Sixth inning blues bite Camden again

Red Rams score four in final turn at bat, eliminate Blue Devils

Camden saw its run of three straight victories in the double-elimination Section III Class A tournament come to an end Saturday when Whitesboro put together a big frame in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 5-0 victory.

In Sunday’s elimination game, the bottom of the sixth did the Blue Devils in again.

Jamesville-DeWitt scored four runs in the frame, turning a one-run deficit into a threerun lead, and held off a furious seventh-inning rally for a 6-4 victory to advance to the championship game against Whitesboro.

Each team scored twice in the first inning before Austin Reising hit an RBI triple in the top of the second to stake Camden starter John Mitchell to a 3-2 advantage. He kept the two-run lead through the fifth inning before J-D struck in the sixth.

Andrew LeClair started the rally, leading off with a triple against Mitchell. Camden coach Jake Bates turned to Rowan Connor in relief to face Matt Cappelletti. The Red Rams senior hit a soft single to center field over the drawnin infield, scoring LeClair with the game-tying run. Cappelletti stole second before Connor got a strikeout for the first

out of the inning. Gavin French, who doubled home both J-D runs in the bottom of the first, came through in the clutch again with a single to score Cappelletti with the go-ahead run. Nolan Giblin and Parker Wing each added RBI singles against Connor in the inning, extending the lead to 6-3 going to the top of the seventh.

Camden, however, would put the pressure on in its last turn at bat. Will Havens, who came on to pitch in relief of Sean Hlywa in the top of the sixth, walked Connor to start the final inning before Hunter Holliday grounded into a fielder’s choice. Mitchell then reached on an error before Havens got the second out of the inning with a strikeout. The senior, however, then lost his control and walked Kaleb Ciani to load the bases and Shane Critelli to force in a run. With the potential tying run on second and goahead run on first, Havens escaped with a game-ending strikeout to give J-D the victory and a spot in the Section III Class A final against Whitesboro.

KYLE MENNIG – ONEIDA DAILY DISPATCH Camden’s Colin Stace (8) is tagged out by Jamesville-DeWitt catcher Ian Crawford (20) in their elimination game in the Section III Class A playoffs in Syracuse on Sunday.