Baseball: Even after close win, Ketcham insists team must improve to meet high standards

FREEDOM PLAINS - Voices were raised, tempers too, as the players and coaches became impassioned during a meeting before this game. Afterwards, there was a lengthy postgame powwow on the outfield grass during which little time was spent discussing the victory.

"A few guys were angry, which is understandable," senior Luke Picone said of his Roy C. Ketcham baseball teammates. "People were fired up because we have to be better, and we have to hold each other accountable."

This team has won six of its first seven games. But, heavy is the head.

The standard is such that two narrow victories is considered a disappointment. A loss is almost devastating.

Expectations are so high for this group that they're viewed through a fisheye lens, with a focus always on the big picture and how their progress relates to the ultimate goal. With that, there also is the microscopic angle that puts under scrutiny each of the elements pertaining to their performance.

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"It stuck with me that we have guys who've been going through the motions a little," Ketcham coach Pat Mealy said. "The results were a direct reflection of what we've been doing in practice, and that's on me. I have to be better at making sure they're staying focused."

Playing three straight one-run games, despite winning two of them, falls below their benchmark. The pervading belief within the team is that they’ve underachieved to this point. Accompanying a state championship, and the projection of a repeat, is a constant pressure to excel throughout this season. It's a weight that's felt, the players acknowledged.

"But it's a good thing," Picone insisted. "We have that pressure because of what we've accomplished before and what we have the potential to do. And I think we're good under pressure."

Ketcham withstood some pressure Wednesday but edged Arlington, 5-4, on the road, rebounding from a one-run loss to its rival just 24 hours earlier. Jason Due drove in two runs and Connor Durkin allowed three earned runs in 6⅓ innings for the Storm, playing beneath a steady rain.

"Yesterday was ugly," Durkin said of the 6-5 loss to Arlington in which his team committed five errors and made the final out on a pickoff throw. "We were better in this game, but still not great. But it was a step in the right direction."

Ethan Paredes scored from third on Ryan Mealy's RBI groundout, giving Ketcham a 5-2 lead in the fifth, and they did enough to stave off the Admirals. Tyler Durkin entered in relief of his older brother and got the final two outs.

There still was plenty to critique, of course, as the Storm twice failed to fully capitalize with the bases loaded and did allow an unearned run in the second inning. That, the coach said, "is not the style of baseball we're accustomed to."

But they did show some verve early, scoring twice in the first inning. Connor Durkin's sacrifice fly plated Riley Weatherwax with the first run and Picone hustled from third when Owen Paino got himself caught in a rundown.

Liam Suozzo's RBI single put Arlington on the board in the second and Richie Brown scored the tying run on a throwing error. Ketcham retook the lead in the third when Due's double to left brought in Tyler Durkin and Nick Mondesando.

Arlington (5-2) has turned heads early on, showing some might and mettle, even with an inexperienced roster. They did so again, challenging Ketcham and making it interesting until the final out.

Eric Santaella's fifth-inning double drove in Justin Peters and Suozzo walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch, getting the Admirals within a run with two outs in the seventh. Tyler Durkin struck out the last batter.

"I like that we showed some resilience, which is something we're known for," said Connor Durkin, a senior. "We just need to clean up the little things. We can't afford the mistakes and missed opportunities that we've had."

Picone went 2 for 2 with a walk and made a spectacular diving catch of a liner to second in the fourth inning. Due was 2 for 4, Tyler Durkin went 1 for 3 with a walk, and Paino walked twice and stole a base. Connor Durkin allowed five hits and three walks and struck out eight.

The Storm won its first four games with a cumulative score of 36-2, but struggled Saturday against Mamaroneck. They needed a late rally and eventually eked out a 5-4 win in nine innings. That preceded the loss to Arlington, and it felt, Picone admitted, that they were in "a little bit" of a rut.

Mealy attributed some of that to complacency and cockiness. Ketcham returned its core from that championship run, including four players with Division I college commitments, and they naturally were the darlings of preseason rankings. That, the coach said, can be a pitfall if the intensity lapses and the team takes for granted its position.

"We're the most hated team in (Section 1) and we love it," he said of his team getting most opponent's best shot. "However, if we come into these games not fully understanding what that means and what it requires of us, it's gonna bite us."

Arlington's Mike D'Imperio started and was relieved after two-plus innings with the score tied at 2. Joe Ribaudo allowed four hits and struck out two and was charged with an unearned run in five innings. Rivera, Jason Jackson and Griffin White each went 1 for 3 for the Admirals (5-2).

"It’s not a secret what the expectations are,” said Connor Durkin, referring to his team pursuing a Class AAA state title. “Our goal is to get back to Binghamton and we’ve got that circled on the calendar. We can’t get there playing the way we have lately. We have to do better, and we will.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Baseball: Due, Durkin help Ketcham edge Arlington in rebound from loss