Baseball: Ketcham stays hot in Class AA regional final win over Elmira
CROSS RIVER - Saturday is just another checkmark in Ketcham's list of goals for the 2023 season.
Repeat as Section 1 champs? Check.
Make it back to the state regional final? Check.
Win and advance to the NYSPHSAA final four? Check.
Thanks to their 12-1 win over Section 4 champion Elmira in the Class AA state regional final on Saturday, the Indians will be in the running for their ultimate goal, a state title, in next week's high school baseball championship finale at Binghamton.
"It's an amazing feeling, we got something special here and we're just gonna keep going," Ketcham pitcher Riley Weatherwax said. "We've worked for this moment, and we're going to go get it. Two games left, we got this."
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They've outscored their two state tournament opponents by a combined margin of 23-3 this week, and while they made it look easy, it has been anything but that.
"It's an awesome accomplishment," Ketcham coach Pat Mealy said. "People don't realize how hard it is to get (to a state final four). We've been very fortunate in our program that we've been there quite a few times. I want our kids to understand that getting through our section alone is a ton of work, but to do that and get through regionals — where we have to beat two teams and others only gotta beat one — but hats off to these boys. We're in a really good place in so many different ways right now, and it means the world to us."
While Ketcham fell short last year, there was no doubt that it is now catching fire at the right time. The Indians hardly looked back after a dominant start to Saturday's regional final game with Elmira.
The Indians batted around the order in each of the first two innings, amassing a 12-1 lead heading into the third inning, a wide margin that would remain for the rest of the game.
"We're just getting started though, and we're excited to get out there in Binghamton, show them what we're about, and finish it off," Ketcham junior Luke Picone said. "The competitiveness, staying high the whole time helped us perform as best as we can. When you have guys competing like Riley Weatherwax on the mound, and when our offense is locked in like they are, it's hard to not stay focused and do your job."
As for Elmira, it was a heartbreaking ending to a season where the Express showed tremendous growth.
"This has been a building process since these guys were in ninth grade," Elmira coach Jason Manwaring said of his team. "We had eight starters that started as freshmen. Last year, we got to the sectional championship and we weren't ready for that. This year, we were ready for that, but we weren't ready for a regional final. It was difficult, we did some things that were uncharacteristic, but we battled and didn't give up.
"(Ketcham) is a solid ball club. I watched them numerous times online, and then I went down to the game on Thursday. They're as good as advertised. They have good arms, they aren't going to hurt themselves, and today, they capitalized on things that we're usually good at. You can't give extra opportunities to a really good team like that."
What it means
Ketcham is going to the NYSPHSAA Class AA final four for the first time since 2016. Last season, it fell in the regional final, this year, the Indians breezed through the state tournament opposition so far. They defeated Kingston 11-2 in the subregional, then followed up with Saturday's 12-1 win.
Player of the game
Riley Weatherwax, Ketcham: It's difficult to pinpoint an individual standout in a game where the Indians truly got contributions from every single player in the batting order, with all starters getting on base successfully at least once, but a tip of the hat goes to the Ketcham junior.
He had another solid outing on the mound, keeping Elmira at bay and limiting the Express to one run on two hits, while serving up five strikeouts and no walks. Weatherwax also went 2-for-2 with a walk and a RBI in each of his at bats.
By the numbers
Ketcham (25-2) — Tyler Durkin went 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI, and two runs scored. He also pitched the final inning and got a strikeout on the mound. Ryan Mealy went 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs. Kevin Camacho and Owen Piano each went 2-for-3 with a RBI. Jason Due was 1-for-2 with a RBI. Luke Picone went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Connor Durkin was 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Every starting member of Ketcham's batting order got on base at least once.
Elmira (16-6) — Michael Palmer had a double. Brady Morrell had a sacrifice fly RBI. Alex Mosher went 1-for-1.
They said it
"2016 was the last time we were in Binghamton and what happened last year, that taste is in a lot of kids' mouth," Mealy said. "Our focus level has been on point. We're doing a lot of good things offensively and defensively. It's a tough thing to do, this is a huge accomplishment to these boys, but I will say this — we're not done."
"This has been a process, something that we're looking forward to, but we're also bringing back 13 out of the 16 guys next year," Manwaring said. "I'm proud of them. They're great kids. They're great students. It's sad that it's over with, we were hoping to get another week with them, but we'll be back working hard in the offseason."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Baseball: Ketcham stays hot in Class AA regional final win over Elmira
