Baseball: Ketcham dominates Kingston, earning itself another chance in the regional final

SAUGERTIES - Remember that loss to Clarkstown South? It was less than two weeks ago but already is beginning to seem like a distant memory... to everyone outside of this baseball team.

Players insisted that defeat and its resulting pressure created a slingshot effect, with a literal draw back needed for the launch forward.

"It brought us back to earth," Roy C. Ketcham outfielder Tyler Durkin said of the sectional semifinal loss that put a sterling season on the brink. "We worked a lot in practice on adjusting our approach at the plate, and we've gotten it going."

Ketcham has averaged 8.5 runs per game since, dominating each contest. Maybe there is a benefit to prosperity being interrupted and having a "Remember when..." to fan the competitive flame.

Ketcham continued its postseason surge Thursday with an 11-2 win over Section 9's Kingston in a Class AA subregional at Cantine Field.

Ryan Mealy was efficient on the mound and that now-clicking offense scored in each of the first five innings, advancing Ketcham (25-2) to the regional final for a second straight season. They'll face Section 4's Elmira on Saturday, 2:30 p.m. at John Jay-Cross River.

'Ketcham vs. Everybody': Ketcham beats Clarkstown South twice, repeating as Section 1 champ

'Queen Elizabeth': Leduc's eighth-inning walkoff sends Marlboro to softball regional final

"It's another big step forward and this next one is obviously a big game for us," Ryan Mealy said. "We remember that feeling last year, and it's definitely added motivation."

Their other "Remember when..." was an upset loss to Pine Bush in the regional final, cut down in part by uncharacteristic fielding gaffes. Ketcham returned the bulk of its core from last spring and now has another chance at that round, seeking to reach the state semifinals for the first time since 2016.

"We really wanted to get past Section 9 after what happened last year," Durkin said. "That was such a heartbreak, and we've wanted to get ourselves back there and have a different outcome."

Ryan Mealy allowed four hits, one earned run and struck out six in five innings. Ketcham coach Pat Mealy called the junior "one of the best competitors I've ever coached."

Michael Schiavone's two-run homer in the second inning gave them a 4-2 lead. That blast over the wall in left, "got us hyped," Durkin said. "It gave us a lot of momentum on offense and helped Ryan get comfortable."

Connor Durkin went 2 for 3 with two stolen bases, two RBI and two runs. Freshman Tyler Durkin was 2 for 3 with two RBI and a stolen base, and Owen Paino went 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs and a RBI.

"We were missing too many opportunities and the kids realized that if we advanced, we'd be seeing better pitching, so our offense had to improve," Pat Mealy said. "Bad hitting is contagious, but so is good hitting. We're putting together quality at-bats."

Among the adjustments was their discipline and "focus" at the plate, staying back a tick longer and allowing the ball to travel farther into the zone before swinging. That has helped them hit better to the opposite field and foul off tough pitches, resulting in longer plate appearances.

Ketcham took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on run-scoring singles by Connor and Tyler Durkin with two outs. Kingston answered in the bottom of the inning on Brady Gardner's two-run single, which was preceded by an error.

"I just needed an inning to get a feel for the mound and my off-speed pitches," said Ryan Mealy, who didn't allow a runner to reach second after the first inning. "With the offense scoring the way they did, it was pretty easy to get settled in. Props to (Kingston pitcher) Derek Constance. He's great, but our offense is so hard to stop when it's locked in."

Jason Due's RBI single extended the lead to 5-2 in the third, Mealy followed with a safety squeeze, and Luke Picone lashed an RBI single to left. Brendan McGowan and Keaton Blackwood each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to close out the win.

Kingston, seeded sixth in its sectional bracket, pulled a series of upsets to win its first Section 9 title since 2019.

"I'm incredibly proud of these guys," said Tigers coach Rob Parisian, whose team finished 13-10. "For them to step up mid-season when we had to make some changes and give me 100% as a first-year coach, I couldn't have been more proud to win that section championship."

Kingston expects to return several of its starters, including top pitchers Constance and Jake Martino. With that, Parisian said, they are "very optimistic" about next season.

Ketcham, meanwhile, is looking forward to its immediate future.

"Things have been going well for us, but we have to approach this like we haven't won anything," Ryan Mealy said. "Because, really, we're still chasing the thing we're after."

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

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Baseball: Durkin, Mealy lead Ketcham over Kingston in 'AA' subregional