SOUTHERN PINES — A quiet night at the plate led to a series-opening loss for the Richmond Senior High School baseball team Tuesday.
Beginning their two-game Sandhills Athletic Conference set with Pinecrest High School, the Raiders suffered a 4-0 loss.
Facing starting pitcher Will Chopping, Richmond recorded just one hit in the shutout. Junior Evan Hodges reached on an infield single in the top of the first inning but was left stranded.
Opposite of Chopping was senior pitcher Jason Walker for the Raiders, who pitched an almost equally impressive game. Walker went all six innings for Richmond and allowed four runs (two earned) on one hit.
Making his third start of the season, Walker struck out nine Patriots and walked just two batters.
An error and a walk to Pinecrest’s first two batters in the bottom of the first was followed by a three-run home run by Chopping to right field.
After the hiccup, Walker retired eight of the next 11 batters before the Patriots added a run in the bottom of the fourth. An RBI groundout with runners on second and third base recorded the final run of the game.
Richmond threatened to score in the seventh when junior Caden Nolan (hit-by-pitch) and senior Riley Brown (error) reached safely. After a double steal moved both runners into scoring position with one out, Pinecrest ended the game with a double play.
The Raiders (3-4, 1-2 SAC) will go for the series tie with Pinecrest (4-2, 1-0 SAC) Friday on their home diamond. First pitch from Raider Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Statistics and game information provided by Richmond’s Game Changer.
