Blue Ridge baseball gave state powerhouse Greenbrier Christian all it could handle Tuesday in the state quarterfinals as the eighth-seeded Barons made the No. 1 Gators fight to advance to the semifinals.
Greenbrier eventually did move on, knocking off Blue Ridge 3-1.
Zach Roberts carried the load for the Barons on the mound. He threw 4.2 scoreless innings before giving way to Andy Hughes. Greenbrier, who has won 11 of the last 18 state titles and boasts Tampa Bay Rays centerfielder B.J. Upton as an alumnus, managed to scratch out a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Barons cut the lead to one run in the sixth.
That was all Blue Ridge could muster though, and the Gators tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Blue Ridge didn’t manage to rally, ending an impressive season for the Barons.
