RICHMOND — Richmond softball’s winning streak reached the 40s with Saturday’s doubleheader sweep of Greenville. The unsettling fact for all of the teams that will try to prevent the Bobcats from reaching the 50s this season is that the two-time defending Class D champions may be tougher to beat than they’ve ever been.

Richmond used great patience at the plate, outstanding defense and the tandem of Sydney Tilton and Meranda Martin in the circle to mercy rule Greenville in both games — 15-3 in five innings in the opener, 14-0 in 4 1/2 innings in the nightcap. It improved to 7-0 on the season and extended its winning streak to 41 games over the last two-plus years.

Richmond pitcher Meranda Martin throws to the plate during a game against Greenville on Saturday at the Burney-Gardner Community Memorial Athletic Complex in Richmond. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

Richmond’s Kelsie Obi, left, slides towards home, as Greenville pitcher Lily Pelleter covers the plate, to score from third on a wild pitch during a game on at the Burney-Gardner Community Memorial Athletic Complex in Richmond. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

Kelsea Anair led the Bobcats offensively by going 5-for-6 with a home run, two walks and six runs scored. Tilton, who pitched the first game and caught the second, had four hits and two walks, drove in four runs and scored three. Kelsie Obi added three hits, three RBIs and three runs scored.

Richmond hitters worked Greenville freshman pitcher Lilly Pelletier for 25 walks in the two games.

“We’re teaching them don’t hit her pitch, hit your pitch. She’s going to give you a pitch that you can hit every time. Just don’t be anxious up there,” Richmond coach Rick Coughlin said.

When the Bobcats did swing, it was usually early in the count. And when they connected, it was usually with authority.

“She was throwing that first-strike pitch. I love that-first strike pitch. I try to hit that every time,” Tilton said.

“Right down the middle,” added Anair.

Richmond jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of Game 1 without the benefit of a walk. Instead, an error and RBI singles by Kalah Patterson and Emily Douin got the offense rolling.

The Bobcats struck for two runs in the second, again without any free passes. This time, they got two-out singles from Camryn Hurley and Anair before Tilton knocked them both in with a single.

Richmond didn’t get a hit in its biggest inning, a five-run third. Six walks, an error and a couple of wild pitches drove the Bobcats’ scoring column into double digits.

In the fourth, Anair circled the bases on a screaming drive to left. Tilton followed with a scamper all the way around the diamond on a ball hit nearly to the same spot.

“When somebody comes up here and hits the cover off the ball and gets a good hit, it gets everybody else up and it keeps rolling,” Tilton said.

Tilton (seven strikeouts, five hits, one walk) took advantage of the big cushion to throw strikes in her five innings of work. The Lakers got two runs off of her in the fourth on Jordan Mann’s triple and Emily Vraux’s RBI groundout, then got an RBI single in the fifth from Lindsay Fenn.

“There’s always room for improvement. You can always get better,” Tilton, a freshman, said of her pitching performance.

“She’s a good pitcher for a freshman. I’m very fortunate for that. I have two good pitchers,” Coughlin said.

While Tilton took care of the opener, Martin, the ace of last year’s state championship team, sat in the dugout and prepared for Game 2.

The sophomore, who has been nursing a quad injury, allowed three hits while fanning six and didn’t walk anyone in five innings.

“She’s just so strong on the mound,” Coughlin said. “(The injury) bothers her a little bit, but she doesn’t let it bother her.”

Richmond struck for five runs in the first, with Obi’s RBI single serving as the only hit of the inning. Five straight walks added to the lead. Pelletier ended the inning by retiring Anair for the only time on the day, but only because shortstop Sierra Bussell robbed Anair with a nice snag on her line drive.

Brianna Cobb, Fenn and Mann had singles for the Lakers.

Richmond did not commit an error in either game. Greenville committed seven on the day.

Greenville started the season 2-0 with impressive offensive performances against Temple Academy (21-9) and Valley of Bingham (13-12). But the Bobcats never trailed on Saturday and scored in every inning except the second frame of Game 2.

That kind of dominance is nothing new for Richmond, which has outscored its opponents 87-12 this season.

Believe it or not, winning so easily can get a little monotonous after awhile. But the Bobcats are wary of losing their edge.

“We work hard,” Anair said. “Rick pushes us hard at practice.”

“Rick keeps us right in line,” Martin said. “We’ve got to keep in line. Everybody’s looking to beat us.”

“You have to stay on them, because they have a tendency to let down and you just can’t do it,” Coughlin said. “Anybody can beat anybody if you aren’t on the top of your game.”

Randy Whitehouse — 621-5638

rwhitehouse@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @RAWmaterial33

Related Stories