The Cambridge baseball team's recent surge continued with a Wednesday evening home victory over region opponent Chattahoochee. The Bears are battling five other teams trying to make the top four in the region to advance to state playoffs. The recent run of success has resulted in a move into a tie for second place with Northview. However, much work remains as the teams are still closely bunched together in the standings.
Jon Hirschland took the mound for the home team and delivered a masterful performance, continuing a string of great outings for the senior righty. After a perfect first inning, he ran into his only trouble of the evening courtesy of a couple of Cambridge miscues. The defense has been solid of late, but not in this inning. Hirschland managed to control the damage at a single run, though the Bears entered the third inning down 1-0.
Cambridge wasted a first inning single by Cameron Moore and a second inning single by Blake Renner. The third inning would take a different turn for the Bears offense. Michael Kolesar led off with a hit by pitch. A Moore walk preceded a double by Bradley Wiedman that drove Kolesar in with the tying run. Jake Swiacki pushed the go ahead run in with a sacrifice fly to left. Blake Renner did the same thing with a sacrifice fly to right, driving in Wiedman on a great slide at the plate.
Hirschland stranded runners in each of the fourth and fifth innings to maintain the 3-1 margin. Cambridge added another insurance run in the bottom of the fifth on another sacrifice fly by Renner, driving in Moore. Chattahoochee managed a hit in the sixth and a walk in the seventh, but that was it. Hirschland struck out three batters in the seventh to close out the game in decisive manner.
Hirschland got the win going the distance and allowing an unearned run on four hits with nine strikeouts. Renner had a hit and two RBI to lead the offense. Wiedman had a double, an RBI and scored a run. Moore, Mitch Fleming and Crew Cohoes had the other hits for Cambridge.
The Bears are down to three region games remaining on the schedule and continue region play with a game at Centennial on Friday, April 14th. Game time is 5:55 PM.
Go Bears!
