Softball Game Preview: Richmond Raiders vs. Union Pines Vikings

Raiders

Runs

04/04/25 @ Hoke County	2
04/02/25 vs Jack Britt	7
04/01/25 vs Pinecrest	15
03/28/25 vs Southern Lee	16
03/25/25 vs Scotland	0
+ 11 more games

The Richmond Raiders will head out on the road to take on the Union Pines Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Richmond is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.

Last Friday, Richmond didn't have quite enough to beat Hoke County and fell 3-2. That's two games in a row now that the Raiders have lost by just one run.

Madee Pearson was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Jakayla Steele made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Trinity Lockhart, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases.

Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Union Pines' offense. They came up short against Scotland on Friday, falling 9-0. The Vikings haven't had much luck with the Fighting Scots recently, as the team has come up short the last nine times they've met.

This is the second loss in a row for Richmond and nudges their season record down to 6-10. Even worse, they were so close both times: the defeats came by an average of only one runs. As for Union Pines, their loss dropped their record down to 9-7.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Richmond hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Union Pines struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.

Richmond suffered a grim 19-2 defeat to Union Pines when the teams last played back in March. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.