As the season enters its final week of play, the Cambridge baseball squad continues to lead in region play by the smallest of margins.  That simply means every game is a must win if the program hopes to secure the first home playoff series in school history.  The top four teams make the playoffs, but the top two seeds get to play at home in the early playoff rounds.  Cambridge entered the evening up a game in the loss column on both Pope and Dunwoody, so the game against Chattahoochee was crucial to maintain that margin.

 

Cambridge sent righty Casey Young to the mound looking for his fourth win on the season.  The Cambridge offense started slowly, while the home team jumped on the board in the first.  A walk, a hit and a ground-out pushed the first run of the game across.  Young suffered a little bad luck as the next batter chopped a ball down the line at third that hit the bag and skipped into left for a double to drive in another run.  A flare over second drove in yet another run and the Cougars finished the first with a 3-0 lead.

 

Cambridge threatened in the second after a Jared Spears walk and a Will Paulus single, but could push nothing across.  Young found trouble again in the second, but struck out the side to avoid further damage.

 

The Bears bats came to life in the third.  Ryan Todd singled to right to lead off the inning.  Cody Rech then roped a double to left center to put two into scoring position.  Mitch Fleming walked to load the bases, setting up a crucial two-out at bat for Jackson Woods.  Woods delivered in a huge way by driving a ball to the wall in right center clearing the bases and tying the score at 3-3.

 

Young began to settle down in third, setting the side down in order.  Cambridge took the lead for good in the fourth.  Johnny Eneberg walked to lead off the inning before stealing second.  Todd then walked before Eneberg stole third base and scored on the play as the throw sailed into left.  The rally ended there.

 

Young tossed another scoreless inning in the bottom of the fourth.  The Cambridge bats continued to stay hot in the fifth, scoring three more times.  Woods doubled in another run before Eneberg launched a towering two-run homer to right to push the score to 7-3.  Young looked like a man-possessed in the fifth mowing down the side in order to finish his day.

 

Turner Rosenbaum replaced Young in the sixth and pitched an easy 1-2-3 inning.  Singles by Matt Faby and Todd, plus a Paulus walk loaded the bases in the seventh for Cambridge.  Ross Friedrick drove in a run on a fielder's choice and a second run scored via error on the play to push the score to 9-3.  Rosenbaum found trouble in the bottom the inning, but escaped with only a run allowed and Cambridge came away with the big 9-4 victory.

 

The Cambridge offense produced eight hits on the day, led by Woods.  He had two doubles and four RBI to pace the attack.  Eneberg had his first career home run, two stolen bases and two runs scored.  Todd had two hits and Rech had a double.  Young did secure his fourth season win with a gritty performance, going five innings allowing three runs with four strikeouts.  Rosenbaum secured the save with two innings of one-hit ball.

 

Cambridge continues region play with a game at North Atlanta on Friday, April 12th.  Game time is 5:55 PM.

 

Go Bears!