The Lord Botetourt baseball team was crowned champion of the Blue Ridge District regular season last Friday when the Cavaliers beat Northside 6-5 in eight innings. It marked the third year in a row the Cavaliers won the regular season.
Last Friday’s game at Northside was tied 5-5 after seven innings but Dylan Fralin led off the top of the eighth by reaching on an error. Caleb Franklin walked, and after one out, Patrick Kepler singled to load the bases. Logan Wood then lifted a sacrifice fly to drive in the sacrifice winning run.
Jared Arnholt picked up the win in relief of Hunter Duke, who went the first five and a third innings. Kepler had three hits for the Cavaliers and Meade Mayo had two, including a double.
LB also played Rockbridge in a non-district game last week and Kepler shut out the Wildcats 8-0. He struck out 10 while allowing just three hits over six innings before Ramsey Vassar pitched the seventh. Kepler is 5-2 on the mound this season.
Wood led the offense with a three-for-three game, driving in two runs. Drew Bond had a double.
Now 15-4, the BRD season champs will be the top seed in the district tournament at William Byrd this week. The Cavaliers will open at 5 p.m. Thursday against the winner of a play-in game between Staunton River and William Fleming, which will most likely be Staunton River.
Thursday’s second game will match Northside and host Byrd.
The BRD tournament championship game is Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Vinton. The tournament has no bearing on next week’s Region D tournament, but LB is assured of a first round home game when the regional opens on May 24.
