While nearly all games in the immediate area were cancelled or postponed on Thursday, the weather was good enough in Rockingham that Richmond had Lee County come to town for soccer and softball games.
The Lady Jackets scored a 1-0 win in the soccer match, but the softball game, also played in intermittent drizzle, didn’t have a positive outcome as Lee dropped its third game of the week, 6-4.
Lee softball dropped a 19-7 loss at Pinecrest on Tuesday and fell 17-5 against Cape Fear in a Wednesday non-conference game. Friday’s game was much more competitive, but the Lady Raiders took the lead in the second inning, and the game was called due to the weather after five innings with the home team in front.
Lee took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Richmond (7-12, 5-6 Sandhills Athletic Conference) got two runs in the second and two more in the third. Lee got a run in the fourth inning and another in the fifth, but Richmond stayed ahead by scoring a run in each of the final two frames.
Even though the week as a whole was not a good one for the Lady Jackets, McKenzy McDougald had a memorable outing in the loss to Cape Fear. She went 2-for-4 with a home run and drove in four of Lee’s five runs. Kasie Roberts went 2-for-3 with two runs scored in the loss to Pinecrest, and Hailey Hughes went 2-for-3 in the Richmond game, which she also pitched and allowed three earned runs over five innings with five strikeouts.
Southern Lee played just one softball game this week, falling 8-0 to Hoke County on Tuesday night. It was the team’s second loss of the season to the Bucks, who are enjoying their best softball campaign in years with a 15-4 record and 8-3 in conference play. Lady Bucks sophomore pitcher Niya Jones turned in a strong performance, tossing a six-hitter with 11 strikeouts and no walks. Peyton Varner and Sydney Bisson each touched her for a double, but Southern couldn’t get either of them home.
The regular season is winding down for softball, and while neither local team is eliminated from playoff contention, both are on the outside looking in with not much time left. Lee and Southern are actually 35th and 36th, respectively, in the NCHSAA 3A East RPI, with only the top 32 being allowed into the field. The SAC has been a strong league this season, and the strength of schedule has both teams on the bubble, but both teams need more wins in the final days of the season.
