The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Young Blue Devils fall to Red Rams in semifinals
The Camden softball team stayed close to defending champion Jamesville-DeWitt in the Section III Class A semifinals but the young Blue Devils couldn’t pull off the upset.
SYRACUSE >> Camden entered Saturday’s Section III Class A softball semifinal against Jamesville-DeWitt already in the midst of the best season in program history.
For five innings, the Blue Devils showedwhy theymay just be getting started.
Coach Bill Sullivan’s squad took two one-run leads and entered the sixth inning trailing by just one before the defending champion Red Rams pulled away with an eight-run frame to win 12-3 and return to the sectional championship game.
“I think we played really well,” said Sullivan. “We played gutsy, we played a lot of small ball. We’re not a very good hitting teamsowe had to score runswhenwe could and I thought we had them on the fences there. But one bad inning, that’s all.”
Freshman Laura VanHoeven kept the Blue Devils in the game through five innings but took the loss in the circle, ending a solid season. She surrendered seven runs on seven hits over five and one-third innings. She also had a strong day at the plate, hitting two triples and scoring two runs. Lily Sullivan had two RBI for Camden in defeat.
Shayna Myshrall earned the win in the circle for J-D, scattering nine hits over her seven innings.
The No. 4 seed took the first lead with a run in the top of the first. Sierra Amo led offwith a single and stole second and third. Kylie Sullivan’s bunt single brought Amo home, giving Camden a 1-0 lead.
J-D wasted no time taking their first lead. Makenzie Keeler was hit by a pitch to start a one- out rally. Myshrall singled and Amanda Sumida walked to load the bases for Andrea Sumida, who hit a two-run single to give the No. 1 seed a 2-1 edge.
VanHoeven helped the Blue Devils tie the score again in the top of the second, starting with a two-out triple. Lily Sullivan bunted and VanHoeven came home on the throwto firstwith the game-tying run.
The freshman’s second triple of the game came with two outs in the top of the fourth. Lily Sullivan again was able to capitalize, hitting an RBI single to put Camden ahead 3-2.
Facing their second deficit, the Red Rams again rallied right back. Keeler doubled and Myshrall reached on a three-base error that brought home the tying run. Amanda Sumida then brought home the go-ahead run with an RBI groundout, giving J-D a 4-3 advantage.
The score would stay that way until the bottom of the sixth. Alexis LeClair walked to lead off and Myshrall crushed a triple to right field two batters later. Amanda Sumida followed with a triple of her own, scoring Myshrall to extend the lead to 6-3 and ending VanHoeven’s day in the circle. Andrea Sumida greeted reliever Grace Norton with anRBI single and she scored on a triple by Mary Austin. J-D scored four more runs in the frame to stretch the lead to 12-3 andMyshrall set the side down inorder inthe top of the seventh to finish the game.
The loss ended a season that saw Camden not only return to the Section III Class A playoffs but also pick up the first postseason victory in programhistory and reach the semifinals for the first time.
“We started out doing all right and then we fell apart (this season), “said Sullivan. “This team has its ups and downs and to make it to where we’re at, they finally started playing good together at the end of the season when it counted. Who ever thought that we would be a No. 4 seed? Nobody.
“I just think the girls played their hearts out all year and I can’t wait for next year because we’re young. Very young. So we’ll be back.”