Power and precision propels Richmond to record-setting wins
Connare Field, Richmond, Sunday 7th August 2022
By Alvin Michael | alvinmichael.com | @AlvinMicWrites
Dukes kept up the pressure on the teams above them in the BBF Single A playoff race by beating Herts Raptors in both games of their doubleheader this past Sunday in Richmond.
It was a record-breaking day of many “firsts” for Richmond as they comfortably eased past Raptors, outmatching their opponents in every department.
Sam Hofbeck started game one for the hosts and produced his best performance of the season. His command was excellent and his stuff kept Raptors guessing and whiffing for most of the afternoon. Hofbeck was dialled in all day, throwing 63 of his 86 pitches for strikes, striking out 10, with no walks, and only giving up two earned runs off four hits. The only free pass he issued was a plunked batter in the third.
Dukes’ lineup was firing on all cylinders from the get-go, getting quality production from top to bottom. They combined for 17 hits (a single game team record) with six players having multi-hit performances (another single game team record), including Henry Slesser, Andy Nendick and Gaston Farina. Cam Esmond continued his resurgence at the plate finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI and one stolen base - his first career three-hit game. Curtis Day notched his first hit of the 2022 season, a double to centre. Rob Markiewicz flexed his muscles going 2-for-3 including a home run deep to left field. His first career home run was a no-doubter from the crack of the bat.
Hofbeck sealed the win and his stupendous performance with a grand slam home run in the second, a moon shot to left-centre that put the game beyond Herts’ reach. That was Hofbeck’s first career grand slam, and the first ever grand slam in Richmond Dukes’ history since their inception in 2012.
A few individual moments of brilliance gave the visitors a glimmer of hope. Jack Burkett flashed the leather at shortstop to save a couple of runs in the first and second innings, and Catcher Max Farmbrough scored an inside-the-park home run after hitting a bullet line drive through the gap into right-centre field to start the third. But it wasn’t enough as Richmond kept chipping away, scoring in every inning, to win 12-4.
In game two, Richmond went up a gear and were in full attack mode from the first pitch. They scored the maximum five runs allowed in each inning, off of a team total 10 hits and 12 walks. Gaston Farina got things going in the first, launching a three RBI home run way over the fence in left-centre field, his first career home run. Markiewicz was locked in at the plate and hit his second home run of the season, another towering blast to left-centre, to mark the first time a Duke has homered twice in a doubleheader. The four home runs, 27 hits, and 32 runs scored totals in a doubleheader were also new team records for Richmond Dukes.
Luke Ellet started his first game for Richmond on the mound after impressing in his pitching debut coming on in relief versus London Mustangs. Ellet started off well, retiring the side in the first inning with a mixture of 4-seam fastball, cutter and curve without giving up a run. He started to struggle with his command in the second and third, giving up a total four earned runs, off five hits and four walks before manager Paul Tiley replaced him. Tiley took the ball himself and delivered his best pitching performance of the season. With no outs and runners on second and third, Tiley retired the side unscathed with the help of an outfield putout and assist from Curtis Day for a 7-5 double play. It halted Herts’ impetus immediately and Tiley shut down their offence the rest of the way. Tiley worked three innings of 1-hit, 1-walk ball, striking out two, with no runs allowed. Richmond dominated and cruised to an easy 20-4 victory, giving Luke Ellet his first win as a pitcher on his first start.
Richmond have now won four in a row with two games left to play of the regular season - a tough doubleheader at home against division leaders Herts Hawks. Dukes should take solace from their strong performance against Hawks earlier in the season despite the losses. There is a slim mathematical chance for Dukes to win the race for the second playoff spot, but they no longer control their own fate. All they can do now is win their remaining fixtures, which would extend their winning streak to six games (their longest win streak in 2022) and finish the season with a .500 record, which would be their best finish to a season since their incredible, improbable 2013 Single A National Championship winning campaign.