LOCAL SPORTS NEWS — All the way to state! All the way to state! The Moore County High School Raider baseball team set big goals this seasons and they’ve accomplished many of them. They ended the regular season in the number one spot in Class A District 8 baseball. They beat Eagleville 7-4 on May 19 to bring home the Region 4A trophy. Then on MCHS Graduation night, senior players wore their baseball uniforms under their caps and gowns to they could head straight over to Jim Burton Field afterwards to play Gordonsville in a sub state game once they had their diplomas in hand. They won that game 9-1 thanks to rock star pitching by senior Ryder Morey and a Raider squad that got hot at the plate.
Gordonsville got on the boards first last Friday when pitcher Isaac Flatt singled scoring Andrew Vaden in their first at bat. Moore County answered quickly. In the bottom of the first inning, Gage Burt doubled on a line drive to the right fielder – scoring Kyler Parker to tie the game. Then, Kaden White doubled on a line drive to right field scoring Austin Kirby. By the end of the first inning the Raiders gained the lead and never looked back.
Moore County’s big inning happened in the fourth when Raiders managed a triple, double, and single to knock in five runs. Kyler Parker got the action started when he lined out to the center fielder allowing Ryder Morey to score after tagging up. Three at bats later, Kaden White doubled on a line drive toward center field scoring Elam Brown. With two outs, Keller Morey knocked a long ball into left field. He managed a triple – scoring both Austin Kirby and Kaden White.
Ryder Morey pitched all seven innings. He allowed just six hits and one run while striking out 10 Gordonsville batters. At the plate, Moore County managed 13 total hits. Gage Burt led with three.
Tuesday face off with South Pittsburg
On Tuesday, at around 1 p.m. the Raiders will load buses and head to the TSSAA Class A Baseball State Tournament to face off with the South Pittsburg Pirate (20-13). It’s the Raider baseball program’s first appearance in the state tournament and the first appearance for South Pittsburg since 2018.
On the mound, Raider fans should keep an eye out for star Pirates pitcher Ryan Cagle (#19). He’s allowed just 12 hits and 11 runs on the season and struck out 23 batters. At the plate, Cagle’s also their second best batter with a .606 batting average. Their most dependable batter is Reece Genter (#17), who boast an impressive .611 batting average.
The game will take place at tournament host Stewart Creek High School in Smyrna at 4 p.m. Tickets are available on the Go Fan app. Raider fans who can’t travel to the game can follow the action on the Game Changer app or the Raider Student Broadcasting team will broadcast the game live on the NFHS network. If they win, they will move on to play the winner of the North Greene versus South Fulton game. If they lose, they will move down to the one loss bracket in the double elimination game. •
{The Lynchburg Times is the only daily newspaper in Lynchburg. Covering Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}