While the Cambridge baseball team stumbled out of the gate, just like that they've turned it on and have now won four straight over stout competition.  The varsity squad continued their winning ways with a pair of victories on Saturday at the Lakepoint Sports Complex against Tattnall Square Academy and Cairo HS.

 

 

The Bears knew this would be a tough test against a perennial baseball power.  Senior righty Tommy Fester started on the bump looking for his first win on the young season.  And like the game the previous evening, the opposition threatened first in the opening inning.  A triple and a double by Tattnall pushed the game's first run across.  But Fester buckled down and retired the next two hitters to escape further damage.

 

Cambridge loaded the bases in the bottom of the first without benefit of a hit, but could not push anything across as the score remained 1-0 in favor of the visitors.  Both pitchers settled in and the score remained 1-0 after three.  Fester was only getting better on the mound for Cambridge, striking out two in each of the third and fourth innings.

 

The Bears offense came to life in the bottom of the fourth against the Tattnall starter.  Jackson Woods led off with a walk, then scored from first on a double to right by Matt Faby to tie the score.  Justin Hozman popped a two-out single to left to drive in Faby and give Cambridge its first lead of the game.  Jared Spears walked before both runners moved up a base on a passed ball.  Then, on a rare play, both runners scored on a wild pitch as the catcher was unable to locate the ball as Spears raced around third and into home.  Ryan Todd then lined a single to center to score Jayden Carbonell-Smith, who had walked and the Bears had a 5-1 lead.

 

Fester K'd three in the fifth and another in the sixth to close out a stellar day on the mound.  Cambridge added an insurance run in the sixth on a Spears walk and a Todd RBI single.

 

Jordan Payne replaced Fester in the seventh and found a little trouble but closed out the game with a 6-2 Cambridge victory.

 

Fester secured the win, going six innings, allowing one run on four hits with ten strikeouts and no walks.  Payne earned his first career save.  The Bears offense maximized its five hits to generate the six runs.  Todd led the way with two hits and two RBI.  Faby, Hozman and Will Paulus had the other hits, while Spears scored twice.

 

 

Cambridge faced significant adversity out of the gate this game, but for the first time this season the team stayed focused and battled all the way back, leading to an exciting 7-6 walkoff win.

 

Cairo put up five runs in the first against Bears starter Nick Dato.  Bryan Drymalski relieved Dato and eventually closed out the inning staring down a deficit of five runs.  Alex Armstrong entered the game in the second and found some trouble but buckled down and held Cairo to a single run and a 6-0 deficit.

 

Cambridge added its first run in the bottom of the second.  Consecutive one-out singles by Grayson Dato, Nicholas Armstrong and Drew Hill loaded the bases.  Dato scored on a sac fly down the right field line by Zach Harris to make the score 6-1.  The rally ended there, however.

 

Neither offense could get anything going in the third and fourth innings, before the Bears mounted a rally in the fifth.  Alex Moulter led off with an infield single and moved to third on a Ryan Todd pop single.  Moulter scored on a double play by Cairo, cutting the deficit to 6-2.  Jackson Woods then doubled to left and scored on a triple to right by Grayson Dato.  Paulus singled up the middle to make the score 6-4.

 

Drew Hill led off the sixth for the Bears and singled.  Fester courtesy ran for Hill and moved to third on a double by Spears.  Fester then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 6-5.  Moelter hit a sac fly to right to tie the game at 6.

 

In the seventh, Cambridge loaded the bases courtesy of a Matt Faby leadoff double, an error and an intentional walk.  Will Paulus then lofted a popup that landed behind the drawn-in shortstop for the game winning and walkoff single.

 

Faby entered the mound in the sixth to pitch two scoreless innings and earn his first career win.  Patrick Warren pitched two clutch scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, striking out three.  The Bears offense generated a season high 13 hits.  Todd, Paulus and Hill each had a pair of hits.  Faby, Spears and Woods had doubles, while Dato had a triple.

 

 

Cambridge is set to play its first home game of the season on Tuesday, February 25th versus Sequoyah HS.  Game time is 5:55 PM.

 

Go Bears!