ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Renegades’ bats came alive Wednesday against Southern Lee, helping the team to its fourth-straight win.
Totaling 10 hits from seven different players, Richmond rolled past Southern Lee in mercy-rule fashion, winning 14-4 in five innings.
The Renegades dotted the scoreboard with four runs in the first inning, two in the second, three in the third and sealed the deal with five runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Head coach Rob Ransom sent Will Dawkins to the mound to start, and said the rising senior showed a glimpse of what he expects of him next spring.
“Will pitched really well and he’s capable of being a dominant pitcher,” Ransom said. “And he showed that at times tonight. In order for him to be what we need him to be, Will needs to pitch the way that he did tonight every time he’s on the mound.
“We’ll depend on him to pitch some big innings for us this summer and in the spring, so we’re working on him being more consistent,” he added.
Dawkins was lights out through four innings pitched, tossing 74 pitches and allowing just one run on one hit. He struck out seven batters and allowed one walk.
Dawkins faced just four batters in two of his innings of work (the first and fourth innings), and retired the side in order in the third. He gave up his lone run in the second.
Rising senior Will Dawkins prepares to throw a pitch during Wednesday’s win. (Kyle Pillar)
Helping get Richmond’s scoring underway in the first was a leadoff double by rising senior Alston Johnson, who scored on the next at-bat when rising sophomore James Eason hit an RBI single to right field.
Eason moved to second on the throw, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored when rising senior Cameron Way recorded an RBI groundout to short.
Rising senior Matthew Walker followed by reaching on an error and fellow rising senior Colin Wheeler put two runners on with a single to left. A wild pitch moved both runners 90 feet, and Walker stole home when Wheeler got caught in a rundown between second and third.
Wheeler slid safely under the tag at third and made it 4-0 three pitches later when a wild pitch sailed to the backstop.
Two more wild pitches in the bottom of the second allowed rising sophomore Isaac Hinshaw (walk) and rising junior Walker Lambeth (walk) to score and make it a 6-1 lead.
“We had several big hits tonight with runners on base, and that’s how you score a lot of runs,” Ransom said. “A lot of times when we’re not scoring runs it’s because we’re leaving two or three guys on base.
“It seems the bats are coming around a little bit and the guys are swinging it better,” he added. “I was really pleased to see that tonight.”
Eason drew a one-out walk in the third, which set up an RBI double by Way, who sent a missile to the left-center gap near the base of the outfield wall. Walker again reached on an error, scoring Way, and moved to second on the same error.
Swiping third base, Walker scored when Wheeler recorded an RBI groundout to first, extending Richmond’s lead to 9-1 through three innings.
Capping the game’s scoring was Richmond sending nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth. Rising junior Ethan Clayton led off with a single, and courtesy runner Cody Eason scored when Dawkins ripped an RBI triple to the right-field corner.
Dawkins scored on a Hinshaw fielder’s choice, and Hinshaw trotted home when rising junior Ashton Phifer reached on an error. Lambeth, who drew a walk following Hinshaw’s at-bat, scored on a passed ball.
Cody Eason put the game out of reach with an RBI single to left, scoring Phifer.
Rising sophomore Isaac Hinshaw tags out a runner trying to get back to first base. (Kyle Pillar)
Closing out the final inning on the mound was rising senior pitcher Jude Howard, who allowed three unearned runs on two hits. Howard shut the door by fielding a grounder back to the mound and sprinting to first to step on the base ahead of the runner.
“We are playing better, playing a little looser and with more confidence,” Ransom said of the streak. “I told the guys tonight I felt we were backing off tonight and not pushing to finish. I thought we had them on the ropes and I want to make sure we can finish ball games.
“What we need to do is maintain our focus throughout the course of the game,” he closed. “We want to be competitive in the conference next year, which will be a good conference, so it all starts now.”
The Renegades improved to 4-3 on the season and will aim for the three-game sweep of Southern Lee at home on Thursday at 7 p.m.
