RICHMOND — On Tuesday afternoon, Richmond’s Zach Small pitched the ugliest dominant game you’ll ever see.

Small struck out 18 Valley hitters, but he also walked seven, one intentionally. The strikeouts were enough to keep the walks from hurting Small and the Bobcats. None of the Cavaliers issued a free pass scored, and Richmond earned an important 6-3 East/West Conference win.

Richmond improved to 10-5 and could overtake Valley in the standings with a win at Class C Old Orchard Beach on Wednesday. Valley dropped to 11-2, with both losses to Richmond, and closes the regular season at home against Greenville on Wednesday.

Small gave up just two hits — a single to Dillon Beane to lead off the top of the third inning and a two-run home run to Cody Laweryson in the fifth. However, the walks extended Small’s pitch count and Richmond coach Ryan Gardner said he considered pulling Small, whose pitch count was over 125.

“He gutted it out. I thought about taking him out, but it’s warm and his turn to pitch again won’t come up until June 9 (in the playoffs),” Gardner said.

Eight of Small’s strikeouts came with Valley hitters looking at a sweeping curveball that would dip into the strike zone at the last second.

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“I just felt my curveball today. I had it. That was the pitch I used to ‘K’ them, right there,” Small said.

With the exception of cleanup hitter Collin Miller, each hitter in Valley’s lineup struck out at least once. Small’s 18 strikeouts were the main reason the Cavaliers stranded 10 runners on base.

“You can’t stand there and take (the curve) all day,” Valley coach Scott Laweryson said. “That was his out pitch, the umpire was giving it to him, and you can’t stand there and watch it.”

The Bobcats scored all the runs they needed in the bottom of the first inning. Matt Rines led off with a single and Brendan Emmons walked. Tyler Soucy reached on an error, scoring Rines, and Small reached on an error, scoring Emmons. Soucy scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0 and Small scored on a passed ball to give the Bobcats a 4-0 lead.

“We’ve played better baseball than that. The first inning killed us,” coach Laweryson said.

The Cavs got a run back in the third, when Beane scored on a Brandon Thomas groundout. In the fifth, after Thomas reached on a passed ball third strike, Cody Laweryson hit a line drive home run to center field, cutting Richmond’s lead to 4-3. That home run, Gardner said, was why the Bobcats intentionally walked Laweryson to load the bases with two outs in the third. Small got a popup from Miller to end that jam.

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Richmond scored two more unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth. Nate Vintinner scored on a Danny Stewart single, and Stewart scored on an Emmons groundout. Stewart was originally called out, but the field umpire overruled the plate, pointing out the ball had slipped from catcher Beane’s mitt before the tag.

“You put the ball in play, good things usually happen. That’s what we’ve been doing all year,” Gardner said. “A good baseball game from, I think, two very good teams. I think we’ll see each other again.”

Luke Malloy took the loss for Valley, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out four in five innings.

“The boys are playing well. A loss isn’t always a bad thing. It makes you realize you need to work a little harder,” coach Laweryson said.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

<URL destination=””>tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

</URL>Twitter: <URL destination=””>@TLazarczykMTM


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