Written by Phil Gatto
The Moore County Raider baseball team is off to a strong start in the first week of the 2012 season, posting wins over two District 9-A opponents.
Versus Huntland
On Monday southpaw pitcher Dakota Bateman got his first win of the season, going six innings in a 5-2 win over Huntland.
The Raiders went ahead in the first inning when Cole Montgomery’s base hit drove in Cole Boyce after Boyce reached second on a stolen base.
Moore County got on the scoreboard again in the second after Cody Cashion doubled and was then driven in on a base hit by fellow senior Justin Durm.
The Hornets scored in the top of the fourth but Moore County answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, with Cashion, Josh Allison and Durm crossing the plate thanks to RBIs by Josh Prater, Cole Boyce and Bateman.
Huntland added one more run in the top of the sixth.
Boyce came on in relief in the seventh inning to secure the win.
Versus Fayetteville City
The Raiders’ game with Fayetteville City High School on Friday was called after five innings due to lightening, but it was the Moore County bats that produced most of the thunder in the 11-1 Raider win.
Freshman pitcher James Dougherty got the win and junior outfielder Ben Harvey got the first Raider home run of the season on a blast in the third inning.
The Raiders are scheduled to play Cornersville in Lynchburg on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
The Raiders will travel to Unionville next Monday for a 4 p.m. game with the Community High School Vikings with a JV game to follow. The Raiders will host the Vikings next Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.