The Lord Botetourt baseball team is getting hot at the right time. The Cavaliers won back-to-back games over William Byrd and Alleghany last week to improve to 9-5 on the season.

“I hope we’re peaking at the right time,” said LB coach Todd Smith. “I feel like we peaked too early in some other years.”

Botetourt exploded for seven runs in the first two innings in a 9-2 win over William Byrd last week in Daleville. Hunter Duke, Patrick Kepler and Ty Maust all hit their first home runs of the season against the Terriers in the win. Byrd starting pitcher Bryce Boothe had allowed just six runs in 26 innings prior to last week’s game.

“He was having trouble with his curve ball and our kids took advantage,” said Smith.

Alex Dunn pitched five innings to get the win, allowing just one run. Hunter Duke finished up on the mound for LB.

On Friday at Alleghany the Cavs scored six runs in the final two innings of a 6-2 win over the Mountaineers. Botetourt trailed 2-0 into the sixth but scored twice in that inning to tie it up.

In the top of the seventh Logan Wood and Duke singled to start a rally. Both scored on Caleb Franklin’s single to give LB a 4-2 lead, and the Cavaliers got some insurance when Maust followed with a single and both Franklin and Maust came in on an error, then a wild pitch.

Kepler went five innings, allowing just one run while fanning five. Jordan Brake picked up the win with two innings of scoreless relief.

The Cavaliers were scheduled to play a doubleheader at Liberty on Monday of this week but that was cancelled by the Minutemen. It won’t be made up, leaving LB two games short for the regular season.

The Cavaliers are home to Franklin County tonight, and Friday they’ll host William Fleming for “Senior Night.”