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Win and stay in; refuse to lose. That’s the motto the Ketcham Indians varsity baseball team heeded as they defeated the Yorktown Huskers, 12-0, on June 2 at Roy C. Ketcham field in Wappingers Falls in a Section I, Class AA quarterfinal game, but they couldn’t carry that momentum, as the top-seeded Mamaroneck Tigers (25-2) knocked them out the playoffs with a 24-18 win the following day at Mamaroneck High School.
Indians head coach Pat Mealy said his team fought hard throughout the season, but said he noticed his team really come together against Yorktown in a fired-up performance
“During the course of the year, we were up-and-down,” Mealy said. “This was Shane’s (Peterman) first time pitching in over two weeks,” Mealy said, adding that it is important to conserve his pitchers’ arms as much as possible. The Indians utilized three relief pitchers throughout the game, including Brian Quain, Jeff Freyhagen and Don Fisher.
“I kept throwing fastballs,” Peterman said following the Yorktown victory.He finished the game with five strikeouts and allowed just one hit heading into the fifth inning, when he was relieved.
The Indians started off the slugging with Matt Peters, who hit a double to open the first inning. Peters went 3-for-4 in the game with two RBIs and a run scored.
Quain went 1-for-2, including a double, and Mike Orefice was 2-for-4, with two runs and two RBIs.
“It feels good,” Quain said regarding his performance and the overall win.
“Mike (Orefice) kept swinging an electric bat, but Matt (Peters) set the table for us,” Mealy said.
Peters made a leaping acrobatic catch in center field midway through the game on one of Yorktown’s hardest hit balls.
In the bottom of the third, Indian Frank Merritt hit a home run to center to put his team ahead, 7-0, and he later scored again in the fifth inning.
“Back in April we beat them (Yorktown). We didn’t know what we’d see coming into this game,” Mealy said.
But in the semifinal game, the Indians could not shake off the Tigers’ tenacity, and they faced a huge 17-run upset through three innings. Despite a comeback, they ultimately dropped the contest, 24-18.
“We didn’t have an answer for them (Mamaroneck.) We tried every pitcher we possibly could. They’re a great team for a reason; we showed resilience,” Mealy said.
The Indians played with little rest, have competed three times in four days, but Mealy refused to use that as an excuse.
“All of these teams in the playoffs are in the same boat,” he said.
Mealy added that it’s nothing new for his team to be playing games without a day off, when asked if he felt that had anything to do with his team’s loss.
He said he told his players he is proud of them for all their hard work, and will miss them in the off-season, especially the six seniors who will graduate.
The Indians finished their season with an overall record of 19-7, while the Tigers faced No. 3 Suffern for the Sectional championship on June 5, after the Beat’s press time.
