the bases with just one out.
Senior Braxton Furstein came to the plate and ripped a hard grounder to shortstop Jonah Beamon, but he couldn’t handle the ball and all the runners advanced safely on the E-6 play. With the score 10-3, Jahan Jones flied out to center to bring up Lee.
Lee, who’d homered the night before, collected his first hit of the game with a single to score Hudson from third, and Bass mirrored Lee with an RBI single in the next at-bat, bringing home Allen. Furstein, who reached third on Bass’ base knock, would beat a tag at the plate by sliding head first following a passed ball, pulling Richmond within three runs, 10-7.
Pihl returned to the plate for the second time in the inning, and with the bases loaded, made solid contact with the ball. But his line drive shot didn’t have enough mustard on it, as Awolowo caught it at the warning track in center to end the Raiders’ rally.
Carraway threw 3.2 innings, giving up five hits, two earned runs, struck out two, while walking four batters. Parris and Hudson each threw 1.1 innings of relief, combining for three hits, two earned runs (Parris) and one walk. Garet Weigman chipped in 2/3 of an inning, suffering two earned runs on one hit.
Offensively, Richmond had eight different players collect hits, with Pihl and Ransom having the team’s two extra base hits (each with a double).
“We struggled to find guys who could throw strikes (today),” Young commented. “You’ve got to be able to have (pitching) depth. It’s a big week coming up, and we’ll line it up Tuesday night and see what happens.”
The Raiders will continue Sandhills Athletic Conference play Tuesday, as they’ll host Pinecrest High School (5-0, 2-0 SAC) in a battle of conference unbeatens. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
