The Cambridge baseball team achieved a program first playoff series victory by sweeping a Friday, April 29th doubleheader versus the higher seed Southwest DeKalb Panthers, winning by scores of 12-1 & 10-4. The Bears played great defense, hit the ball up and down the lineup and got great pitching in securing the two wins.
Hayden Onorato led off with a walk and moved to second on a sac bunt by Cameron Moore. An error off of a ball hit by Davis Dasher scored Onorato. A Pete Gottschalk single to right scored Dasher. A Bradley Wiedman walk moved Gottschalk into scoring position where he scored off of a line drive single to center by Conner Young.
Up 3-0, the Bears added another run in the fourth when Brett Hawkins singled in Hayden Onorato, who had singled to lead off the inning. A single and a sac fly for SW DeKalb made the score 4-1 after four. The Bears jumped on the tiring Panthers starter in the fifth. Conner Young kicked things off with a liner to left. Jacob Cabe and Luke Foote walked to load the bases. Onorato lined a single to right to score Young and Moore hit a sac fly to left to plate Cabe. Sam Waylock, running for Foote, scored on a steal of home to push the score to 7-1.
The Bears exploded for six hits in the sixth inning to plate five more runs. The outburst was highlighted by doubles from Dasher & Cabe, and singles by Gottschalk, Wiedman, Foote and Moore. Freshman Blake Renner pitched a perfect sixth to close out the 12-1 victory by run rule.
Weiermiller went five strong, allowing a run on three hits with nine strikeouts and a walk. The victory was his seventh on the season. Conner Young led the balanced offense with each starter getting at least a hit. He had two hits and a walk with a pair of runs scored and an RBI. Hayden Onorato had two hits and a pair of walks with a run scored and an RBI. Pete Gottschalk had a pair of hits, while Cameron Moore and Luke Foote each drove in two runs.
GAME TWO went much the same way for the Bears as the offense pushed across two runs in the first. Davis Dasher led off with a walk and came around on a Brett Hawkins triple to right. Pete Gottschalk grounded out to short to drive in Hawkins. Bradley Wiedman then doubled but was left stranded.
After breezing through the first, Cambridge starter Jon Mullis ran into trouble in the second. A walk, hit by pitch, single and a couple of Bears errors evened up the score at 2-2. But the tie would not last long as the Bears pushed across six runs in the bottom of the inning. A Luke Foote single and Hayden Onorato triple put the Bears back in the lead. Walks by Dasher and Hawkins loaded the bases. An infield single by Gottschalk pushed the score to 4-2. Bradley Wiedman stepped up and singled sharply to center where the ball was mis-played by the center fielder. Four runs scored on the play making the score 8-2.
A Hawkins double and a Gottschalk sac fly made the score 9-2, and an RBI single by Conner Young plated the last run on the day for the Bears. Jon Hirschland pitched the last two innings in relief of Mullis and allowed a couple of runs to make the final 10-4.
Mullis went five strong, allowing a pair of unearned runs on two hits with a strikeout and a walk. The win was his school-record ninth on the season. Brett Hawkins led the offense with a double and a triple with three runs scored and an RBI. Pete Gottschalk drove in three runs, while Davis Dasher scored three times. Bradley Wiedman had two hits, including a double and a pair of RBI. Hayden Onorato had a triple and Cameron Moore had a double.
With the series sweep, the Bears advance to round two of the GHSA playoffs, going up against Houston County in Warner Robbins next Wednesday (DH) and Thursday, May 4th & 5th. Game 1 first pitch is 4pm. Game 2 will begin 30 minutes after Game 1 is complete. Game 3 will be played on Thursday if necessary.
Go Bears!
