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A snippet of song blared from over the Blue Jay dugout before the bottom of the seventh inning with Cape leading hometown Seaford 5-3.
“This could be the last time, I don’t know,” by the Rolling Stones.
Hard luck Cape, dragging a 1-7 record into town, didn’t figure to be in position to close out a storied Seaford program that boasts 13 players drafted to professional baseball.
Derrick Gibson, the new “Natural” of Seaford, bears an uncanny resemblance to Delino Deshields. Two scouts from the Atlanta Braves were there to watch him play.
Cape’s Russell Campbell, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, came on in relief of lefty Mike Soyka in the fifth inning with Cape leading 5-3. Soyka had twice gotten the third out with the bases loaded and when his pitch count reached 100 he was lifted.
“They really never hit Mike hard; he just had some control problems like lots of young lefties,” said Cape head coach Jimmy Young. “I wasn’t going to risk him getting hurt.”
Seaford pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Tyler Joseph ramping up the drama. Later, with two out and a two/two count with two runners on base, Campbell broke a curve ball over the outside corner Coach Young said “was just dirty.”
But it was called a ball and so with a full count and everyone running, Campbell comes inside with high heat as Jared Banning swings through the pitch and Cape had the upset win.
“I shook off the outside pitch because I wanted to come up and on him,” Campbell said. “I’m better coming on in relief and cleaning up other people’s messes.”
J.T. Norton is good at picking up runners with his bat when, with runners on second and third in the top of the fourth and Cape leading 3-1, Norton rocked a double to the outfield wall chasing home a pair of runs for a 5-1 Cape lead.
“We haven’t been in many close games this season and you could just feel the intensity in the dugout,” Norton said.
“It was a fastball high and inside and I got into it.”
Cape scored a pair of runs in the first inning on an RBI single by Steven Walker and a sacrifice fly by Joe D’Amico.
Derrick Gibson was 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs for Seaford.
NOTES - Mike Soyka left the game after four innings leading 5-3. The Seaford scorer listed Campbell as the winner, but more likely he was credited with a save.
Cape Region players making it into the professional baseball system include Chris Short, Johnny Morris, Benny Wiltbank, Obie Maull and Brian Mifflin.
Contact Dave Frederick at davefredman@comcast.net
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