Corey Davis

Richmond County Daily Journal

One of the goals of the Richmond baseball team before the season was winning its third straight Mid-Southeastern Conference championship, but now the Raiders are just hoping to improve their seeding going into the playoffs.

Richmond has an overall record of 13-8 and is currently fourth in the conference with a 7-5 mark. The Raiders’ 4-0 loss to first-place Scotland (14-5, 10-2) last Friday eliminated Richmond from having a chance at winning the league title.

“It’s disappointing not to win the conference, and you always want to win it,” Raiders coach Jason Norton said. “The guys have continued to compete and it’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

With five teams out of the conference making it to postseason play, Richmond has clinched a playoff spot. According to Norton, the Raiders can finish anywhere from third to fifth in the MSEC.

Pinecrest (16-5, 8-4) holds the third spot followed by Richmond and Jack Britt (9-12, 5-7). The Raiders split the season series with the Patriots. For the Raiders to claim the No. 3 seed out of the conference, Richmond would need to win its final two conference games against Seventy-First and Hoke, currently second in the MSEC. While the Patriots would have to drop their last two versus Westover and 71st.

Despite having a record under .500, Jack Britt swept the season-series from Richmond and would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker if the two teams finished with identical conference marks.

“We know the biggest thing is taking care of our business,” Norton said. “I feel like this conference has been crazy in all sports. The football team didn’t win the conference and look what happened to them. Once you are in the playoffs, you can throw the records out of the window. It’s a one-game tournament and we will see how it goes once we get there.”

Richmond host the Falcons today at 5 p.m. Ryan Jenkins is scheduled to start on the mound. Jenkins pitched a one-hitter against 71st on March 31 in Richmond’s 8-3 victory at Fayetteville.

Softball looking to finish undefeated in MSEC

The Richmond softball team has a chance today to clinch its first Mid-Southeastern Conference championship since 2004 as the Lady Raiders battle Seventy-First at 5 p.m.

The Lady Raiders’ 2-1 victory over Scotland last Friday improved their overall record to 14-4 and allowed Richmond to remain undefeated in conference action at 11-0. Richmond swept the season series with the Lady Scots (15-4, 8-2) to hold the tiebreaker in case of a tie in the standings.

“We talked about it before Friday that if we could beat Scotland, then we would be in the driver’s seat,” Lady Raiders coach Wendy Wallace said. “Right now, everything is looking good for us to clinch the conference in our next game. With this being the last year in the conference, it would be a great accomplishment.”

Last season, the Lady Raiders appeared on its way of winning the league crown, until a late-season ending knee injury to starting pitcher Maggie McKenzie and poor defense derailed Richmond’s chances.

This season, McKenzie has been healthy throughout the season on the mound and Richmond has won five conference games decided by one-run.

“Last year, late in the season after Maggie got hurt, we didn’t play well on defense,” Wallace said. “I think the biggest thing is we have taken care of ourselves defensively in those close games.”

The Lady Raiders also have a chance to finish undefeated in the conference if they win their remaining three games versus 71st, Hoke and Jack Britt.

“That was one of our goals also coming into the season, but we’ve got to take it one game at a time,” Wallace said. “We want to use these last three games to get ourselves ready for the playoffs.”

Soccer hoping to finish season strong

For the third straight season, the Richmond women’s soccer team will head into the state playoffs as the fifth seed from the MSEC.

The Lady Raiders clinched a spot in the postseason with a 1-0 victory over Seventy-First Monday night, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Richmond’s first round opponent will be at top seed and Two Rivers conference champions Terry Sanford.

“Their kids grow up in the community playing soccer, and they have a lot of girls that play travel ball,” Lady Raiders coach Bennie Howard said. “We’ve got to bring our A-game to even play at their level. We will show up and see what happens.”

Richmond (6-10-2, 6-7 MSEC) is hoping to finish the conference season with a .500 record when it plays host to Hoke at 7 p.m. in the conference finale tonight at Raider Stadium on Senior Night. The Lady Bucks blanked Richmond 1-0 on April 6.

“We have seven players playing their last game, and we want them to send them off with a win in their last home game,” Howard said.