ROCKINGHAM — Splash plays on defense through the early and middle innings Tuesday, coupled with some late-game insurance runs, kept the Richmond Senior High School baseball team in the win column.
Returning to their home diamond to continue Mid-South Conference play, the Raiders faced Jack Britt High School for the first of three times this season.
Erasing a deficit in the second inning, and later breaking a tie in the fifth inning, Richmond earned a 7-3 victory.
Notching their second win in as many games against MSC opponents, the Raiders relied on the bats of seniors Jake Veach and Caden Nolan. Having his best night at the plate this season, Veach belted three hits, including a double, and drove in a team-high three runs batted in.
Nolan, who homered twice Friday, kept his bat hot with a 3-for-4 night. He was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and sent his team-leading third longball of the season over the fence.
Junior Drew Gause drove in the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth, which scored Veach, one of his team-high two runs scored.
Starting on the mound, Nolan pitched four innings in his third start of the season. He allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits, while striking out six Buccaneers.
Getting the win in relief was sophomore Devin Haynes, who took over with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the fifth. His line was no runs on no hits over three innings of work and three Ks.
Loading the bases with two outs in the top of the second, Nolan allowed his first two runs when he hit a batter with a pitch and walked in another run.
Helping limit the damage in the inning was senior shortstop Maddox Locklear, who made a leaping catch for an out on a line drive headed for the outfield grass.
Nolan made up for the two runs in the home half when he teed up a solo leadoff home run to cut the deficit to 2-1. Facing pitcher Trace Fowler (6.0 innings, seven runs, 13 hits), Nolan launched the solo shot to left-center field that landed between the hitting facility and the scoreboard.
Starting his productive night at the dish, Veach delivered five batters later with two outs and runners on second and third base. He connected on a 1-1 offering from Fowler for a hard groundball single back up the middle to plate sophomore Drew McCaskill (walk) and freshman Julius Bowden (single) and give Richmond a 3-2 lead.
Saving a run in the top of the third, Richmond’s defense fielded a bunt and got a base runner out at the plate as a result. Nolan fielded the bunt and threw to McCaskill at third, who chased the runner toward the plate. McCaskill fired home to senior catcher Evan Hodges, who tagged him for the second out.
Nolan retired the Buccaneers (1-4, 0-2 MSC) in order in the fourth and Gause made an athletic catch on a lineout to second base to keep the game moving.
An inning later, Nolan saw his night come to an end when a leadoff walk and consecutive singles brought Haynes to the mound.
A sacrifice fly to Haynes’ first batter tied the game 3-3. But again, the defense came to the rescue and limited the damage.
With runners on the corners and one away, a fly ball to the next batter resulted in a 7-2 inning-ending double play. Bowden made the routine catch in left field and laced a dart to Hodges at the plate, who tagged out Fowler by several feet, who was trying to tag up from third.
Carrying that momentum into the bottom of the fifth, infield singles from Veach and Locklear started what would score the game-winning run. Heads up base running by Veach on Locklear’s bunt single moved him all the way to third.
Three pitches into the next at-bat, Gause hustled out the Raiders’ third straight infield hit, which scored Veach and made it 4-3.
A 10-pitch top of the sixth from Haynes retired the Buccaneers in order, paving the way to Richmond’s final three insurance runs in the bottom half.
Singling to leadoff the sixth was Haynes, one of Richmond’s single-game season-high 13 hits. With two outs, Veach sent a fly ball to right field that landed between the second baseman and the right fielder near the foul line for a double, which brought in Haynes.
Similar to the inning before, Locklear and Gause each singled in the next two at-bats, with Locklear’s liner to right field scoring Veach from second. Richmond’s final run was courtesy of Hodges, who roped an RBI base knock to left field, bringing home Locklear.
Capping the comeback win, Haynes recorded another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. He sandwiched a pair of fly outs around a strikeout, all on just 11 pitches.
In addition to three hits each from Veach and Nolan, Locklear and Gause added two hits apiece. Bowden, Haynes and Hodges all had one hit.
Adding one RBI were the first four batters in the lineup – Locklear, Gause, Hodges and Nolan.
The Raiders (4-1, 2-0 MSC) have two more games this week, starting with a conference game on the road at Hoke County High School (1-2, 0-1 MSC) Friday. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
Click here to read about the JV baseball team’s home opener.
