ROCKINGHAM — Down but never out during Friday’s game, the Richmond Senior High School baseball team caught lightning in a bottle and rallied in the late innings to complete a comeback victory.
Hosting non-conference Porter Ridge High School in their home opener, the Raiders used a five-run fifth inning to defeat the Pirates 7-6.
What head coach Eric Brown called a total team effort, Richmond relied on the arm and bat of junior Caden Nolan. He pitched 5.2 innings of relief with 10 strikeouts and connected for a team-high lead of three hits with two runs batted in.
Sophomore Collin Hill delivered the eventual game-winning hit, barreling an RBI double to the gap in left-center field in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs, scoring senior Landon Taylor.
Senior Riley Brown played a big part in the comeback, connecting for a pair of doubles, including a two-RBI two-bagger in the fifth.
Porter Ridge jumped ahead early with four runs in the top of the first inning. Hill made his first high school start and pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits.
The Pirates plated their four runs on an error, a two-RBI double and an RBI single.
Answering with a run of their own in the bottom of the first, the Raiders cut their deficit to three runs. Junior Evan Hodges connected on the first of his three base hits in the game and later scored when Nolan roped a two-out double to the opposite field.
Nolan stranded two runners in the top of the second and sat the Pirates down in order in the third, which featured two strikeouts.
Porter Ridge recorded its final two runs of the game in the top of the fourth. A balk and an error made it 6-1.
Dialed in during the next inning, Nolan struck out the side in order on 14 pitches. That paved the way to some two-out Raider Magic in the home half.
With two gone in the bottom of the fifth and runners on first and second, Nolan helped his cause with an RBI single to left field, plating Taylor (walk) from second.
Brown dug in next and sent his two-RBI double to right field to cut Richmond’s deficit to two runs. Scoring on the play were courtesy runners Jake Veach and Conner Phifer, who were running for Hodges (single) and Nolan.
Sophomore pinch hitter Drew Guase kept the inning going when he reached on an error on a ground ball to third base.
Senior Jabari Douglas followed in the next at-bat and reached safely on another error at third base, which allowed Brown and Gause to both race home and tie the game 6-6.
Nolan recorded his third 1-2-3 inning of the game in the top of the sixth on two groundouts and a strikeout.
A one-out infield single by Taylor in the bottom of the sixth led to him scoring the game-winning run thanks to Hill’s double.
Porter Ridge threatened to score in the seventh when it loaded the bases with two outs. Senior Jeremiah Ritter entered the game on the mound and recorded the final two outs.
Ritter got a batter to fly out in foul territory to Hill along the first base line and picked up the save when a fly ball to center field was hauled in by Douglas.
The Raiders collected 10 hits in the win, led by Hodges and Nolan’s three hits apiece. Richmond connected on four doubles — two by Brown and one each from Hill and Nolan.
Richmond (1-1) will end its three-game opening week Saturday at non-conference Weddington High School (0-1). First pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Stats and game information provided by head coach Eric Brown and Richmond’s Game Changer.
