The baseball team played the district champion-deciding game versus the Lovejoy Leopards April 25. The teams came into this game with two losses each.

Whoever won would become district champions.

The Raiders won 13-3.

“We knew it’d be exciting,” Assistant varsity baseball coach, Randall Linebaugh, said. “There was a lot of emotion running into the game, and it was visible in the early innings. But we kept on hitting and pulled away at the end.”

The boys controlled the game, scoring in every inning.

The team has bonded very well throughout the season.

“The team has great chemistry this year,” Coach Heath Andrews. “It’s a great dugout for every game. The leaders are great, and I’m really excited with what we have.”

The game went all seven innings, but it was out of Lovejoy’s reach before long.

“It was great,” senior Bryar Barnes said. ”The greatest moment of the game was the last pitch when we all knew we won the district title. It was the memory of a lifetime.”

The moments after the game were incredible, according to the team. As the game drew to a close and they won, the boys pulled out Mountain Dew and sprayed it on each other. Some of the players even dumped it on the coaches’ heads.

“It was a great moment in my life and I’m sure it was the same for my brothers,” senior Julian Stephens said. “I’m glad all the hard work is paying off.”

They will face Mount Pleasant May 2 in a one-game playoff.

“We are ready to get after it,” Barnes said about the May 2 game. “It’s just another game in our journey to state.”

The boys are ready for the playoffs, according to senior Garrett McCain.

“This ride has been a blessing,” McCain said. “Hopefully, God willing, we can continue to make a run and enjoy every moment of this season.”