RICHMOND COUNTY — Richmond varsity baseball lost to Pinecrest back in March, but they didn’t allow them the same satisfaction on Thursday. The Raiders had just enough and edged out the Patriots 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest victory the Raiders have posted against the Patriots since March 14, 2023.
Evan Hodges made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Those ten strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter’s box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double.
In other pitching news, Jeremiah Ritter looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn’t given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Caden Nolan was incredible, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Richmond’s win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-9. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Pinecrest, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 18-8.
Softball
Richmond was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the varsity softball team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 4-2 heartbreaker at the hands of the Manteo Redskins.
Madee Pearson was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. That’s the fewest hits she has allowed over her last seven games.
On the hitting side, Richmond saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emma Rusich, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Richmond’s defeat dropped their record down to 8-16. As for Manteo, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won eight of their last nine matchups. That’s provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season.
Richmond has already played their next contest, an 8-4 win against Pinecrest on the 28th. As for Manteo, they also didn’t take long to hit the field again: they’ve already played their next game, a 21-0 loss against Camden County on the 29th.