Keaveney, Adams lead Exeter baseball past Dover for its sixth straight win; now 9-1

EXETER - The Dover High School baseball team was rolling, winning three straight games and scoring a total of 19 runs in that span.

Exeter High School senior left-hander Cam Keaveney, committed to play at Division I Northeastern University next year, halted that progress in Wednesday's Division I game between the two Seacoast rivals.

More: Seacoast roundup: Ruhnke leads Portsmouth girls; York's Joyce, Winnacunnet's Vicinus shine

Keaveney struck out the side in his fifth-and-final inning and the Blue Hawks pulled away with a two-run sixth for a 5-1 win over Dover at Exeter High School.

"(The game plan) was just really keeping a lot of stuff off the plate," Keaveney said of the way to attack the Green Wave order. "Make sure they couldn't catch any huge barrels on my fastball. Just get them to miss them a little bit."

More: UNH's Dylan Laube: Getting drafted by Las Vegas Raiders hasn't 'sunk in yet'

Keaveney, a Division I all-state first-team selection last year, went five innings, allowed one run on four hits, walked two and struck out seven to earn the win.

"I think I did well," he said of his performance. "I missed some fastballs when I wanted to hit my spots, but overall I think my off-speed was pretty good today, so I think that was a plus."

More: Traip Academy girls lacrosse team off to historical start to season

"Obviously a solid start," Exeter head coach Bruce Joyce said. "He's been getting better and better. He had a couple of jams he had to get out of here and there, but that's what he does. Solid start, he gave us a solid five innings, and can't ask for more than that."

Keaveney empties his tank in final inning

In his final inning, Keaveney's final 16 pitches struck out Dover's top of the order - Amari Lewis (hit, walk), Grant Davis and Ryder Aubin (hit, RBI). The senior lefty was pumped walking back to the dugout where coaches and teammates were fired up to congratulate him.

"I knew it was probably going to be my last inning there, so I was just like I'm going to try to give it all I've got," Keaveney said. "Just give my best stuff and get the momentum toward our side."

"He was grooving, he was excited," Exeter catcher Finn Adams said. "We just worked exactly what we wanted to work, sequence exactly what we wanted to sequence and it worked out great for us."

It was Exeter's sixth straight win and improved to 9-1 on the season, while Dover fell to 6-4.

Along with the three strikeouts in the fifth, Keaveney also had a multiple-strikeout inning in the second with two.

Keaveney helps his own cause at the plate

Keaveney helped himself from the batter's box as he laced an RBI single to right in the first that scored Hayden Schimoler (hit, run, walk). Keaveney had two hits and a run scored, while Exeter's Shea LaFleur also had two hits and scored twice.

"Two-way player today for sure," Joyce said of Keaveney. "We've been looking a little bit for that offense to come around. If you ask him, he would say he's not hitting the ball well, but we've seen the good contact and the good at-bats ... it's good to see him with a couple of great hits today."

Suicide squeeze gets Dover on board

Dover put together a clever play in the third to push across its one and only run. Alex Cook singled to open the inning, and later advanced to third. Cook broke for home as Keaveney released a pitch. Aubin laid down a perfect bunt, Cook scored and Dover tied the game at 1-1.

"I thought that was a spot where we really needed a run," Dover head coach Scott Dubben said. "We really needed a run to tie the baseball game and give our team some energy, so that's why we called it, it was perfectly executed."

Adams increases Exeter's lead

Adams came up huge at the plate as well, with his biggest hit putting Exeter comfortably in the lead with added insurance runs.

Nursing a 3-1 lead in the sixth, Adams' two-run double to right-center field scored LaFleur and Jack Dever.

"I know with runners in scoring position, (Dover starter Charlie Kubiet) is going to have to get something over the plate to get me out," Adams said. "Ideally, he's going to want me to not barrel it, so I figured something outer half was coming, so I kept my front shoulder closed and got through it."

"(Adams) does a little bit of everything," Joyce said. "He's great behind the plate and really helps us with the pitching staff. He's coming on, too. He's had a little bit of a slow start. He was injured early and had to miss some time. He's feeling better and it's starting to show."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Cam Keaveney shines, Exeter baseball beats Seacoast rival Dover