Salem High’s Aiden Poff broke up a no-hitter in the top of the sixth inning and the Spartans rallied for seven late runs to beat Lord Botetourt in baseball Monday. Salem took a 7-1 win in Daleville.
Cavalier pitcher Garrett Lonker held Salem hitless for five innings before Poff’s shot over the left-centerfield fence broke up the shutout as well as the no-hitter. Salem plated two more unearned runs in the inning to take a 3-1 lead when Parker Sweet and Ben Keffer reached base with two outs. Then, a throwing error on a ground ball to short allowed both to score.
The Spartans added four more runs in the seventh when Chase Rutledge, Mason Hale and Brayden White all singled to load the bases with no outs. Poff and Keffer drew walks to force in two runs, Hale scored on a wild pitch and Trey Dent hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score White.
Botetourt had broken a scoreless tie with a run in the bottom of the fifth in what was a pitching duel between Lonker and Salem’s Mason Brown to that point. Side-arming lefty Brown picked up the win, allowing just three hits while striking out three. Jack Stroud threw the sixth and seventh innings for the Spartans and picked up a save.
Salem improved to 2-1 with the win. The Spartans played a game over spring break and lost to Magna Vista in Ridgeway last Friday, 11-4.
Down 4-0, the Spartans managed to load the bases with two outs in the top of the fourth when Chase Rutledge led off with a liner to center field, Ben Keffer drew a walk and Parker Sweet was hit with a pitch. However, Aiden Kirby flied out to fly out to center to end the inning and the Warriors scored five in the bottom of the inning for an insurmountable 9-0 lead.
The Spartans had a Wednesday game with Northside and today, Thursday, Cave Spring is here for a 5:30 pm game at Billy Sample Field in Salem.
