TROY — Completing a non-conference series sweep Friday, the Richmond Senior High School softball team returned to the win column.
Traveling to Montgomery Central High School, the Lady Raiders used a five-run inning and a couple of late insurance runs to win 10-7.
Earning its second win of the season, Richmond erased a five-run deficit after the first inning. The comeback started with three runs in the third, followed by five runs an inning later.
Montgomery Central scored solo runs in the sixth and seventh frames, but two runs in the top of the seventh for the Lady Raiders kept the lead too big to close.
“It was great for us to get this win tonight,” head coach Caroline Wilson said. “We’ve been struggling early on this season, so we wanted to take care of business against a team that we had already beaten.
“This is a good confidence booster for the girls, but we still have some things we need to work on,” she added. “I’m proud of Hayden (Robinson) for stepping up as a senior leader and keeping her bat hot. She had a great game for us and Emma (Rusich) had a really good night pitching.”
After a rocky start that led to the Lady Timberwolves taking a 5-0 lead after the first inning, Rusich and the defense settled in. Rusich pitched a complete game and gave up seven runs (three earned) on six hits with two strikeouts.
Robinson got the comeback going when she hit a solo homer in the top of the third inning with two outs, her team-leading fourth jack of the season. It was the first of her team-high three hits and four runs batted in.
Following a walk to sophomore Sydney Barnes, junior Jorja Moore cut into the deficit even more with a two-run shot to left field. Moore’s first dinger of the season made it 5-3.
Rusich recorded a 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning, paving the way to Richmond’s five-run top of the fourth.
One-out singles by Rusich and sophomore Madison Hancock were followed by an RBI double from junior Kaylan Parsons, who brought in Rusich to make it a one-run game.
Sophomore Carley McCormick kept the inning going with a walk to load the bases. Four pitches later, Robinson unloaded for a three-RBI double to score Hancock, McCormick and Parsons, giving the Lady Raiders the lead for good.
Before the end of the half inning, Robinson moved to third and later scored, both on wild pitches.
Leading 8-5, Richmond maintained the three-run advantage when Rusich recorded back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth frames.
An error in the home half of the sixth made it 8-6, but Richmond responded with its final two runs in the seventh.
Rusich recorded an RBI when she hit a sacrifice fly to score freshman Claire Clark (leadoff double), and senior Kinsie Lyerly (walk) crossed home plate safely for the team’s last run on a wild pitch.
Turning a crucial double play in the bottom of the seventh, Richmond wasn’t bothered by a two-out RBI double by the Lady Timberwolves. Rusich recorded the final out on a 1-3 putout to McCormick.
Richmond had 10 hits in the game, led by Robinson (3) and Moore (2). Clark, Rusich, Hancock, Parsons and junior Madeline Carriker each had one hit.
Looking to keep it going next week, the Lady Raiders (2-5) host non-conference South Stanly High School (5-0) Wednesday for a varsity-only game at 6 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders no-hit Montgomery Central in win
Also on the road at Montgomery Central Friday, the Richmond junior varsity softball team won big.
Earning their fourth straight win, the JV Lady Raiders defeated the JV Lady Timberwolves 14-0 in five innings.
Richmond scored four runs in the first, led 5-0 after three innings, added three more runs in the fourth and capped the victory with six runs in the fifth inning.
Sophomore Makenzie Quick pitched a complete game. She no-hit Montgomery Central and added 13 strikeouts.
Leading the team at the dish, sophomore Annabelle Millen had three hits and three runs batted in. She had a double, one of four two-baggers hit by the team.
Adding two hits and two RBI each were Quick and sophomore Liz Lunceford. Both of them also hit a double.
Sophomores Abby Hinson and Kaylee Connor, along with freshman Autumn Cooper, chipped in with one hit and one RBI apiece. Hinson’s hit was the team’s last double, and freshman Lyra Newton finished with a run batted in.
The JV Lady Raiders (5-1) have off until March 24 when they travel to Pine Forest High School to begin Mid-South Conference action.
