Elli Chew, CFNN Reporter

On Wednesday, March 5th, the Colts Varsity Baseball Team played their season’s opening game against the Richmond Raiders. The team’s overall expectation for the game was to walk away with a win, and they achieved nothing less! The Colts slid into an 8-3 win! 

When asked about his expectations for the night’s game, Head Coach Jarrod Britt, said, “I’m expecting to see our team execute well and play their roles to the best of their ability to help our team win.” 

The coach’s plan of action for the season is to focus on one game at a time, “Every game is important. We only play one at a time, so the game I’m looking forward to the most is the next one,” said Britt.

“Payton Hope started on the mound for us so I wanted to see him have a great first outing,” says Britt, and that he sure did. Hope, pitched 5 innings and facing 22 batters, managed 3 strikeouts and 75 pitches.

Players Zach Smith, Justin Lambert, Seth Jackson, Aaron Smith and Nick Minicapelli each scored at least one run. Justin Lambert led the Colts with three hits on the night.

Seth Jackson, Justin Lambert, Aaron Smith and Zach Smith started the scoring early, all crossing the plate in the bottom of the first inning. This put the Colts on top for the entire game, as they never looked back after their early lead.

After an empty second frame, Richmond scored a run in the third and fourth inning, followed by two more Colt runs in the bottom of the fourth, making the score 6-2 in favor of the Colts.

The scoring continued into the top of the fifth, as Richmond scored their third run of the game. In the bottom half of the fifth, Nick Minicapelli and Justin Lambert scored the Colts final two runs, ensuring a win against the Raiders with a score of 8-3.

“Tonight, I saw some pretty good things on the mound; pitchers threw really well. We didn’t execute the best at the plate, but my expectation is we’re going to work hard; we’re going to get better at our next game, and we’re going to execute better. That’s just the way I have to look at it,” Coach Britt said after the game.

Senior Nick Minicapelli said, “This year we came out with a new level of commitment and feel that since we have a new coach, we have something to prove to him. Honestly, he deserves it.” 

Next up for the Colts is rival Terry Sanford. When asked about which games they think their biggest competition will be, the names Gray’s Creek, Terry Sanford and Pine Forest came up.

Coach Britt said, “Gray’s Creek, Terry Sanford and Pine Forest all have quality teams that will be good competition for us during conference play. I’m really looking forward to playing Pinecrest and Southern Lee for our non-conference matchups because both of those programs are extremely talented.” 

“Friday, we are hoping for a win,” said Ms. Hope, mother of pitcher Payton Hope. With Wednesday’s win under their belt, the Colts Baseball team is set up for a strong and successful season!