LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — It’s Thursday afternoon at Jim Burton Field and the Moore County High School (MCHS) Raiders are tied 6-6 with the Fayetteville Tigers in the bottom of the ninth. Senior Aiden Webster heads to the plate and singles on a ground ball to the Tigers second baseman. The walk-off single gives fellow senior Blakely Bobo just enough time to scamper home – handing the Raiders the win and advancing to a District 9A Semifinal game against Eagleville on Thursday.
Moore County split the Fayetteville series during the regular season. They lost in Lynchburg to the Tigers 6-0 on April 2 and traveled to Fayetteville for a big 19-13 win the following day.
The Raiders got on the board in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a hit by Landon Smith and a ground out by Colton Morey – giving them an early 2-0 lead. Fayetteville fought back in the top of the fifth – scoring four runs – but determined Raider big bat, Peyton Martin, hit a homerun to the left field to score three runs and earn back a 5-4 lead.
A Tiger single in the top of the seventh inning edged Fayetteville ahead by one in the top of the seventh. Then Martin got another hit – a single to center field on a hard ground ball – to tie the game 6-6.
Raider batters managed seven runs on seven hits. Aiden Webster and Peyton Martin led with two hits each followed by Cole Taylor, Braden Works, and Ethan Walls.
Jay Sparkman earned the win for Moore County. He surrendered just one run in three innings. Works got the start for the Raiders – surrendering just five hits and four runs across five innings. Braylon Casteel relief pitched for one inning.
The gritty Raiders were beasts on the base path – racking up six stolen bases. Bobo led with two and Morey, Taylor, Martin and Ike Holt stole one base each.
Weather-permitting, the Raiders will play Eagleville in a District Semifinal game in Eagleville at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 1. If you can’t attend, you can watch the action on the Gamechanger app or live on the NFHS Network. •
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