Fresh off a region opening 2-0 win over Centennial, the Cambridge varsity baseball team hoped to stay undefeated with a win over Johns Creek. And though there were several tense moments in the game, the home Bears were able to do just that with a convincing 7-2 victory Friday night, March 9th at Cambridge Field.
Starter Michael Polk found a little trouble in the top of the first with two outs courtesy of a single and an error. But he averted further damage by coaxing a ground out to second. The Cambridge bats were silent the first two innings, with only a Cody Rech single to show for the effort.
Polk settled in and kept the Gladiators bats at bay through three. The Cambridge bats came alive in a big way in the bottom of the third, plating four runs. Chase Durham led off with a single to right. With one out, the Bears rattled off four consecutive hits by Connor Morris, Ryan Todd, Teddy Egan and Rech to make the score 4-0.
Polk got into a bases loaded jam in the fourth, but struck out the nine-hole hitter to end that threat. The Bears threatened in the bottom of the inning but left the bases full without scoring. Johns Creek got on the board in the fifth courtesy of a lead-off error and a ground out.
Cambridge got the run back in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a Ross Friedrick walk, an Andrew Spears single and a Justin Tanguay pinch-hit single, making the score 5-1. Johns Creek homered in the sixth to close the gap to 5-2, but could get nothing more across.
A bunt hit by Egan, and singles by Friedrick, Mitch Fleming and Spears accounted for the final two runs and the 7-2 victory.
Polk went 4 2/3 innings to get the win, allowing an unearned run on two hits with four strikeouts. Kenny Rosenbloom entered the game in the sixth and managed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn his second save of the season, the first pitcher in school history to achieve multiple saves in a season. Egan led the offense with three hits and two RBI. Rech and Spears each had two hits and an RBI.
Cambridge continues region play with a game at Chattahoochee on Monday, March 12th. Game time is 5:55 PM.
Go Bears!