Richmond baserunner Matt Rines, left, dives back to second base in time to beat the tag from Buckfield second baseman Dylan Harvey during Tuesday’s game at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
RICHMOND — According to Richmond High School baseball coach Ryan Gardner, it’s “good to play a close game once in a while” when your team has had double-digit victories over its last nine wins.
On Tuesday, Buckfield provided the Bobcats with that opportunity. Trailing 4-2, Richmond scored five runs in the fourth inning to retake the lead and pull away for an 11-6 victory in a battle between East-West Conference foes.
“We really needed to play something like that. Most of our games have been over in five (innings),” Gardner said. “We need to get a mix of games in there.”
Senior Zach Small earned the win, pitching 6 1/3 innings of no-hit ball before Matt Rines relieved him in the seventh to close out the game. Small fanned nine hitters, walked four and hit two batters.
“I didn’t have my control today,” Small said. “I like to mix in a lot of curveballs, but I wasn’t hitting them today.”
The Bobcats (11-0) opened the game with two runs in the top of the first inning off Buckfield starter Tyler Gammon. After Andrew Vachon singled and Danny Stewart walked, Nate Kendrick hit a ball to third base and the throw was wild at first, allowing both runners to score.
The Bucks (7-5) answered in the fourth, taking advantage of a wild Small. After a flyout, the right-handed hurler hit the next two hitters before Shane St. Pierre’s batted ball was thrown away, letting both runners to score to tie the game.
Small struck out the next hitter, but the batter reached first after the pitch was wild. Two more infield errors pushed across the next run before a Dylan Harvey sacrifice fly plated the fourth run of the inning, giving the visiting Bucks a 4-2 lead.
“We put the ball in play and made things happen,” Buckfield coach Ben Keene said. “That’s what we tell the team, and today it got us some runs.”
“We didn’t field the ball well today,” Gardner, whose team made four errors on the day, said. “That didn’t make me very happy, but it’s getting late in the season so we want to see if we can battle through it.”
Trailing 4-2, Richmond did battle through it and retook the lead.
Kendrick led off the inning with a walk and stole second. Gammon attempted to pick off Kendrick, but the righty’s throw went into centerfield, moving Kendrick to third. Two pitches later, Kendrick scampered home on a wild pitch.
Following two quick outs, Ben Gardner started things again, roping a double to left. Dakota Gilpatric singled, scoring Gardner with the tying run. Rines’ single and Vachon’s walk loaded the bases for Richmond. After flyouts in his previous two at-bats on the day, Small then ripped a single to left field, scoring two more Bobcat runs.
“I hit a home run the other day, so I think it changed my swing a little,” Small said. “I knew I needed to get my top hand over the ball and put it out there somewhere so we could score some runs.”
Vachon later scored the fifth run of the inning, on another wild pitch, giving the home team a 7-4 lead through four innings.
The Bobcats stole 11 bases in the contest.
“That’s what we do, we get pitchers thinking about the runners,” Gardner said. “We move runners up so a base hit may score two instead of just one.”
Meanwhile, Small continued to stifle the Buckfield hitters, retiring the next six, and worked around another infield error when catcher Trystin Shea threw out the runner trying to steal second.
Small seemed to get into a little trouble in the sixth when he walked a pair of hitters following a leadoff punch out. But the senior stopped any potential threat by striking out the next two hitters to end the frame.
Already leading 9-4, the Bobcats tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning off Zach Grover, who replaced Gammon at the top of the inning. The Bobcats scored on Kendrick’s sacrifice fly and an RBI single from Ben Gardner for an 11-4 lead heading into the final inning.
After a leadoff walk and a pop out to second base, coach Gardner replaced Small on the mound with Rines.
“He was at 95 pitches, and I want to be able to use him this Saturday when we play,” Gardner added.
Having not recorded a hit in six-plus innings, the Buckfield hitters were happy to see Small out of the game. The next batter, Ethan Jackson, collected the Bucks’ first hit, greeting Rines with a single to left. Following a pair of walks, Dylan Harvey hit a sacrifice fly to score Rick Kraske. A bases-loaded walked scored another run, and brought Kaleb Harvey to the plate.
The right-handed hitter hit a sharp grounder to third base where Vachon fired to first for the final out.
“Our kids learned from this,” Keene said. “The first thing the kids said to me after the game was, ‘we’re ready for the playoff,’ which is a great thing to hear from them.”
Currently Richmond and Buckfield sit 1-2 in the Class D South Heal Points.
“Again, when you play a lot of games where we are beating teams by double-digits, it’s good to see our team bare down,” Gardner said.
Rines finished with two hits and an RBI, while Shea, Justin Vachon and Ben Gardner also knocked two hits apiece in the 11-hit attack.
Richmond baserunner Matt Rines, left, dives back to second base in time to beat the throw to Buckfield second baseman Dylan Harvey during Tuesday’s game at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
Richmond baserunner Matt Rines, left, dives past second base as he beats the tag by Buckfield second baseman Dylan Harvey during Tuesday’s game at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
Buckfield’s Rick Kinske scores in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly ahead of the throw as Richmond’s Trystin Shea prepares to catch the ball. (Eric Maxim/Brunswick Times Record)Buckfield left fielder Rick Kraske watches the ball bounce away after missing it on a diving catch attempt during Tuesday’s game against Richmond at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
Richmond’s Zach Small throws during Tuesday’s game against Buckfield at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
Richmond shortstop Matt Rines fields a bouncing ball during Tuesday’s game against Buckfield at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
Richmond catcher watches the ball as Buckfield batter Dylan Harvey runs to first after bunting and baserunner Ethan Jackson sprints to the plate on a suicide squeeze play during Tuesday’s game at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. Jackson scored a run and Harvey was thrown out at first base. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
Richmond catcher watches the ball as Buckfield batter Dylan Harvey runs to first after bunting and baserunner Ethan Jackson sprints to the plate on a suicide squeeze play during Tuesday’s game at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. Jackson scored a run and Harvey was thrown out at first base. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
Buckfield’s Shane St. Pierre, left, beats out the throw to Richmond first baseman Danny Stewart during Tuesday’s game at the Gerald N. Seigars Memorial Baseball Field in Richmond. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal)
Send questions/comments to the editors.
