The Lord Botetourt softball team has beaten everyone but their Botetourt County rival so far this season. Botetourt won three games last week and is now 12-2 with their only two losses coming to James River.

“They’re as good a team as we’ve played,” said Botetourt coach Cheryl Shockley of the Knights. “They’re well coached and they have a really good pitcher, but we could have beaten them both times.”

LB has beaten everyone else. Last week they took wins over Rockbridge, William Byrd and Alleghany and it was a variety of girls who stepped up for the Cavaliers.

“It’s been a good team effort,” said Shockley. “We don’t rely on one or two players.”

LB took a 6-5 win over Rockbridge as Hannah Mundy went four-for-four and started a winning rally in the bottom of the seventh, leading off with a single in a 5-5 game. Maranda Switzer bunted her over and Maia Folk singled her in for a walk-off victory.

Meredith Wells got the win, relieving Folk on the mound with two outs in the top of the sixth. Emma Tyler, Emma Layman and Folk had two hits each.

On Thursday in Vinton the girls won another close one, coming from behind for a 5-4 win over a William Byrd team that had won its first 10 games of the season before hitting a slump. Byrd led 4-2 after five innings only to have the Cavs put a crooked three on the board in the top of the sixth. Tyler singled in a run and Layman had a two-RBI single to plate the go-ahead runs.

Tyler and Layman had two hits each for LB. Freshman Kloe Bacon had her first high school home run, a two-run shot in the second.

Folk got the win on the mound in relief of Lauren Hoffman. Neither girl gave up a walk.

“That was important, not giving Byrd any free bases,” said Shockley. “They’re a lot like us. They have a lot of speed.”

On Friday LB finished off the week with a 10-3 win over Alleghany at home.  Tyler had four hits, giving her eight on the week, and Maegan Barnes had four hits and drove in three runs. Wells picked up her second win of the week on the mound with a complete game effort, fanning five.

Things slowed down for the girls this week with just one game, as they play at William Fleming Friday.

“We have SOL tests this week so it’s a good time to have a few days off,” said Shockley.