Baseball: Weatherwax, Camacho help Ketcham top John Jay and advance to Section 1 final
WAPPINGERS FALLS - At some point in the evening, perhaps during a slow dance, a date might lament the fact it seems their partner's mind is elsewhere. Apologies in advance, but a group of Roy C. Ketcham High School students is looking forward to dirt-covered uniforms more than their tailored suits.
That's what Ryan Mealy hopes.
"We only have our eyes on baseball right now," said the first baseman, who'll be among the teammates headed to the junior prom on Thursday. "We'll enjoy ourselves, but we'll be smart. We know that winning a championship is the priority."
The players might be a little distracted, but at least they won't be upset, having given themselves another reason to be excited for the weekend.
Facing elimination and fatigue, Ketcham overcame an early two-run deficit and beat fourth-seeded John Jay-East Fishkill, 8-4, Wednesday in a Section 1 Class AA semifinal.
The upset: Seventh-seeded Clarkstown South stuns Ketcham to reach section final
Baseball scoreboard: Check out scores from playoff games throughout Section 1
Riley Weatherwax went 2 for 3 with a homer and two runs, and pitched four innings of relief to earn the win, helping No. 1 Ketcham survive another scare and advance to the section final.
The defending champions will face No. 7 Clarkstown South on Saturday, 1 p.m. at Purchase College. Ketcham lost a 14-inning marathon to the Rams on Tuesday and now needs two victories against them this weekend to capture a title. A win for them Saturday would force a winner-take-all game Sunday.
But that loss, Kevin Camacho said, was "the wakeup call" his team needed after having slumped offensively in recent weeks. Top-seeded Ketcham had its back to the wall in the double-elimination tournament, facing rival John Jay for the second time in five days, and this time with the season on the line for both.
"We needed to get put in a position where we're under pressure," the catcher said. "We needed something to shake us. But after a loss, we know we clap back."
After falling behind, too. The Patriots scored twice in the second inning, but Weatherwax lined a tying two-run homer over the fence in left in the bottom of the third.
"It's the feeling you live for, hitting a home run in a big spot in a playoff game," said Weatherwax, whose first home run this season was in a quarterfinal last Friday, when Ketcham again rallied from down two. "It was stressful, especially because we haven't been hitting well. But we found a way to get it done."
Ketcham averaged more than seven runs per game in the regular season and dominated most opponents. But, entering this contest, they had been held to nine runs in three playoff games. It was a concern, even as the team advanced through earlier rounds.
"We weren't swinging the bats well and we were making bad mistakes," Mealy said. "We needed that (loss) as a reminder that we can be beaten. It was important to bounce back the way we did and, hopefully, we can carry that into the weekend."
Danny Costello walked and eventually scored on an errant pickoff throw to put the Patriots on the board in the second, and Brady Feliciotto walked and came home on Landon Stichbury's RBI fielder's choice for the 2-0 lead.
Ketcham's Tyler Durkin led off the fourth with a single and eventually scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Ketcham tacked on, including scoring three in the sixth inning, and Connor Durkin's RBI single made it 8-3.
Camacho was 2 for 4 with a double, two runs and an RBI for Ketcham (22-2). Tyler Durkin went 2 for 4 with a stolen base and a run, and Michael Schiavone was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run. Hitting, Camacho said, becomes contagious "after one person gets it rolling."
With Ketcham's pitching staff stretched following a 4-3 win over John Jay last Saturday, and what essentially was two games in one against Clarkstown, it was all arms on deck Wednesday. Owen Paino started and went two innings before giving way to Weatherwax, and Keaton Blackwood closed the seventh.
"We're all tired," Weatherwax said, "but that doesn't matter in games like these. You do whatever to win for each other."
Hayden Tarsia started and allowed five hits and three runs in four innings for the Patriots (13-8). Aidan Gallagher went 2 for 4 with a homer, and Dante Mandile was 2 for 3 with a double. Shane Driscoll's RBI double got them within 5-3 in the sixth inning.
John Jay had rebound from its semifinal loss to Ketcham with an 11-1 rout of North Rockland to force this rematch.
Ketcham, of course, has now earned itself another rematch.
"We're confident in ourselves," Weatherwax said of facing Clarkstown again. "We think if we're playing our best, we'll win. We just need to do the things we're supposed to."
That includes having those priorities in order. Which might make the prom a distant second.
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Baseball: Weatherwax, Durkin help Ketcham top John Jay in semifinals
