Staff report

FALMOUTH, Mass. — Kane Kepley’s single in the bottom of the ninth gave his West team a 9-8 victory in Saturday’s Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game.

Kepley delivered the decisive hit on the eighth pitch of his at-bat, sending a fastball into right field to score the winning run from third base.

It was the first walk-off hit recorded in a CCBL All-Star Game. Kepley was mobbed by teammates after he rounded first base.

The West had to fight back from an 8-4 eighth-inning deficit. Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest), who scored two runs, was named the West MVP.

A former South Rowan standout who has starred for two seasons in the outfield at Liberty, Kepley recently announced a transfer to UNC. He’ll probably be a one-year player for the Tar Heels as he is a likely draft pick in 2025.

Kepley has exceptional running speed and is known for elite on-base percentages. He’s expected to be a top-of-the lineup hitter for the Tar Heels with lots of walks and lots of line-drive contact.