ROCKINGHAM — Allyiah Swiney sparked the late surge with a solo shot in the fourth inning, broke open the lead with a grand slam in the sixth and then sealed the deal with a diving catch and a throw out to second at the top of the seventh.
Safe to say the freshman outfielder had her fingerprints all over the Richmond softball team’s 10-5 comeback win over Purnell Swett in the semifinal round of the Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday.
Swiney finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and five RBI to help the Lady Raiders win their 12th consecutive game and advance to the tournament championship game for the seventh year in a row.
It didn’t look like No. 1 Richmond (23-2) was going to keep either streak alive at first, however, as No. 4 Purnell Swett (13-8) came out swinging and took an early 2-0 lead after Jai Deese punched a two-run shot at the top of the first inning.
The visiting Lady Rams kept the home team from crossing home plate over the next inning and a half and then added to their lead on a three-run shot from Chloe Locklear that scored both Trinity Locklear and Deese at the top of the third.
But the Lady Raiders didn’t panic.
They finally got on the scoreboard thanks to back-to-back solo bombs from Swiney and sophomore third base Payton Chappell in the bottom of the fourth, upped the ante defensively and then plated eight runs on five hits in the bottom of the sixth to go from down five runs, 5-0, at the end of the third to ahead five runs, 10-5, heading into the final frame.
Savannah Lampley, senior shortstop, scored Swiney on an RBI groundout to start the sixth-inning rally. Three bats later, senior first base Taylor Parrish gave Richmond its first lead of the night, 6-5, with a three-run shot. Swiney did one better shortly after fellow freshman Kenleigh Frye was walked and knocked her third grand slam of the season into dead center.
Purnell Swett was threatening to cut into the deficit, as it had the bases loaded at the top of the seventh, but Swiney’s catch followed by her throw to Frye for the double play ended the Lady Rams chances to flip the script.
Richmond will face off against No. 3 Lumberton in the SAC Tournament title game at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Girls soccer downs Jack Britt again, moves on to SAC title game
ROCKINGHAM — Jayla McDougald scored twice, three others netted one goal a piece and the Richmond girls soccer team beat Jack Britt 5-2 on Wednesday to advance to the Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament title game.
It was the second meeting in three days between the No. 2 Lady Raiders (15-3) and the No. 3 Buccaneers (10-7).
Avy Lucero opened the game with a score on a free kick in the 31st minute to help Richmond go into the break with a 1-0 lead, but Jack Britt returned the favor — and tied the game at 1-all — with a free kick of its own early in the second half.
McDougald would sneak one past the visiting goalie nearly eight minutes later and then score on a header, thanks to a well-placed cross from Chloe Wiggins, to give the Lady Raiders a 3-1 cushion with 16:46 left in the semifinal match.
A second Jack Britt score helped it close the gap shortly after, but the home team got scores from Jessi Graham — who put one in the back of the net off of a deflection — and Emily Buie over the next three minutes to separate itself for good.
For the third straight season, Richmond will play at No. 1 Pinecrest for the tournament championship.
This year’s winner-takes-all matchup is set for 7 p.m. on Friday.
Baseball can’t complete comeback, fall to Hoke County in semis
ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond baseball team’s comeback effort fell short Wednesday night and it was bounced from the semifinal round of the Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament with a 6-5 loss to Hoke County.
The No. 2 Raiders (18-8) remained scoreless after giving up two runs to the No. 6 Bucks (9-13) at the top of the fourth and three more at the top of the fifth, but they answered with a five-run rally in the bottom of the sixth to tie things up at 5-all.
Senior catcher Garet Weigman got Richmond going with an RBI and the home team was able to plate four more runs to swing the momentum in its favor. But a run scored by Hoke in the seventh was the deciding factor.
The Raiders will now wait to see where they will be playing in the first round of the 4A NCHSAA State Playoffs.
Richmond’s Allyiah Swiney (8) celebrates as she rounds the base after hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s game against Purnell Swett. Swiney went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in the Lady Raiders’ 10-5 victory.