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The Official Home of the Richard Bland Statesmen
Posted: Mar 29, 2016

STATESMEN BATS ERUPT, SWEEP WAKE TECH IN DOUBLEHEADER

STATESMEN BATS ERUPT, SWEEP WAKE TECH IN DOUBLEHEADER
Box Score Box Score Preview
Batting
Richard Bland College
2B: Whitney Clements; Shannon Buffington; Mikie Williams 2; Mackenzie Babb
3B: none
HR: none
Wake Technical Community College
2B: none
3B: none
HR: none
Full stats
Batting
Richard Bland College
2B: Hannah Barnes
3B: Hannah Barnes; Kimberly Ellis
HR: none
Wake Technical Community College
2B: none
3B: none
HR: none
Full stats

RALEIGH, N.C., (Mar. 29, 2016) -- The Richard Bland College softball team combined for 33 hits and 33 runs in sweeping a Region X Conference doubleheader over Wake Technical College 15-1 (five innings) and 18-9 (six innings) on Tuesday afternoon. While the first game was never in question, the second game was played in stark contrast to the opener, the Statesmen having to plate 16 runs over the final three innings to earn the victory.

Big innings ruled the day in both games. Richard Bland exploded for nine runs in the top of the fourth to break open the first game. In a see-saw affair, Wake Tech scored eight runs in the bottom of the second in game two, only to see the Statesmen score eight runs in the top of the fourth and four each in the fifth and sixth innings to take command of the game.

In a day of big offense, the Statesmen produced their finest offensive output of the season, and improve to 12-14 on the season and 8-2 in conference play. Richard Bland will rely on this momentum this upcoming weekend, as the team travels to Patrick Henry on Friday, April 1 for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. and then host Region X-leading Florence-Darlington on Saturday at 2 p.m.

 

Richard Bland 15, Wake Tech 1
The Statesmen put the Eagles in a 7-run deficit after plating seven runs to start the contest. It proved more than enough offense for freshman starter Shannon Buffington, who earned her 10th win of the season following a 1-hit performance. Fellow freshman Brittney Wash logged the final two innings in the 5-inning RBC victory. Eleven different Statesmen players had at least one hit, led by a 3-hit and 3 RBI afternoon from freshman Morgan Whitley.

Wake Tech earned its lone run in the bottom of the first inning, and kept Richard Bland off the scoreboard for the next three frames. In the top of the fourth, however, the Statesmen broke the game open with a nine run flourish that included six hits. Sophomore Mikie Williams had an RBI, as did Whitley and freshman August Ringer. Sophomore Hannah Barnes plated two with a double and sophomore Kimberly Ellis knocked in a run with a triple. Wash helped her own cause with an RBI single.

 

Richard Bland 18, Wake Tech 9
 The Statesmen led modestly 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second, and then the Eagles exploded for eight runs to knock Wash out of the game. In the bottom of the third, the hosts tacked on another run to take a 9-2 lead, but in the top of the fourth, the RBC bats exploded for eight runs to take a 10-9 lead. Over the next two innings the Statesmen would score eight unanswered runs to secure the victory.

The game-changing fourth inning featured two doubles by Williams and one from sophomore Mackenzie Babb. In total, RBC banged out eight hits in the fourth, six coming in a row. RBC scored four more runs in the fifth to secure a 14-9 lead, getting a big double from sophomore Whitney Clement that brought home sophomore Amanda Archer who led off the inning with a walk. Four more runs crossed the plate in the sixth courtesy of four straight hits by sophomore Hayley Olson, Babb, Clements and sophomore Hannah Barnes. 

Buffington earned the win in relief of freshman Katelyn Cobb, who allowed two hits and two runs in 1.1 innings. Buffington allowed just one hit in three innings to earn her 11th win of the season. Clements led the offensive attack with three hits, while six other Statesmen had two hits each.