Baseball: Ketcham tops Arlington to reach Section 1 final, Arlington faces must-win game
FREEDOM PLAINS - The group huddled to discuss how it would deal with this bit of adversity. The Roy C. Ketcham baseball team was incensed over a series of calls that went against it, but players and coaches implored each other to refocus.
“We reminded each other to not lose sight of the goal,” senior Aidan Marshall said Monday. ‘We were telling ourselves, ‘Just win this. We gotta win this.’”
They were winning. It was almost forgotten, for a second, that Ketcham was up three runs at the time.
But tension rose in the fourth inning when centerfielder Sean Camacho and head coach Pat Mealy were ejected from the game, angering their dugout and firing up fans of both teams.
Camacho was caught attempting to steal second base and, after disputing the call, was thrown out. Mealy then argued the decision to eject the senior and, following an exchange with the umpire, he was tossed.
The coach insisted afterwards he didn’t use foul language.
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“It’s unfortunate that it happened, to lose two important pieces of our team like that,” said Mike Paino, an assistant coach who took over after the hubbub. “But the kids responded well and used it as fuel.”
Owen Paino threw a complete game and Marshall drove in three runs, leading No. 3 Ketcham over top-seeded Arlington, 8-2, in the Section 1 Class AA semifinals.
Ketcham advances to the final on Saturday and Arlington, still alive in the double-elimination tournament, will host Suffern in a losers’ bracket game Wednesday.
“It’s huge to get this win,” Owen Paino said. “You want to go straight to the final with your (pitchers) rested. We’re going in with momentum.”
What it means
Ketcham reached the section final for a third straight season and is seeking its first championship in six years. They were upset in the previous two trips, including being stunned in 2019 by Suffern, which emerged from the losers’ bracket to claim the title.
“It’s unfinished business for us,” Marshall said. “We’re glad for the opportunity to get back and we really wanna get it done this year.”
They’ll have to do it without Camacho as the Siena-bound star will serve a one-game suspension because of the ejection.
Arlington split two regular-season games with Suffern, but Nick Huchro did no-hit them in a 9-0 win in their last meeting three weeks ago. The Admirals likely will start ace Eric Servellon on Wednesday.
Ketcham swept the Mounties in the regular season and beat them 7-0 in a playoff game last Saturday. They’ve also beaten the Admirals twice in three meetings.
“They’re our rival and a great team, so beating them is always big deal," Owen Paino said of Arlington. "We definitely gain some confidence from beating the No. 1 seed.”
Turning point
Ketcham got on the board in the first inning, just as it seemed Huchro would work around the two singles he allowed. But, facing a two-strike count with two outs, Marshall grounded a single to right — just past the second baseman’s dive — that drove in two runs.
“It’s a simple approach, just thinking ‘middle, away,’” Marshall said of their success hitting to the opposite field. “We’re not trying to do too much.”
Ketcham struck out only three times, and once before the sixth inning. Their contact hitting was rewarded with 14 hits, several on ground balls that sneaked inches beyond the fielder’s reach.
“We’ve done well offensively the last few weeks,” Mike Paino said. “The ball will find a hole for you some days, and this was one of those days for us.”
They went up 3-0 in the second when Sean Camacho’s groundout scored Michael Schiavone. Arlington got a run in the bottom of the frame on Ryan Letcher’s RBI single, but Ketcham regained the three-run edge with Schiavone’s RBI single in the third.
Ketcham pulled away with three runs in the fifth on RBI singles from Connor Lynch, Ryan Mealy and Kevin Camacho.
Player of the Game
Owen Paino pitched four dominant innings against Fox Lane in the quarterfinals last week and said he was “well-rested” for this game.
The right-hander “had command of all his pitches and was pounding the strike zone,” Matt Paino said of his nephew.
The pitcher allowed one earned run, four hits and two walks and struck out four in seven innings. He also had a one-out single in the first inning and scored on Marshall’s hit.
“Owen is a top prospect in the state, and he played like it,” Admirals coach John Biasotti said of the sophomore committed to Ole Miss. “Ketcham is a great team and they executed.”
By the numbers
Arlington (19-4) — Letscher was 2 for 3 with an RBI and Lugo and drove in a run. Dan Jackson walked twice, stole a base and scored. Logan Pulitano pitched 1 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief.
Ketcham (16-6) — Marshall was 2 for 2 with a walk, three RBI and two runs. Ben Tullo went 2 for 4 with a stolen base and two runs. Lynch and Schiavone each were 2 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and a run, and Riley Weatherwax was 1 for 2 with a walk.
Quotable
“The team is disappointed we didn’t win this, but they understand we still have an opportunity in front of us,” Biasotti said of Arlington. “It’s double-elimination and they’re still upbeat and confident, knowing what we have to do on Wednesday.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Baseball: Paino stars as Ketcham tops Arlington in Section 1 semifinal
