Raiders win three, drop one in opening week of baseball season

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The Raiders had a busy beginning to the baseball season, playing four games in six days.
Beginning things on Tuesday, May 25, Mount Ayr dropped its first contest to the Clarke Indians.
The Raiders took their first win over Lenox on Wednesday by a score of 5-3.
Friday, the Raiders went three innings with Bedford, winning 16-1.
The Raiders finished out the week with a 6-0 win over Shenandoah on Saturday.
Clarke 6, Mt. Ayr 3
The Raiders had some first game growing pains against Clarke on opening day, dropping the first contest 6-3 after Clarke added four runs in the top of the second.
The Raiders were able to add one in the fifth to prevent the shutout.
Clarke tacked on two more in the seventh and Mount Ayr was only able to add two more runs.
The Raiders went through three pitchers in the loss against Clarke. Briar Knapp received the loss on the night, having pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing four runs off two hits and walking three. Jaixen Frost came in to relieve Knapp and allowed two hits, walked three and struck out 10.
Frost exited the contest after 4 and 1/3 innings before Jace Grose closed out the game, allowing two runs and walking one with one strikeout in his inning.
At the plate, the Raiders recorded three runs off four hits and walked six times and recorded three RBI.
Clarke pitched four allowing three runs off two hits, walked six and struck out eight batters.
At the plate, Clarke recorded six runs off three hits and walked seven times.
“We gave up four runs in the second inning with three walks, a hit batter, everything was self-inflicted,” said coach Chris Elwood. “It was a frustrating game and hopefully we can build off it.”
Mt. Ayr 5, Lenox 3
The Raiders traveled to Lenox on Wednesday, fresh off their loss to Clarke, struggled with the Tigers but were able to pull off a 5-3 win.
The Raiders went up early, scoring three in the third and allowing one to the Tigers. Lenox would add one more in the fifth to make it a 3-2 contest, but a two-run sixth inning would give the Raiders some breathing room.
Lenox snuck in one in the seventh before the Raiders put the game away to get the win.
Jaydon Knight received the win on the night after pitching four innings and allowing one run off two hits, walking two and striking out 12.
Dawson Swank relieved Knight and pitched three innings, allowing two runs off one hit, walking three and recording five strikeouts.
The defensive recorded nine errors in the contest, while the Tiger defense recorded three.
Offensively the Raiders recorded five runs on three hits, three RBI and walked six times and reached on error three times.
“Pitching was the story of the night for us,” said coach Elwood. “Really give Dawson credit. There were a lot of errors behind him and he fought through the adversity. Not a game we deserved to win but we will take it.”
Mt. Ayr 16, Bedford 1
Mount Ayr hosted Bedford on Friday, May 28 where the Raiders put the Bulldogs away after three innings, winning 16-1.
The Raiders put up five in the first, eight in the second and finished it out with three in the bottom of the third after giving up one to the Bulldogs in the top of the third.
Pitching duties for the Raiders went to Jace Grose, who took the win, and Briar Knapp who relieved Grose for 1/3 of an inning.
Grose allowed one run on one hit and walked three, while striking out two.
Knapp had a pitch count of four to close out the night.
At the plate, Mount Ayr recorded 13 hits, 16 runs and one homerun off the bat of Jace Grose.
Mt. Ayr 6, Shenandoah 0
Closing out the week, the Raiders shutout the visiting Mustangs, 6-0.
Jaixen Frost started the day on the mound, receiving the win as well, after allowing two hits and striking out seven.
Briar Knapp relieved Frost and allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one.
The Raiders were 11-of-28 at the plate, recording six runs, two homeruns, one from Frost and one from Knapp.
Shenandoah pitched Carter Ruzek who allowed six runs off eight hits, while striking out four.
Camden Lorimor relieved Ruzek and allowed two hits and walked one.
At the plate, the Mustangs recorded three hits and reached on error once.
“Our hitting improved and that’s one thing we like to see,” said coach Elwood. “We played good defense. We have a lot of confidence in our pitching and if we play solid defense we are going to do well.”