SANFORD – The Richmond Lady Raiders found their footing at just the right times after upsetting No. 4 seed Lee County 7-2 to open the Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament.
Richmond snapped a five game losing streak dating back to April 13 thanks in part a strong performance by pitcher Madelyn Pearson, whose complete-game performance included 10 strikeouts while allowing two runs on three hits and three walks.
After opening the game with a 1-0 lead on an RBI double by second baseman Hannah Robinson, the Lady Raiders had a quiet second, third and fourth inning, but exploded in the fifth to put the game out of contention early. Third baseman Emma Rusich, who had a team-leading three RBIs picked up both of her earned runs after extending the Lady Raiders’ lead in the fifth with a two-RBI double. A single by catcher T Lockhart on the next exchange added another run Richmond’s lead, then a Pearson sacrifice fly added another before a shallow blooper by first baseman C Jacobs took Richmond’s lead to five before a strikeout ended the inning.
After a two-run Lee County rally in the sixth, Richmond responded with a pair of insurance runs on a Lockhart single and a Rusich double. With the win, the Lady Raiders’ record improved to 7-10. The Lady Raiders next face top-seed Scotland (16-1) on the road with the first pitch set for 6 p.m.