Offensive outburst sparks Cambridge past Zanesville
Brandon Hannahs
Zanesville Times Recorder
ZANESVILLE — It may have been Cambridge's first game, but the offense looked in midseason form on Tuesday.
The visiting Bobcats collected eight hits during a 17-run third inning and routed Zanesville 20-0 in a five-inning mercy at Jay Payton Field.
Cambridge led 1-0 through two innings before putting the game out of reach. Davion Bahr's two-run single started the surge, while Andy Ogle followed with a RBI single and Lucas Parsons singled home a pair of runs to make it 6-0.
Regan Rogers drove home two runs with another single later in the frame, while Ogle, Caden Moore and Rogers each added two-run hits to cap the offensive outburst as Cambridge led 18-0.
Rogers finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs, Garrett Carpenter added a 3-of-3 effort with two runs, Ogle totaled two hits, four RBIs and two runs scored, Moore finished with two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored, and Valentine and Bahr also had two hits apiece as the Bobcats totaled 15 as a team.
Valentine also earned the win, allowing one hit and fanning two in three innings, while freshman Dawson Geese fanned four and allowed one hit in two innings of relief.
Evan McBride catches a fly ball during Zanesville's 20-0 loss to visiting Cambridge on Tuesday at Jay Payton Field in Zanesville.
Valentine hit a RBI double in the first inning to put Cambridge up 1-0, while Carpenter had a RBI single in a two-run fourth for the Bobcats.
Cambridge coach Jamaal Lowery was pleased to see the bats find their groove despite the chilly conditions. He also applauded Valentine's efficiency on the mound, throwing just 32 pitches.
"We cracked the ice early by getting our leadoff runners on, and we found our timing (in the third)," Lowery said. "For us to be successful, we have to move runners when we get them on base. We work on base running every day, and that's what we pride ourselves on. We did a good job of that tonight.
"Jake went out and threw well. We didn't want to overextend him after he sat for a long time in the third," he added. "We got to get Dawson, a freshman, in to a spot he will see. That's going to be his role, and he did well."
Zanesville's Canon Mercer fires to first base during Tuesday's 20-0 loss to Cambridge at Jay Payton Field.
Zanesville was looking to build off Monday's win at Marietta. However, the Blue Devils were held to a pair of singles, one each by Caleb Underwood and Christian Ramirez.
Underwood also took the loss, allowing 11 runs, two earned, on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings. He also gave up four of the team's eight walks.
Each game will provide valuable experience, noted first-year ZHS coach Austin Jones. His focus is seeing improvement every day on the diamond.
"We're working on our mindset. We want our guys to battle during every at-bat and not back down no matter the situation," Jones said. "We're super young, but we're not going to use that as an excuse. We want to focus on developing players and seeing progression. We want our guys to learn how to compete and work on getting better every day."
https://www.daily-jeff.com/story/sports ... 055302007/
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