The Lord Botetourt softball team will take an 18-4 record into Region 3D play after winning the Blue Ridge District tournament last week.
The Cavaliers will open region play against Patrick County in Daleville on Thursday of this week. The winner will advance to a semifinal game next Tuesday, May 28, and if LB advances the girls would play the winner of a quarterfinal game between Cave Spring and Christiansburg.
The Cavaliers are hitting on all cylinders as the regional begins. Last Wednesday in the Blue Ridge District semifinal in Vinton, LB hammered host William Byrd, 12-0, to take the season series from a good Terrier team. Meredith Wells pitched a two-hit shut out and walked none in the win.
The game was ended after five innings by the slaughter rule. It was scoreless after three, but LB scored six in the fourth and six in the fifth to put it away. Ironically, the same girls scored in both innings.
Maia Folk had a two run home run for LB while Audrey Butler and Halle Reese had two hits each for Botetourt. Butler had three runs batted in and Reese, the ninth hitter in the lineup, had four.
“It was great to see the players at the bottom of the order hit like that,” said LB coach Cheryl Shockley.
On Friday in Vinton the Cavaliers won 7-5 over Staunton River to win the tournament championship. Wells got the win again, improving her season record to 13-2.
Hailey Deter had a three run homer in the first inning but River came back to tie the game in the bottom of the first. The Cavaliers scored two in the second, one in the third and an insurance run in the top of the seventh, and that proved to be big when the Eagles scored twice in the bottom of the seventh.
Botetourt’s outfield played great defense in the win. Reese and Leah Carlton both made spectacular catches to thwart River rallies. Kloe Bacon had two hits and Maegan Barnes drove in two runs for LB.
“It was a good win,” said Shockley. “The girls were excited to get the trophy.”
