In the series to determine which team will advance to the state playoffs, the Cambridge Bears took game one 2-1 behind the stout pitching of junior Austin Weiermiller. This was a game of pitching, defense and timely hitting as both pitchers went the distance and neither team committed an error.
Things got interesting in the very first inning. One-out hits by River Ridge placed runners at second and third. The Knights cleanup hitter chopped a ball that caught everyone a little off guard as it eventually landed about 10 feet from home plate. Weiermiller made a nice play and threw the runner out at first, but the lead runner made a dash for home on the throw and just came in under the tag of Weiermiller, who raced back to the plate to attempt the tag.
The River Ridge pitcher cruised through the first couple of innings, surrendering only a Brett Hawkins walk in the first. Weiermiller easily moved through innings two and three, allowing only a single. A one-out hit in the third by Hayden Onorato got things going. Davis Dasher walked with two outs moving Onorato into scoring position. Down two strikes, Hawkins worked the count to 3-2 then delivered a clutch single to center to drive in Onorato for the tying run.
A 1-2-3 inning by Weiermiller in the top of the fourth set up action in the bottom of the inning. Junior Bradley Wiedman led off and roped a single to right center. Conner Young came up next and laid a beautiful sacrifice bunt down the first base line moving Wiedman up a base. Jacob Cabe coaxed a one-out walk, bringing catcher Luke Foote to the plate. In one of the better at bats of the season, Foote fouled off five straight pitches from the hard-throwing righty. Sitting at 0-2, he lined pitch number six into right field and drove Wiedman in for the go-ahead run and a 2-1 lead.
From this point forward the game was in the hands of the Cambridge lefty. He stranded a walk in the fifth and went 1-2-3 in the sixth. Cambridge managed only a Hawkins single in the fifth, setting up a somewhat tense seventh inning.
Weiermiller got the cleanup hitter to fly out to right to lead off the inning and the next hitter grounded out back to the pitcher. The next hitter hit a grounder up the middle that Hawkins made a great play on but could not get the speedy runner at first. The next hitter chopped a ball off the lip around home plate, sending the ball high into the air. Third baseman Wiedman made a nice play going back but could not get the runner at first. With the tying run now at second, the Cambridge ace buckled down and struck out the final hitter to close out the game and earn a 2-1 victory.
Weiermiller went the distance, allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Offensively, Brett Hawkins led the way with a pair of hits and an RBI. Luke Foote had the game-winning RBI on his lone hit, while Hayden Onorato and Bradley Wiedman each had a hit and a run scored.
Game two of the sub-region series continues Thursday evening, April 21st at River Ridge HS. If Cambridge wins, they move on to the state playoffs. If they lose, game three will be held at Cambridge on Friday, April 22nd. Game time is 5:55 PM.
Go Bears!
