Cane Bay High School’s baseball team enters the final two weeks of the regular season focused on finishing inside its region’s upper echelon.
The Cobras improved to 9-9 overall and 4-5 in Region 6-5A by completing a sweep of Goose Creek Friday, April 12, with a 6-4 victory at home. They are still mathematically alive to win the region but are more likely playing for second or third during the home stretch.
Coach Shane Todd’s bunch has three non-region games April 15-17 before capping the league slate with a three-game series against Berkeley April 22, 24 and 25. Berkeley, which has won eight region crowns since 2013, hosts Games 1 and 3.
“Berkeley has been at the top of our region for the last several years,” Todd said. “We’ve played some competitive games, but they’ve beaten us. We want to see how far the gap has closed. We tell the guys it’s not who you think is the best team. It’s who plays the best on that night. We’ve got a chance to move up the ladder in the region with that series. Hopefully we’ll play our best that week.”
In the finale with Goose Creek, Cane Bay plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie. Cobras designated hitter Ethan Dodson was 3-for-4 and made it 4-3 with a RBI double in the sixth inning. Connor Hirsch and Carson Newberry came through with two-out RBIs in the for some insurance. Hirsch, Newberry and leadoff hitter Julian Minus collected two hits apiece, with Minus scoring three runs and Hirsch driving in a pair.
“Baseball is one of those sports where you have some ups and downs throughout the season,” Todd said. “The team that is going to win it is the team that’s playing its best at just the right time. That’s the end of the year when games matter most. The team that gets hot late is the one that usually plays deep into May. The guys have been coming around. We’re still searching for consistency at the plate. More and more guys are coming through with two-out hits. That’s how you win baseball games.”
Cobras starting pitcher Lucas Porcelli, a freshman up from the junior varsity team, hurled five innings of one-hit ball and fanned 13 batters in his first varsity start. He allowed one unearned run.
“He went out and performed as well as we could have asked him to do,” Todd said of Porcelli.
Hirsch was credited with the win after throwing the sixth and seventh innings, giving up three hits and one earned run with a strikeout.
James Gaspers, Micah Adams and Jaiden Hays drove in runs for Goose Creek (3-13, 0-6 region).
Stratford baseball 11,
Wando 2
Stratford's baseball team improved to 9-11 overall and 4-2 in Region 6-5A with a win at Wando Friday, April 12, that gave the Knights a series win over the Warriors.
Stratford also won the second game of the series, 6-5, two days earlier.
In the finale, the Knights jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two and a half innings and coasted home. Leadoff hitter Jachin Davis went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and four runs scored. Catcher Braydon Burnett knocked in two runs.
Knights starter Jacob Deacon hurled 5.1 innings, striking out four batters. He allowed five hits and no earned runs.
Stratford takes on Berkeley April 15, 17 and 19, and hosts the first and third games.
