Raiders now 3-3 in district baseball action

The Riverfield Academy Raiders now have a 3-3 district record after two weeks of district play.

In last week’s three-game district series, the Raiders faced the Hartfield Hawks from Flowood, Miss. The Hawks traveled to Riverfield on March 28 for the first game of the series and they came out on top by a score of 7-0.

On March 30, the Raiders traveled to Flowood for a double header. Hartfield claimed the first game of the evening by a score of 7-4. The young Raiders, however, were determined not to be shut out in the series, so they fought back hard and took game three by a score of 6-2.

In game one of the series, the Raiders found themselves in a hitting slump they just couldn’t seem to overcome. Only once in the game did they have a runner in scoring position. The Hawks, on the other hand, scored runs in innings one through five, giving them a 7-0 lead after five innings. That score held for them til the end of the game.

Game 2 went a little bit better at the plate for the Raiders as they scored four runs in the first four innings of the game. Tristan Middleton singled twice, Fisher Carpenter and Brier Williamson each hit singles. Cayden Martin doubled early in the game.
Four runs, however, were not enough to claim the win, so the Hawks tied it at four in the fourth inning. The Hawks went on to score three more unanswered runs to gain the victory in game two by a score of 7-4.

In game three of the series, the Raiders dug deep and played hard. Great Raider defense virtually shut the Hawks downs in all but the fifth and sixth innings when they scored their two runs of the game. The Raider defense turned a double play in the third inning and again in the fourth.

At the plate in game three, singles by Garrett Brakefield, Austin Salsbury, Cayden Martin, Jackson Shelton, Nick Moore, Fisher Carpenter and a double by Brier Williamson all helped to account for the six Raider runs in the 6-2 victory.

Brier Williamson was the starting pitcher in game three. Williamson pitched five innings. He was relieved by Jackson Shelton in the sixth inning who finished the game. Williamson, an eighth grader, will be accredited with his first varsity win.

The Raiders will be in district action this week with a three-game series against the Park Place Crusaders from Pearl, Miss.,

Game one will be played at Riverfield at 6:30 p.m. April 4. Games two and three will be a double header played in Pearl on Friday, April 7, with the first game beginning at 4:30 p.m.