In baseball, it all starts with hitting.

The Richmond Senior baseball team struggled scoring runs earlier in the season, and those woes culminated several weeks ago in a 15-0 run-rule loss at Pinecrest.

But since that time, the bats have come alive for the Raiders, and on Saturday, Richmond put together perhaps one of its best games of the season, topping defending Class 4A state champion Audrey Kell, 9-5 in the nightcap of a J.V.-varsity doubleheader at Raider Field.

This one was much closer than the score might indicate. The Raiders entered the bottom of the sixth with a razor-thin one-run lead at 6-5.

But Richmond shortstop Chandler Conner would soon change that. With runners on first and third, the Raider leadoff hitter clubbed his first homer of the season over the left-field wall to give Richmond its winning margin and a quality win over a quality opponent.

Conner doesn’t usually go up to the plate looking to go yard, and he wasn’t looking for the long ball in the bottom of the sixth either.

But he’ll gladly take the result.

“It was a 1-0 fastball, and I was just looking for something I could take into the gap, to give us an insurance run,” Conner said.

Richmond coach Ricky Young was concerned his squad might be a little flat, with a 2 p.m. game after a 10-inning 2-1 Southeastern Conference win over Hoke.

Those fears were allayed pretty quickly.

“The energy was there,” Young said. “We’re seeing the ball well, and playing some good baseball.”

Pete Howe gave the Raiders five strong innings. He left after two batters in the sixth, and Corey Wallace came in and closed out Audrey Kell over the next two innings to earn a save.

Wallace was a force at the place also, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Luke Bullard went 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Howe was 1-for-2 with a double. Conner was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and the aforementioned three-run homer.

The Raiders travel to Purnell Swett for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday.

J.V. Baseball

Audrey Kell 9,

Richmond 3

Earlier, Audrey Kell’s J.V squad dealt Richmond its first loss of the season.

Austin Brower was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Nathan Cain went 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Gregg Balzer was 2-for-3 with a triple.

The J.V. Raiders also have a busy week coming up. They host Purnell Swett Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.