Photos by Brian Hoffman
The Lord Botetourt baseball team had their work cut out for them when they opened play in the Virginia High School League Class 3 baseball tournament Tuesday. The Cavaliers were set to play Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg.
LCA comes into the tournament as Region 3C champions with an undefeated 22-0 record. The game was set to be played on Liberty University’s artificial turf field, and the Cavaliers have not played on artificial turf this season. Coach Todd Smith took the team to Heritage High on Monday to get a sample of playing on turf.
LB came into the game with a 15-8 record, and ace Nolan Medley was scheduled to start on the mound for the Cavaliers. Medley has a 5-0 record, including a win over Abingdon in last week’s Region 3D semifinal that clinched a spot in the state for the Cavs.
In that game, in Abingdon on May 28, LB upset the Falcons 4-3. The Cavaliers scored all four runs in the top of the first inning and that was enough for the win. Medley pitched five and two-third innings before hitting the pitch count and Ethan Deschambault picked up the save with an inning and a third of scoreless ball. It was Deschambault’s sixth save of the season. Medley allowed just two hits while fanning seven and walking seven. Offensively, Noah Donaho had two hits, including a double, and Jakari Nicely also had a double.
That win clinched a spot in the state for the Cavaliers and put them in Friday’s region championship game against Pulaski County. That one went down to the wire before the Cougars prevailed, 7-4, sending the Cavaliers to Lynchburg for the first round of state play.
Caleb O’Quinn started on the mound for LB and was touched for four first inning runs. LB rallied with a run in the second and two in the third, highlighted by a Medley home run, but the Cougars scored one in the third and two in the fourth and led 7-3 heading into the home seventh.
JJ Tyree, who relieved O’Quinn on the mound in the fourth inning, led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to cut the lead to 7-4. That was followed by singles by Medley and Donaho, and when Brayden Wells walked the Cavaliers had the tying runs on base with no outs. However, the next three batters struck out, two looking, and Pulaski escaped with the win.
Medley finished three-for-three with a homer, Cody McConnaughey had two hits and Tyree had the seventh inning tater for LB.
Results of Tuesday’s game with LCA were too late for publication, but if the Cavaliers prevailed they would advance to Friday’s semifinals at Monticello High School’s baseball field at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The field is located at Brownsville Elementary School.
The championship game is Saturday at 11 a.m.
